''Two Crowded Hours'' is a 1931 British comedy drama film directed by
Michael Powell
Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...
and starring
John Longden
John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Biography
Longden was born in the West Indies, the son o ...
,
Jane Welsh
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
, and
Jerry Verno
Jerry Verno (26 July 1895 – 29 June 1975) was a British film actor. He appeared in 39 films between 1931 and 1966, including five films directed by Michael Powell, and two with Alfred Hitchcock.
He was born in London.
As well as appearing ...
. It was made as a
Quota quickie
The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928.
D ...
and is the first film where Powell is credited as the director. No known copies of the film have survived to the present day, and ''Two Crowded Hours'' has been declared to be "Missing, Believed Lost" by the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
.
Premise
A murderer is on the run from prison and is out to get everyone, especially the girl (
Jane Welsh
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
), who put him there. The detective (
John Longden
John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Biography
Longden was born in the West Indies, the son o ...
) gives chase with the help of a London cabbie (
Jerry Verno
Jerry Verno (26 July 1895 – 29 June 1975) was a British film actor. He appeared in 39 films between 1931 and 1966, including five films directed by Michael Powell, and two with Alfred Hitchcock.
He was born in London.
As well as appearing ...
) who has aspirations of becoming a policeman himself.
Cast
*
John Longden
John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Biography
Longden was born in the West Indies, the son o ...
as Harry Fielding
*
Jane Welsh
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
as Joyce Danton
*
Jerry Verno
Jerry Verno (26 July 1895 – 29 June 1975) was a British film actor. He appeared in 39 films between 1931 and 1966, including five films directed by Michael Powell, and two with Alfred Hitchcock.
He was born in London.
As well as appearing ...
as Jim
*
Michael Hogan as Scammell
* Edward Barber as Tom Murray
Production
Michael Powell
Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...
's first feature as director, ''Two Crowded Hours'' was produced by
Jerry Jackson for the Film Engineering Company and distributed by the British arm of Fox Pictures. With accomplished players
John Longden
John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Biography
Longden was born in the West Indies, the son o ...
(star of ''
Blackmail
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
'') and Cockney character actor
Jerry Verno
Jerry Verno (26 July 1895 – 29 June 1975) was a British film actor. He appeared in 39 films between 1931 and 1966, including five films directed by Michael Powell, and two with Alfred Hitchcock.
He was born in London.
As well as appearing ...
, shooting was completed in 12 days in April 1931 in and 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 ...
's
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
. "It was played for laughs and thrills", Powell said, "and we were paid £1 per foot by Fox. We got £4,000 on delivery so obviously we had to make it for £3,000". Although a few stills survive, there is no known print of ''Two Crowded Hours'' in existence.
Status
''Two Crowded Hours'' has been declared to be "Missing, Believed Lost" by the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
. It is listed as one of their "
75 Most Wanted" lost films, along with two later Powell films ''
The Price of a Song
''The Price of a Song'' is a 1935 British crime film, directed by Michael Powell. It is one of 23 quota quickies Powell directed between 1931 and 1936. It features a largely forgotten cast – only Felix Aylmer, here in a minor role, woul ...
'' (1935) and ''
The Man Behind the Mask
''The Man Behind the Mask'' is a 1936 British mystery film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Jane Baxter, Ronald Ward, Maurice Schwartz, George Merritt, Henry Oscar and Peter Gawthorne. A man assaults and switches places wi ...
'' (1936).
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Chibnal, Steve. ''Quota Quickies : The Birth of the British 'B' Film''. London: BFI, 2007.
* Powell, Michael. ''A Life in Movies: An Autobiography''. London: Heinemann, 1986. .
External links
*
*
''Two Crowded Hours''reviews and articles at th
Powell & Pressburger Pages
including extensive notes
1931 films
1931 comedy-drama films
Films directed by Michael Powell
Films by Powell and Pressburger
Lost British films
British comedy-drama films
British black-and-white films
1931 lost films
Lost comedy-drama films
1931 directorial debut films
1930s English-language films
1930s British films
Films shot at Nettlefold Studios
Quota quickies
Films set in London
{{1930s-UK-film-stub