Walter Forde (born Thomas Seymour Woolford, 21 April 1898 – 7 January 1984) was a British

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, screenwriter and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. Born in Lambeth, south London in 1898, he directed over fifty films between 1919 from the silent era through to 1949 in the

sound era A sound film is a motion picture with 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, but decades passed befor ...

. He died in Los Angeles, California in 1984. Forde was the son of the music hall comedian Tom Seymour. During the 1920s, he was a silent film comedian, acting in a series of shorts before shifting into directing feature films. Emerging as an established film director in the 1930s, he directed films for

Gainsborough Pictures Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, north London. Gainsborough Studios was active between 1924 and 1951. The com ...

and

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...

Filmography

Actor

*''Walter Finds a Father'', extant *''Walter Wants Work'', extant in the Huntley Archives *''Walter's Day Out''

Actor

*''Walter The Sleuth 1926'',

Director

* '' What Next?'' (1928) * '' Wait and See'' (1929) * '' The Silent House'' (1929) * '' Would You Believe It?'' (1929) * '' Red Pearls'' (1930) * ''

Bed and Breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

'' (1930) * '' Lord Richard in the Pantry'' (1930) * '' The Last Hour'' (1930) * '' You'd Be Surprised!'' (1930) * '' Third Time Lucky'' (1931) * '' The Ringer'' (1931) * '' Splinters in the Navy'' (1931) * '' The Ghost Train'' (1931) * '' Condemned to Death'' (1932) * '' Lord Babs'' (1932) * ''

Jack's the Boy ''Jack's the Boy'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Francis Lister and Peter Gawthorne. It became well known for its song "The Flies Crawled Up the Window", sung by Hulbert, ...

'' (1932) * ''

Rome Express ''Rome Express'' is a 1932 British thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Esther Ralston and Conrad Veidt. Based on a story by Clifford Grey, with a screenplay by Sidney Gilliat, the film is a tale about a European express train ...

'' (1932) * '' Orders Is Orders'' (1933) * ''

Jack Ahoy ''Jack Ahoy'' is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jack Hulbert, Nancy O'Neil, Alfred Drayton and Sam Wilkinson. Its plot follows a humble seaman falls in love with an Admiral's daughter, whilst trying to battle ...

'' (1934) * ''

Chu Chin Chow ''Chu Chin Chow'' is a musical comedy written, produced and directed by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, based (with minor embellishments) on the story of '' Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves''. Gänzl, Kurt"''Chu Chin Chow'' Musical Tal ...

'' (1934) * '' Bulldog Jack'' (1935) * '' Forever England'' (1935) * '' King of the Damned'' (1935) * '' Land Without Music'' (1936) * ''

Kicking the Moon Around ''Kicking the Moon Around'' is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Bert Ambrose, Evelyn Dall and Harry Richman. The film marked Maureen O'Hara's screen debut; she appeared very briefly, speaking one line. ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Gaunt Stranger ''The Gaunt Stranger'' (released as ''The Phantom Strikes'' in the US) is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Walter Forde. It stars Sonnie Hale, Wilfrid Lawson and Alexander Knox. Plot A notorious killer, long believed to have ...

'' (1938) * '' Let's Be Famous'' (1939) * '' The Four Just Men'' (1939) * '' Cheer Boys Cheer'' (1939) * '' Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday'' (1939) * '' Saloon Bar'' (1940) * ''

Sailors Three ''Sailors Three'' (released in the US as ''Three Cockeyed Sailors'') is a 1940 British war comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Tommy Trinder, Claude Hulbert and Carla Lehmann. This was cockney music hall comedian Trinder's debut ...

'' (1940) * '' Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt'' (1940) * '' Atlantic Ferry'' (1941) * '' The Ghost Train'' (1941) * '' Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It'' (1941) * '' Go to Blazes'' (1942, short) * '' The Peterville Diamond'' (1942) * ''

Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

'' (1942) * '' It's That Man Again'' (1943) * ''

Time Flies Time Flies may refer to: * '' Tempus fugit'', a Latin phrase usually translated as "time flies"; an admonition against procrastination Film * ''Time Flies'' (1944 film), a British comedy directed by Walter Forde * ''Time Flies'' (2013 film), a ...

'' (1944) * '' One Exciting Night'' (1944) * '' Master of Bankdam'' (1947) * ''

Cardboard Cavalier ''Cardboard Cavalier'' is a 1948 British historical comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Sid Field, Margaret Lockwood and Jerry Desmonde. It was the last film for Forde and Field. Field died of a heart attack shortly after the f ...

'' (1949)

References

Bibliography

* Hunter, I.Q. & Porter, Laraine. ''British Comedy Cinema''. Routledge, 2012.

External links

*
''Walter Forde'' at BFI Screenonline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forde, Walter 1898 births 1984 deaths English film directors English male silent film actors Male actors from Bradford English male film actors 20th-century English male actors Film people from Yorkshire