''The Return of Carol Deane'' is a 1938 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Arthur B. Woods Arthur Bickerstaffe Woods (17 August 1904 – 8 February 1944) was an English film director with 27 credits between 1933 and 1940. Woods' films were mainly quota quickies but were diverse in style, from light comedy and musicals to dark crime ...

and starring

Bebe Daniels Phyllis Virginia "Bebe" Daniels (January 14, 1901 – March 16, 1971) was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer, and producer. She began her career in Hollywood during the silent film era as a child actress, became a star in musicals such ...

Arthur Margetson Arthur Margetson (27 April 1887 – 13 August 1951) was a British stage and film actor. Margetson worked as a stockbroker before he became an actor. In 1936, Margetson married actress Shirley Grey. Filmography * ''Wolves'' (1930) as Mark (fi ...

and

Peter Coke Peter John Coke ( "cook"; 3 April 1913 – 30 July 2008) was an English actor, playwright and artist. Early life Peter John Coke was born in Southsea, Hampshire on 3 April 1913.

. The film is adapted from the story ''The House on 56th Street'' by

Joseph Santley Joseph Mansfield Santley (born Joseph Ishmael Mansfield, January 10, 1890 – August 8, 1971) was an American actor, singer, dancer, writer, director, and producer of musical theatrical plays motion pictures and television shows. He adopted ...

and spans the time period from the 1910s to the 1930s. It was made at

Teddington Studios Teddington Studios was a large British television studio in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky1 and others. The complex also prov ...

by the British subsidiary of

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Peter Proud Peter Proud (born Ralph Priestman Proud, 6 May 1913, Glasgow – 1989, London) was a British film art director. He made a major contribution to wartime camouflage and deception operations in the Western Desert, especially in the siege of Tobru ...

Plot

In the London of 1912, Carol Deane (Daniels) becomes famous for a portrait of her painted by artist Mark Poynton (Arthur Margetson), who is infatuated with her. Carol however marries Lord Robert Brenning (Michael Drake), much to the chagrin of Poynton. She gives birth to a son then with the outbreak of World War I, Lord Robert goes off to fight on the Western Front while Carol becomes a nurse. Poynton is admitted as a patient to Carol's hospital, and tells her he is still in love with her. Carol tries to make light of his persistence, but after being released Poynton calls her to insist that she come to see him, threatening that if she does not, he will make her the subject of a public scandal. Carol goes to visit Poynton, who pulls a gun on her, demanding that she return to live with him. There is a struggle, during which Carol accidentally shoots Poynton dead. Carol goes on trial for murder and Lord Robert is summoned as a character witness, but is killed in action before the trial begins. Carol is found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, and is sentenced to a lengthy term of imprisonment. Her son grows up knowing nothing of his mother or her crime, and on her release in the late 1920s Carol relocates to New York. She meets Englishman Francis Scott-Vaughan (Wyndham Goldie) and becomes involved in his shady gambling businesses. Ten years later the pair return to England to set up a similar establishment in London. On the opening evening she recognises one of the punters as her son (

Peter Coke Peter John Coke ( "cook"; 3 April 1913 – 30 July 2008) was an English actor, playwright and artist. Early life Peter John Coke was born in Southsea, Hampshire on 3 April 1913.

), now married and whose photographs she has seen in newspapers. He has the air of a compulsive gambler, and Carol engineers proceedings to prevent him from losing large sums of money in wagers. She takes him under her wing and helps him repair his relationship with his wife, who had been aghast to discover his gambling habits. Carol never reveals that she is his mother, and soon contact between them is lost again.

Cast

as Carol Deane *

as Mark Poynton *

Peter Coke Peter John Coke ( "cook"; 3 April 1913 – 30 July 2008) was an English actor, playwright and artist. Early life Peter John Coke was born in Southsea, Hampshire on 3 April 1913.

as Lord David Brenning * Michael Drake as Lord Robert Brenning *

Zena Dare Zena Dare (born Florence Hariette Zena Dones; 4 February 1887 – 11 March 1975) was an English singer and actress who was famous for her performances in Edwardian musical comedy and other musical theatre and comedic plays in the first half of ...

as Lady Brenning *

Chili Bouchier Chili Bouchier (born Dorothy Irene Boucher; 12 September 1909 – 9 September 1999) was an English film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progre ...

as Anne Dempster * David Burns as Nick Wellington *

Aubrey Mallalieu Aubrey Mallalieu (8 June 1873 – 28 May 1948) was an English actor with a prolific career in supporting roles in films in the 1930s and 1940s. Mallalieu began life as George William Mallalieu, the son of William Mallalieu (c. 1845–1927), a ...

as Lamont *

Wyndham Goldie Frank Wyndham Goldie (5 July 1897 – 26 September 1957) was an English actor. World War I During World War I, Goldie was a lieutenant in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His elder brother Maurice also held a commission in the same Corps during ...

as Francis Scott-Vaughan *

Lesley Brook Lesley Brook (18 February 1917 – 7 February 2009) was a British stage, film and television actress. Married to an RAF pilot, Terry Spencer, she moved after the war to South Africa for 15 years before returning to the UK. They had three childr ...

as Diana * Ian McLean as Prosecution

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Return of Carol Deane, The 1938 films 1938 drama films Films directed by Arthur B. Woods 1930s English-language films British black-and-white films British drama films Films set in London Films shot at Teddington Studios Warner Bros. films 1930s British films