Vivian Ernest Coltman-Allen (23 July 1908 – 1 February 2006), known professionally as Ernest Dudley, was an English actor,

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, novelist, journalist and screenwriter.

Biography

Personal life

Vivian Ernest Coltman-Allen was born in

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

, Worcestershire, and educated at Taplow School. He began his theatrical career acting in repertory in Ireland, later joining

Charles Doran Charles Doran (1 January 1877 – 5 April 1964) was an Irish actor, one of the last of the touring actor-managers in the tradition of Frank Benson, John Martin-Harvey and Ben Greet. Among those who joined his company at the start of their care ...

's Shakespeare company. He met and married the actress Jane Graham, while they were on tour in 1930. He and his wife had a daughter together. He was widowed in 1981 and remained working on novels, stories and scripts until his death, aged 97.

Career

The actor and scriptwriter Ernest Dudley was the creator of the hit BBC radio crime series '' Dr Morelle'' and also the television series '' The Armchair Detective''. The ''Dr Morelle'' — 'the man you love to hate!' — series which was hugely popular during the 1940s and 1950s and originally starred

Dennis Arundell Dennis Drew Arundell OBE (22 July 1898 in Finchley, London – 10 December 1988 in Camden, London

in the title role. In the fifties the role was given to

Cecil Parker Cecil Parker (born Cecil Schwabe, 3 September 1897 – 20 April 1971) was an English actor with a distinctively husky voice, who usually played supporting roles, often characters with a supercilious demeanour, in his 91 films made between ...

, who co-starred with

Sheila Sim Sheila Beryl Grant Sim, Baroness Attenborough (5 June 1922 – 19 January 2016) was an English film and theatre actress. She was also the wife of the actor, director and peer Richard Attenborough. Career Sheila Beryl Grant Sim was born in L ...

. Dudley created Dr Morelle for a BBC Radio anthology programme '' Monday Night at Eight'' during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He featured the character in many short stories and numerous novels as well as a stage play '' Dr Morelle'', which he co-wrote with

Arthur Watkyn Arthur Watkins (1907–1965) was a British writer and public official who served as Secretary of the British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-govern ...

. He appeared in the West End in numerous small parts, before taking a job with ''

The Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'' during the late 1930s as a society reporter. He also began writing plays and crime series for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

. His popular radio series '' The Armchair Detective'' attracted more than ten million listeners a week. A TV series followed, as well as a film in 1952. In 1956 he bought a

Jowett Jupiter The Jowett Jupiter is a British sports car which was produced by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford. Following the launch of the all new Jowett Javelinunder the name Javelin Jupiter. (Javelin Jupiter. Spectacular Win at Le Mans. ''The Tim ...

with an unusual special body by

Harold Radford Harold Radford & Co Limited of Melton Court, South Kensington, London SW7, (opposite South Kensington tube station and now Lamborghini London) were long-established retailers of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars who, under G H Radford, developed a bes ...

. This had the merit (to Dudley) of being completely unlike any other car, and therefore unidentifiable.

Films

* '' The Armchair Detective'' (1952)… as Himself

Novels

* ''

The Harassed Hero ''The Harassed Hero'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Guy Middleton, Joan Winmill Brown and Elwyn Brook-Jones. It was based on a novel of the same name by Ernest Dudley. The film was produced as a second fea ...

'' (1954) * '' The Dark Bureau'' (1950)

Radio Plays

* '' Crime Chasers Ltd'' * '' SOS Sally'' * '' Mr Walker Wants to Know'' * '' Monday Night at Eight'' … Dr Morelle, with

Dennis Arundell Dennis Drew Arundell OBE (22 July 1898 in Finchley, London – 10 December 1988 in Camden, London

* '' The Armchair Detective'' (1942) * '' The House of Unspeakable Secrets'' (1967), with

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...

Screenplays

* ''

Concerning Mr. Martin ''Concerning Mr. Martin'' is a 1937 British thriller film directed by Roy Kellino and starring Wilson Barrett, William Devlin (actor), William Devlin and Marjorie Peacock. When an innocent girl is cheated by a seedy nightclub owner, a classy thi ...

'' (1937) * ''

Lassie from Lancashire ''Lassie from Lancashire'' is a 1938 British romantic musical comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Marjorie Browne, Hal Thompson and Marjorie Sandford. It was made by British National Films at Welwyn Studios. The film's a ...

'' (1938) * '' Dial 999'' (1938) * '' The Armchair Detective'' (1952) * ''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playhouse ...

... Secrets of the Old Bailey'' (1958)...television episode (story)

Stage Plays

* '' Dr Morelle''

Television Series

* '' The Armchair Detective''

External links

*
''The Radio Detectives – A Case for Dr Morelle''
BBC radio programme on famous detectives with Professor Jeffrey Richards – streaming audio

interview British Entertainment History Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, Ernest 1908 births 2006 deaths English radio writers English male journalists English male screenwriters English dramatists and playwrights English short story writers English male stage actors People from Dudley British male dramatists and playwrights English male short story writers English male novelists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century English male writers Authors of Sexton Blake 20th-century English screenwriters