''The Flying Fool'' is a 1931 British

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Walter Summers Walter Summers (1892–1973) was a British film director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Barnstaple to a family of actors, British motion picture director Walter Summers began his career in the family trade; his first contact with filmmaki ...

and starring Henry Kendall,

Benita Hume Benita Hume (14 October 1907 – 1 November 1967) was an English theatre and film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1925 and 1955. Life and career She was married to film actor Ronald Colman from 1938 to his death in 1958 ...

and

Wallace Geoffrey Wallace Geoffrey was a British writer and actor. Partial filmography Actor * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931) * '' The House Opposite'' (1931) * '' The Flying Fool'' (1931) * '' Detective Lloyd'', a serial * '' Life Goes On'' (1932) * ''Aren't We All?'' (1 ...

. It was based on a 1929

play of the same name Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

Plot

Vincent Floyd, a seeming lazy figure lounging around

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Gentlemen's Clubs is in fact a secret agent hot on the trail of Michael Marlowe whom he suspects of smuggling

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...

into Britain from France on a regular basis. Floyd has so far struggled to gain evidence on Marlowe, but through a series of incidents finds himself bound for

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on the same plane as Marlowe. Marlowe succeeds in doping Floyd and taking him to his underground hideout beneath a Parisian back-alley nightclub. With the help of Marion, a young woman who has been working for Marlowe, Floyd manages to escape the flooding dungeon linked to the

River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

which he has been trapped in. He flies back to England, pursued by Marlowe's gang and manages to avoid the attempts of his enemies to crash his plane. In a final confrontation, Floyd pursues Marlowe's car in a plane and prevents his escape.

Cast

* Henry Kendall as Vincent Floyd *

as Marion Lee *

as Michael Marlowe * Martin Walker as Jim Lancer *

Ursula Jeans Ursula Jean McMinn (5 May 1906 – 21 April 1973), better known as Ursula Jeans, was an English film, stage, and television actress. Biography Jeans was born in Shimla, Simla, British Raj, British India, to English parents, and brought up and ...

as Morella Arlen *

Barbara Gott Barbara Gott (1872–1944) was a Scottish stage and film actress. In 1913 she made her West End debut in Stanley Houghton's ''Trust the People''. Partial filmography * ''Betta, the Gipsy'' (1918) * ''The Romance of Lady Hamilton'' (1919) - Mr ...

as Madame Charron *

Charles Farrell Charles David Farrell (August 9, 1900 – May 6, 1990) was an American film actor of the 1920s silent era and into the 1930s, and later a television actor. Farrell is probably best recalled for his onscreen romances with actress Janet Gaynor ...

as Ponder *

Syd Crossley Syd Crossley (18 November 1885 – 1 November 1960) was an English stage and film actor. Born in London in 1885, Crossley began his career as a music hall comedian. He appeared in more than 110 films, often cast as a butler, between 1925 an ...

as Hicks

Production

The film was based on a successful West End play of the same title by

Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley, OBE (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, earlier in his career known for writing the play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life in the British TV sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–1977) as ...

and

Philip Merivale Philip Merivale (2 November 1886 – 12 March 1946) was an English film and stage actor and screenwriter. Life and career Merivale was born in Rehutia, Manickpur, India, to railway engineer Walter Merivale (1855–1902) and Emma Magda ...

, who then adapted it into a screenplay. It was made by

British International Pictures Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

with sets designed by art directors

Clarence Elder Clarence Elder was a British art director. During the 1930s he worked for British International Pictures.Bergfelder & Cargnelli p.118 In 1947 he directed his only film ''Silver Darlings''. Selected filmography * ''The Way of Lost Souls'' (1929) ...

and John Mead. Originally

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' and was one ...

had been intended to star, but instead the role was given to the lead in the play Henry Kendall. Filming began in December 1930,Wood p.69 and included large amounts of

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for exam ...

. Both the director and the star, Kendall, were able to fly during filming scenes. Co-operation was received from

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passenger ...

, the French Air Union and the

De Havilland Aircraft Company The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in H ...

for the aviation sequences.

References

Bibliography

* Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flying Fool 1931 films 1930s comedy thriller films 1930s English-language films British comedy thriller films British aviation films Films shot at British International Pictures Studios Films directed by Walter Summers Films set in London Films set in England Films set in Paris British films based on plays British black-and-white films 1931 comedy films 1930s British films