John Warren (1916–1977) was the stage and pen name of a British screenwriter and support actor. Specialising in comedy writing, he worked with several figures at the forefront of British comedy, such as

Tommy Cooper Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army f ...

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

Dick Emery Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English comedian and actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981. Life and career Richard Gilbert Emery was ...

and Mike and Bernie Winters. He had several screenwriting projects with film director

Val Guest Val Guest (born Valmond Maurice Grossman; 11 December 1911 – 10 May 2006) was an English film director and screenwriter. Beginning as a writer (and later director) of comedy films, he is best known for his work for Hammer, for whom he direct ...

whom he first encountered as an actor in 1948.

Life

He was born John (Jack) Warner in England on 13 November 1916. In the Second World War he served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. Following discharge he pursued a career in films but only served in minor roles. He did however make many contacts and moved into scriptwriting in the late 50s, having considerably more success in this field. He died on 9 February 1977 in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

Film Scripts

* Up The Creek (1958) *

Further Up the Creek ''Further Up the Creek'' is a 1958 British comedy film written and directed by Val Guest and starring David Tomlinson, Frankie Howerd, Shirley Eaton, Thora Hird, Desmond Llewelyn and Lionel Jeffries. It served as a follow up to '' Up the Creek'' ...

(1959) *

Two-Way Stretch ''Two-Way Stretch'', is a 1960 British comedy film, about a group of prisoners who plan to break out of jail, commit a robbery, and then break back into jail again, thus giving them the perfect alibi – that they were behind bars when the ro ...

(1960) * Life is a Circus (1960) *

Operation Snatch ''Operation Snatch'' is a 1962 British comedy film starring Terry-Thomas and George Sanders and directed by Robert Day. Plot The story takes place in Gibraltar, and is based on a local legend: if the resident Barbary apes were ever to lea ...

(1962) *

The Wrong Arm of the Law ''The Wrong Arm of the Law'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries, John Le Mesurier and Bill Kerr. It was partly written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and made by Ro ...

(1963) * Rotten to the Core (1965) *

Ooh… You Are Awful ''Ooh... You Are Awful'' is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen. It is a feature-length adaptation of ''The Dick Emery Show''. It starred Dick Emery, Derren Nesbitt, Ronald Fraser and Cheryl Kennedy. Its alternative title on its No ...

(1972)

TV Show Scripts

* Dave's Kingdom (1964) * Fire Crackers (two episodes, 1965) * Cooperama (1966) a showcase for

*Mike and Bernie's Show (1966) comedy showcase for Mike and Bernie Winters *Life With Cooper (1966–1968) long-running showcase for

*The Stanley Baxter Show (one episode 1968) long-running showcase for

Stanley Baxter Stanley Livingstone Baxter (born 24 May 1926) is a Scottish actor, comedian, impressionist and author. Baxter began his career as a child actor on BBC Scotland and later became known for his British television comedy shows ''The Stanley Baxter ...

As Good Cooks Go ''As Good Cooks Go'' was a black-and-white British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1969 to 1970. Written by John Warren (actor), and John Singer, it starred Tessie O'Shea and Frank Williams. Cast *Tessie O'Shea – Blodwen O'Reilly *Robert Dorn ...

(seven episodes, 1969–70) *Bernie (1878–1980) a series centred upon

Bernie Winters Bernie Winters (born Bernie Weinstein; 6 September 1930 – 4 May 1991), was an English comedian, actor, musician & TV presenter, and the comic foil of the double act Mike and Bernie Winters with his older brother, Mike. Winters later perfor ...

The Dick Emery Show ''The Dick Emery Show'' is a British sketch comedy show starring Dick Emery. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1963 to 1981. It was directed and produced by Harold Snoad. The show was broadcast over 19 series with 166 episodes. The show experienced ...

multiple scripts from 1963 to 1977 *It's Lulu (one episode, 1973) long-running showcase for

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

*The

Christmas Show (1974) *

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale ''Dick ...

TV movie (1972) *Sacha's In Town (two episodes, 1972) showcase for

Sacha Distel Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, " Scoubidou" ...

*A Christmas Night to Remember, annual show broadcast in UK on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

- 1963, 1970 and 1971 *

From a Bird's Eye View ''From a Bird's Eye View'' is a 1970 ATV and ITC Entertainment co-produced sitcom. In the United States it aired on NBC, which had originally ordered the series as an entry in the 1969–70 TV season but pushed it back to the 1970–71 season ...

(one episode, 1970)

Film Roles

A very frequent actor in support roles Warren was a well-known face but not a well-known name (and often went uncredited). His need to choose a new name stemmed from the pre-existence of the actor Jack Warner who was operating out of the same studios. * When the Bough Breaks (1947) guest at party (uncredited) *

The Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physica ...

(1947) as Mr Wilkins (uncredited) * One Night With You (1948) as ticket collector * My Brother's Keeper (1948) as motorist at Nora's Garage (uncredited) *

Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill ''Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Marius Goring, David Farrar, Greta Gynt, Edward Chapman and Raymond Huntley. It is based on the 1911 novel of the same title by Hugh Walpole ...

(1948) as chauffeur *

William Comes to Town ''William Comes to Town'' is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham and Garry Marsh. It was based on the Just William series of novels by Richmal Crompton. It served as a loose sequel to 1947 film '' Just ...

(1948) as circus official *

Warning to Wantons ''Warning to Wantons'' is a 1949 British romantic comedy film directed by Donald Wilson and starring Harold Warrender, Anne Vernon and David Tomlinson. The screenplay, written by art historian James Laver and the director, was based upon Mary ...

(1949) (uncredited) * It's Not Cricket (1949) as orderly * Marry Me! (1949) as newspaper reporter (uncredited) * Up for the Cup (1950) as Cartwright *

Traveller's Joy ''Traveller's Joy'' is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Googie Withers, John McCallum and Maurice Denham. Based on a West End play of the same name by Arthur Macrae, it was the last film released by the original ...

(1950) as embassy manager (uncredited) *

Seven Days to Noon ''Seven Days to Noon'' is a 1950 British drama/thriller film directed by John and Roy Boulting. Paul Dehn and James Bernard won the Academy Award for Best Story for their work on the film. Plot In 1950, the British Prime Minister receives ...

(1950) (uncredited) *

Shadow of the Past ''Shadow of the Past'' is a 1950 British crime film directed by Mario Zampi and starring Joyce Howard, Terence Morgan, and Michael Medwin. The screenplay involves a man who catches sight of a woman believed by everyone to be dead. Cast * Joyce ...

(1950) as furniture man * The Reluctant Widow (1950) * The Astonished Heart (1950) as barman * Boys in Brown (1949) signalman (uncredited) * A Case of Poisoning (1949) as the butcher * Diamond City (1949) as the town crier * The Franchise Affair (1951) as Charlie the pub landlord *

Laughter in Paradise ''Laughter in Paradise'' is a 1951 British comedy film, starring Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton. The film was remade as ''Some Will, Some Won't'' (1970). Plot In his will, notorious practical joker Henry Russell leave ...

(1951) as card player (uncredited) *

A Case for PC 49 ''A Case for PC 49'' is a 1951 British mystery film directed by Francis Searle and starring Brian Reece, Joy Shelton and Christine Norden.Chibnall & MacFarlane p.79 It was made by Hammer Films at Bray Studios. The film was based on a popular ra ...

(1951) as Coffee Dan *

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

(1951) as barman (uncredited) *

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pres ...

(1951) as ship's officer in "Winter's Cruise" section *

Mr. Denning Drives North ''Mr. Denning Drives North'' is a 1951 British mystery film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring John Mills, Phyllis Calvert and Sam Wanamaker. The plot concerns an aircraft manufacturer (Mills) who accidentally kills the boyfriend (Herbert ...

(1951) as Mr Ash * Stolen Face (1952) as railway guard * Gift Horse (1952) as man in crowd (uncredited) *

The Lost Hours ''The Lost Hours'' is a 1952 British film noir directed by David MacDonald and starring Mark Stevens, Jean Kent and John Bentley. It was produced by Tempean Films which specialised in making second features at the time, and marked Kent's fi ...

(1952) as man with dog *

Made in Heaven ''Made in Heaven'' is the fifteenth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 6 November 1995 by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and by Hollywood Records in the United States. It was the band's first and only release s ...

(1952) as Keeper of the Wheel (uncredited) * The Net (1953) as Ted (uncredited) * Top of the Form (1953) as bookie (uncredited) * Glad Tidings (1953) as barman *

Personal Affair ''Personal Affair'' is a 1953 British drama film directed by Anthony Pelissier and starring Gene Tierney, Leo Genn and Glynis Johns.''Monthly Film Bulletin'' review; 1953, page 160. It was made at Pinewood Studios by Two Cities Films. Plot s ...

(1953) as man in news room (uncredited) *

Meet Mr. Lucifer ''Meet Mr. Lucifer'' is a black-and-white British comedy satire film released in 1953 starring Stanley Holloway. It was filmed at Ealing Studios, London, and is one of the Ealing comedies. The film is based on the play ''Beggar My Neighbour'' by ...

(1953) as man with hammer (uncredited) * 36 Hours (1953) as clerk (uncredited) *

Trouble in Store ''Trouble in Store'' is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his cinema debut. The film also featured Moira Lister, Margaret Rutherford, Jerry Desmonde and Lana ...

(1953) as Master of Ceremonies (uncredited) * Stryker of the Yard (1953) *

Hell Below Zero ''Hell Below Zero'' is a 1954 British-American adventure film directed by Mark Robson and starring Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, Basil Sydney and Stanley Baker. It was written by Alec Coppel and Max Trell based on the 1949 novel '' The White South'' ...

(1954) as hotel receptionist * Fast and Loose (1954) as chauffeur *

Up to His Neck ''Up to His Neck'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Ronald Shiner as Jack Carter, Hattie Jacques as Rakiki and Anthony Newley as Tommy. It was shot at Pinewood Studios near London with sets designed by ...

(1954) as Collins *

To Dorothy a Son ''To Dorothy a Son'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Shelley Winters, John Gregson and Peggy Cummins. Known in the U.S. as ''Cash on Delivery'', it is based on the 1950 play ''To Dorothy, a Son'' by Roger MacDo ...

(1954) as waiter (uncredited) * Police Dog (1955) as Clerk of Works *

Passage Home ''Passage Home'' is a 1955 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker. Plot Captain "Lucky" Ryland (Peter Finch) is about to retire. He has a flashback of several years to a voyage on a merchant ship which he was captaining from South Americ ...

(1955) as Cook * One Good Turn (1955) as ticket collector (with

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...

) *

Bride of the Monster ''Bride of the Monster'' is a 1955 American science fiction horror film, co-written, produced and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr., and starring Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson with a supporting cast featuring Tony McCoy and Loretta King. The film ...

(1955) as Jake *

The Woman for Joe ''The Woman for Joe'' is a 1955 British drama film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Diane Cilento, George Baker, Jimmy Karoubi and David Kossoff. The screenplay concerns the owner of a circus sideshow and his prize attraction (a m ...

(1955) as workman in pub (uncredited) *

Secret Venture ''Secret Venture'' is a 1955 British B-movie thriller film directed by R. G. Springsteen and starring Kent Taylor, Jane Hylton and Kathleen Byron. Plot Renowned scientist Professor Henrik (Hugo Schuster) returns to England from a working trip ...

(1955) as bargee (uncredited) *

Portrait of Alison ''Portrait of Alison'' is a 1956 British atmospheric crime film directed by Guy Green. It was based on a BBC television series '' Portrait of Alison'' which aired the same year. In the United States the film was released as ''Postmark for Dang ...

(1955) as postman (uncredited) *

Private's Progress ''Private's Progress'' is a 1956 British comedy film based on the novel by Alan Hackney. It was directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting, from a script by John Boulting and Frank Harvey. Plot During the Second World War, young undergrad ...

as Sgt Major Gradwick *

Jumping for Joy ''Jumping for Joy'' is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Frankie Howerd, Stanley Holloway, Joan Hickson and Lionel Jeffries. Plot Willie Joy (Frankie Howerd) works at a greyhound track as a cleaner, whic ...

(1956) as commentator at racetrack (uncredited) * The Feminine Touch (1956) (uncredited) *

The Iron Petticoat ''The Iron Petticoat'' (aka ''Not for Money'') is a 1956 British Cold War comedy film starring Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn, and directed by Ralph Thomas. The screenplay by Ben Hecht became the focus of a contentious history behind the produ ...

(1956) as airport official (uncredited) * Eyewitness (1956) as Joe the barman at British Legion (uncredited) *

The Last Man to Hang ''The Last Man to Hang?'' is a 1956 crime film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Tom Conway and Elizabeth Sellars. The film was produced by John Gossage for Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians#Act Films Ltd, Act Film ...

(1956) as passport official (uncredited) *

The Battle of the River Plate The Battle of the River Plate was fought in the South Atlantic on 13 December 1939 as the first naval battle of the Second World War. The Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser , commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, engaged a Royal Navy squadron, command ...

(1956) as chief signalman on HMS Exeter (uncredited) * Brothers in Law (1957) as Mr Venner * A Night To Remember (1958) as crewman on Titanic (uncredited) * Up the Creek (1958) as Cooky *

(1959) as Cooky * Free Love Confidential (1970)

TV roles

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

(1949 TV movie) as Stingo and Jeremy * Stryker of the Yard (1961) *

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

(1967) as Sikorski

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, John 1916 births 1977 deaths British actors British male screenwriters 20th-century British screenwriters Royal Navy personnel of World War II