''Fighting Stock'' is a 1935 British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by and starring

Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...

. It also features

Robertson Hare John Robertson Hare, Order of the British Empire, OBE (17 December 1891 – 25 January 1979) was an English actor, who came to fame in the Aldwych farces. He is remembered by more recent audiences for his performances as the Archdeacon in the p ...

, Lesley Wareing and Herbert Lomas. its plot involves a

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

who retires to a country cottage for some quiet fishing, but it soon overtaken by madcap events. The screenplay is by

Ben Travers Ben Travers (12 November 188618 December 1980) was an English writer. His output includes more than 20 plays, 30 screenplays, 5 novels, and 3 volumes of memoirs. He is most notable for his long-running series of farces first staged in the 19 ...

based on his earlier stage play of the same name, and the cast included cast members from Travers's Aldwych Farces. It was filmed at

Islington Studios Islington Studios, often known as Gainsborough Studios, were British film studios located on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, London between 1919 and 1949. The studi ...

with sets by

Oscar Friedrich Werndorff Oscar Friedrich Werndorff (1880–1938) was an Austrian art director. After leaving Germany in the early 1930s he moved to Britain where he worked in the British film industry. He co-directed the 1931 film '' The Bells''.Bergfelder & Cargnell ...

Cast

as Brig. Gen. Sir Donald Rowley *

Ralph Lynn Ralph Clifford Lynn (8 March 1882 – 8 August 1962) was an English actor who had a 60-year career, and is best remembered for playing comedy parts in the Aldwych farces first on stage and then in film. Lynn became an actor at the age of 1 ...

as Sydney Rowley *

as Duck *

Marie Lohr Marie Kate Wouldes Lohr (28 July 1890 – 21 January 1975) was an Australian-born actress, active on stage and in film in Britain. During a career of more than 60 years she created roles in plays by, among others, Bernard Shaw, J. M. Barrie, ...

as Mrs. Barbara Rivers * Herbert Lomas as Murlow * Lesley Wareing as Eileen Rivers *

Veronica Rose Veronica Rose (8 July 1911 – 25 January 1968) was a British stage and film actress. During the 1930s she appeared in a number of films directed by or starring her father-in-law Tom Walls, including several Aldwych Farce adaptations. Selecte ...

as Diana Rivers *

Hubert Harben Leonard Hubert S Harben (12 July 1878 – 24 August 1941) was an English stage and film actor. He was married to the actress Mary Jerrold and father of celebrity chef Philip Harben. Selected filmography * '' Mr. Pim Passes By'' (1921) * '' Ev ...

as Mr. Rivers * Margaret Davidge as Mrs. Fenton *

Peggy Simpson Peggy Simpson (4 July 1913 – 1 January 1994) was a British actress. She appeared twice for director Alfred Hitchcock in '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) and '' Young and Innocent'' (1937). Partial filmography * ''Sleeping Car'' (1933) - (uncredited) * ...

as Maid *

Mary Jerrold Mary Jerrold (4 December 1877 – 3 March 1955) was an English actress. She was married to actor Hubert Harben, and mother of actress Joan Harben and celebrity chef Philip Harben. She made her London stage debut as Prudence Dering in ''Mary Pen ...

as Emmie *

Sybil Grove Sybil Grove (4 October 1891 – 28 September 1957) was an English actress. She was born Sybil Marian Westmacott on 4 October 1891 in Teddington, Middlesex, and was also known as Sybil Wingrove. With reddish brown hair and standing 5'8", she tra ...

as Mrs. Peacock *

Norah Howard Norah Howard (12 December 1900 – 2 May 1968) was a British actress of stage and screen. Biography She was born as Norah Lillian Emily Smeed on 12 December 1900, in Fulham, London, England, her father was Alfred Howard Smeed. She changed her st ...

as Ada

Critical reception

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on ...

'' gave the film three out of five stars, and wrote, "The `Aldwych' comedy trio of Tom Walls, Ralph Lynn and J Robertson Hare in another of their great laughter hits from the Thirties, this one taking the mickey out of the huntin', shootin' and fishin' brigade. Tom Walls also directs, and keeps the fun fast and frantic. Amusing

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...

-style stuff from some highly polished farceurs."

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

1935 films 1935 comedy films British comedy films Gainsborough Pictures films Islington Studios films Films set in England Films directed by Tom Walls British black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films Films scored by Louis Levy {{1930s-UK-comedy-film-stub