Syd Courtenay was a South African-born British actor and screenwriter. He was a frequent collaborator with the comedian
Leslie Fuller
Leslie Fuller (9 October 1888 – 24 April 1948) was a British comedy film actor.
Early life
Albert Leslie Fuller was born in 1888 at 14 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green, London.Some sources wrongly give his birthplace as Margate, as he had a lifelo ...
. Courtenay first met Fuller in 1919 in
Margate
Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...
and they soon struck up a partnership with routines featuring their comedic character Bill.
[Sutton p.105] With the arrival of
sound films
A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...
they were signed to
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 ...
and made their first film ''
Not So Quiet on the Western Front'' in 1930. They made a large number of films during the 1930s, generally featuring the character of Bill, with Courtenay writing and acting in many of them. He was married to
Lola Harvey
Lola Harvey was a British screenwriter and film actress. She and her husband Syd Courtenay were employed by British International Pictures, the leading British film studio of the era, to write screenplays together. Their work provided a number ...
, who co-wrote a number of films with him.
Selected filmography
Actor
* ''
Why Sailors Leave Home
''Why Sailors Leave Home'' is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Leslie Fuller, Peter Bernard and Eve Gray. The screenplay concerns a British sailor on shore leave in the Middle East who ends up being mistaken for ...
'' (1930)
* ''
What a Night!'' (1931)
* ''
Poor Old Bill
''Poor Old Bill'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Leslie Fuller, Iris Ashley and Syd Courtenay. It marked the film debut of a very young Peter Lawford, playing the child of the main character, Bill (Leslie Ful ...
'' (1931)
* ''
Bill's Legacy'' (1931)
* ''
Kiss Me Sergeant'' (1932)
* ''
Old Spanish Customers'' (1932)
*''
Hawley's of High Street
''Hawley's of High Street'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley (director), Thomas Bentley and starring Leslie Fuller, Judy Kelly, Francis Lister and Moore Marriott. Its plot concerns a butcher and a draper who stand for el ...
'' (1933)
* ''
Strictly Illegal
''Strictly Illegal'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Ralph Ceder and starring Leslie Fuller, Betty Astell and Georgie Harris. It was made at Cricklewood Studios.Wood p.84
Cast
* Leslie Fuller as Bill the Bookie
* Betty Astell as Mrs. ...
'' (1935)
* ''
Boys Will Be Girls'' (1937)
* ''
Cotton Queen'' (1937)
* ''
Sing as You Swing'' (1937)
Director
* ''
Darby and Joan
Darby and Joan is a proverbial phrase for a married couple content to share a quiet life of mutual devotion.
Usage
''The Nuttall Encyclopædia'' defined the phrase as "a married couple celebrated for their mutual attachment", the ''Random Hous ...
'' (1937)
Screenwriter
* ''
Old Soldiers Never Die'' (1931)
* ''
The Man Behind the Mask
''The Man Behind the Mask'' is a 1936 UK, British mystery film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Jane Baxter, Ronald Ward (actor), Ronald Ward, Maurice Schwartz, George Merritt (actor), George Merritt, Henry Oscar and Peter ...
'' (1936)
References
External links
*
Bibliography
* Sutton, David R. ''A Chorus of Raspberries: British Film Comedy 1929-1939''. University of Exeter Press, 2000.
British male film actors
British male screenwriters
{{UK-film-actor-stub