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 A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He also produced more than fifty films – his own as well as films directed by others.

Biography

Born William Seward Folkard in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

, he ran away from home at the age of nine, seeking his fortune in London. There he worked variously as a kitchen hand and hotel pageboy, before ending up as stagehand and actor at the age of 17. He quickly rose to directing and producing plays and established his own theatrical company before switching to films with ''The Great Gold Robbery'' in 1913. He directed a wide array of popular features in a variety of genres, including comedy, drama, literary adaptations – including

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's '' The Suicide Club'' (1914) and a version of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' entitled ''Love in a Wood'' (1916) – and biographical profiles of figures including

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

and Lord Nelson. '' The Life Story of David Lloyd George'' (originally titled ''The Man Who Saved The Empire''Sarah Barrow, John White: ''Fifty Key British Films,'' Routledge 2012, page 8
Linked 2015-03-18), suppressed for political reasons just prior to its release in 1918, had its world premiere in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

in May 1996 and was hailed by critics and film historians as one of the best

s produced in the UK. Between 1921 and 1923, Elvey directed 45 two-reel short films in three series: ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' (1921), ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' (1922) and ''The Last Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' (1923), and two feature films, '' The Hound of the Baskervilles'' and '' The Sign of Four)'' with Eille Norwood as

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

. The actor was

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

's favourite among those who portrayed his literary sleuth. Elvey was employed by the Fox Film Corporation in 1924 and made 5 films for them in America before returning to Europe the following year. Elvey worked with such performers as

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

, Ida Lupino, Benita Hume,

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

, Alastair Sim, Leslie Banks, and Fay Wray, and mentored future directors Carol Reed,

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

, and

Ronald Neame Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missin ...

. In 1944, he was charmed by

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

when he saw her perform at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, and he launched her film career by casting her as a precocious waif in his wartime drama '' Medal for the General.'' The two collaborated on three additional films. Elvey was married three times, to actress Philippa Preston, sculptor Florence Hill Clarke, and actress Isobel Elsom, whom he met on the set of ''The Wandering Jew'' in 1923. The couple went on to make eight films together. The loss of an eye and failing health prompted Elvey's retirement at the age of 70. Ten years later he died in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Filmography

Director * ''Popsy Wopsy'' (1913) * '' Maria Marten'' (1913) * ''The White Feather'' (1914) * '' Her Luck in London'' (1914) * '' The Loss of the Birkenhead'' (1914) * '' The Idol of Paris'' (1914) * '' The Suicide Club'' (1914) * '' Honeymoon for Three'' (1915) * '' There's Good in Everyone'' (1915) * '' Gilbert Dying to Die'' (1915) * ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

'' (1915) * '' Her Nameless Child'' (1915) * '' Love in a Wood'' (1915) * '' From Shopgirl to Duchess'' (1915) * ''Gilbert Gets Tiger-Itis'' (1915) * '' Midshipman Easy'' (1915) * '' Fine Feathers'' (1915) * ''

'' (1915) * '' A Will of Her Own'' (1915) * '' Charity Ann'' (1915) * '' When Knights Were Bold'' (1916) * '' Driven'' (1916) * '' Mother Love'' (1916) * '' Meg the Lady'' (1916) * '' Esther'' (1916) * '' Trouble for Nothing'' (1916) * '' Vice Versa'' (1916) * '' The Princess of Happy Chance'' (1916) * '' The King's Daughter'' (1916) * '' The Woman Who Was Nothing'' (1917) * '' The Grit of a Jew'' (1917) * '' Smith'' (1917) * ''

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

'' (1917) * '' The Gay Lord Quex'' (1917) * '' Flames'' (1917) * '' Mary Girl'' (1917) * '' Dombey and Son'' (1917) * '' The Man Who Saved The Empire'' (1918) * '' Hindle Wakes'' (1918) * '' Nelson'' (1918) * '' The Greatest Wish in the World'' (1918) * '' The Swindler'' (1918) * '' Goodbye'' (1918) * '' Adam Bede'' (1918) * '' Comradeship'' (1919) * '' God's Good Man'' (1919) * '' Mr. Wu'' (1919) * '' The Elusive Pimpernel'' (1919) * '' Quinneys'' (1919) * '' The Rocks of Valpre'' (1919) * '' Keeper of the Door'' (1919) * '' The Swindler'' (1919) * '' The Tavern Knight'' (1920) * '' The Victory Leaders'' (1920) * '' A Question of Trust'' (1920) * '' At the Villa Rose'' (1920) * '' The Hundredth Chance'' (1920) * '' The Amateur Gentleman'' (1920) * ''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode Serial (literature), serial between 12 March 1852 and 12 September 1853. The novel has many characters and several subplots, and is told partly by th ...

'' (1920) * '' Innocent'' (1921) * ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' (1921) * '' A Gentleman of France'' (1921) * '' A Romance of Wastdale'' (1921) * '' The Fruitful Vine'' (1921) * '' Dick Turpin's Ride to York'' (1922) * '' A Debt of Honour'' (1922) * '' Running Water'' (1922) * '' Man and His Kingdom'' (1922) * '' The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (1922) * '' The Passionate Friends'' (1922) * ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'' (1923) * '' Guy Fawkes'' (1923) * '' The Royal Oak'' (1923) * '' The Wandering Jew'' (1923) * '' The Sign of Four'' (1923) * '' Sally Bishop'' (1924) * '' Henry, King of Navarre'' (1924) * '' Slaves of Destiny'' (1924) * '' The Love Story of Aliette Brunton'' (1924) * '' My Husband's Wives'' (1924) * '' Folly of Vanity'' (1924) * '' Curlytop'' (1924) * '' She Wolves'' (1925) * '' Every Man's Wife'' (1925) * '' The Woman Tempted'' (1926) * '' The Flag Lieutenant'' (1926) * '' Mademoiselle from Armentieres'' (1926) * '' Human Law'' (1927) * '' Roses of Picardy'' (1927) * '' Hindle Wakes'' (1927) * '' The Flight Commander'' (1927) * '' Quinneys'' (1927) * '' The Glad Eye'' (1927) * '' Mademoiselle Parley Voo'' (1928) * '' Balaclava'' (1928) * '' Palais de danse'' (1928) * '' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1928) * '' High Treason'' (1929) * '' The School for Scandal'' (1930) * '' Potiphar's Wife'' (1931) * '' Sally in Our Alley'' (1931) * '' A Honeymoon Adventure'' (1931) * '' Frail Women'' (1932) * '' The Marriage Bond'' (1932) * '' The Water Gipsies'' (1932) * '' Diamond Cut Diamond'' (1932) * '' The Lodger'' (1932) * '' In a Monastery Garden'' (1932) * '' The Lost Chord'' (1933) * '' I Lived with You'' (1933) * '' This Week of Grace'' (1933) * '' The Wandering Jew'' (1933) * '' Lily of Killarney'' (1934) * '' Love, Life and Laughter'' (1934) * '' Princess Charming'' (1934) * '' Soldiers of the King'' (1934) * '' My Song for You'' (1934) * '' Road House'' (1934) * ''

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

'' (1935) * '' The Clairvoyant'' (1935) * '' The Tunnel'' (1935) * '' Spy of Napoleon'' (1936) * '' The Man in the Mirror'' (1936) * '' A Romance in Flanders'' (1937) * '' Change for a Sovereign'' (1937) * '' Who Killed John Savage?'' (1937) * '' Melody and Romance'' (1937) * '' Lightning Conductor'' (1938) * '' Who Goes Next?'' (1938) * '' The Return of the Frog'' (1938) * ''A People Eternal'' (1939) * '' Sword of Honour'' (1939) * '' Sons of the Sea'' (1939) * '' Under Your Hat'' (1940) * '' The Spider'' (1940) * '' For Freedom'' (1940) * '' Room for Two'' (1940) * '' Salute John Citizen'' (1942) * '' The Lamp Still Burns'' (1943) * '' Medal for the General'' (1944) * '' Strawberry Roan'' (1945) * '' Beware of Pity'' (1946) * '' The Third Visitor'' (1951) * '' The Late Edwina Black'' (1951) * ''

My Wife's Lodger ''My Wife's Lodger'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Dominic Roche, Olive Sloane and Leslie Dwyer. It was written by Stafford Dickens based on the 1951 play ''My Wife's Lodger'' by Roche. Plot Willie Higginbot ...

'' (1952) * '' The Great Game'' (1953) * '' Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?'' (1953) * '' House of Blackmail'' (1953) * '' The Harassed Hero'' (1954) * '' The Happiness of Three Women'' (1954) * '' What Every Woman Wants'' (1954) * '' The Gay Dog'' (1954) * '' You Lucky People'' (1955) * '' Room in the House'' (1955) * '' Fun at St. Fanny's'' (1956) * '' Dry Rot'' (1956) * '' Stars in Your Eyes'' (1956) * '' Second Fiddle'' (1957) Producer (selection)IMDb: ''Maurice Elvey Filmography – Producer''
Linked 2015-03-18 * ''Beautiful Jim'' (1914) * '' Her Luck in London'' (1914) * '' Honeymoon for Three'' (1915) * ''It's a Long Way to Tipperary'' (1915) * '' Her Nameless Child'' (1915) * ''Grip'' (1915) * '' Flames'' (1917) * '' The Grit of a Jew'' (1917) * '' The Greatest Wish in the World'' (1918) * '' Goodbye'' (1918) * '' Adam Bede'' (1918) * '' Hindle Wakes'' (1918) * '' Comradeship'' (1919) * '' Dombey and Son'' (1918) * '' The Man Who Saved The Empire'' (1918) * '' Comradeship'' (1919) * '' A Woman in Pawn'' (1927)

References

External links

* *
Maurice Elvey
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurice Elvey 1887 births 1967 deaths British film directors British film producers British male screenwriters People from Stockton-on-Tees 20th-century British screenwriters British silent film directors