''The Water Gipsies'' is a 1932 British, low-budget "

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 ...

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

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

and starring

Ann Todd Dorothy Ann Todd (24 January 1907 – 6 May 1993) was an English film, television and stage actress who achieved international fame when she starred in 1945's '' The Seventh Veil''. From 1949 to 1957 she was married to David Lean who directed h ...

Sari Maritza Sari Maritza (born Dora Patricia Detring-Nathan; 17 March 1910 – July 1987) was a British film actress of the early 1930s. Early years Born Dora Patricia Detring-Nathan in Tianjin, China, Maritza was the daughter of Major Walter Sim ...

and Ian Hunter. It is an adaptation of the 1930 novel '' The Water Gipsies'' by A.P. Herbert. The film was made at

Beaconsfield Studios Beaconsfield Film Studios is a British television and film studio in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The studios were operational as a production site for films in 1922, and continued producing films - and, later, TV shows - until the 1960s. B ...

. Vivian Ellis worked as the film's composer, and later used some of the music in the 1955 stage musical adaptation of the novel. The film also features a 22 year old

Raymond Raikes Raymond Montgomery Raikes (13 September 1910 – 2 October 1998) was a British theatre producer, director and broadcaster. He was particularly known for his productions of classic dramas for BBC Radio's "World Theatre" and "National Theatre of ...

in the role of sozzled Bertie Peach at the party.

Raikes Raikes may refer to: Members of the prominent English family: * Robert Raikes the Elder (1690-1757), British printer and newspaper proprietor * Robert Raikes (1736-1811), English promoter of Sunday Schools and philanthropist, eldest son of the a ...

went on to become England's most celebrated director and producer of classical radio drama and the first to broadcast drama in stereo.

Cast

as Jane Bell *

as Lily Bell * Ian Hunter as Fred Green * Peter Hannen as Bryan * Richard Bird as Ernest *

Frances Doble Frances Mary Hyde Doble (1902 – 12 December 1969) was a Canadian-born actress, who had a short career on the West End stage in the 1920s and 1930s. Life and career Early years Doble was born in Montreal, the elder daughter of Arthur Richard Do ...

as Fay * Anthony Ireland as Moss *

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) - ...

as Mrs Green *

Moore Marriott George Thomas Moore Marriott (14 September 1885 – 11 December 1949) was an English character actor best remembered for the series of films he made with Will Hay. His first appearance with Hay was in the film '' Dandy Dick'' (1935), but he wa ...

as Mr Pewtar *

as Bertie Peach * Harold Scott as Mr Bell * Charles Garry as Mr Green * Betty Shale as Mrs Higgins

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Perry, George. ''Forever Ealing''. Pavilion Books, 1994.

External links

* 1932 films 1932 romantic drama films British romantic drama films Associated Talking Pictures Films shot at Beaconsfield Studios 1930s English-language films Films based on British novels Films directed by Maurice Elvey Films set in England Quota quickies Works by A. P. Herbert British black-and-white films Films with screenplays by John Paddy Carstairs 1930s British films {{1930s-romantic-drama-film-stub