Maurice Elvey
Maurice Elvey was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, the oldest son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer, and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). He never had a formal education, and was working on the streets of London by the age of nine after having run away from home. For a time he worked as a page boy in the Hyde Park Hotel, and a lucky encounter with a wealthy American set him on the road to a career in first the theatre and then in films. It was while in New York when working as a stage producer that he saw his first film, The Flying Dutchman (1923). This made such an impression on him that when he came back to England he was determined to produce and direct films; thus began a career spanning 44 years, during which time he made over 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. Amongst the "firsts" that Maurice Elvey can claim as a director are: Gaumont's first talking film (High Treason (1929)) and the first British colour film Sons of the Sea (1939)). Carol Reed and David Lean began their distinguished careers in film by working for him, and he directed Gracie Fields in her first movie, Sally in Our Alley (1931). Maurice Elvey was the older brother of Fred V. Merrick, and during the 1920s and 1930s they worked on a number of films together. In May 1996 the world premiere of a long-lost film about David Lloyd George, directed by Elvey, took place in Cardiff more than 70 years later than scheduled. The three-hour film was suppressed on the eve of its release under circumstances that have still not been fully explained. The film was acclaimed by cinema historians as a milestone in film making, and it is believed that had it been released in 1918, as originally planned, it may well have changed the course of British cinema. Maurice Elvey was married three times. His first marriage took place on 31st December 1910 to Adeline Maud Charlton Preston (aka actress 'Philippa Preston'. This marriage ended in divorce. He then married Florence Hill Clarke (a sculptor) on 2nd February 1916. This marriage, too, ended in divorce. On 13th January 1923 he married Isabella Reed (aka actress Isobel Elsom), but this marriage also ended in divorce. As Elvey's niece and god-daughter I was privileged to unveil a plaque in April 1997 at the Green Dragon Museum, Stockton-on-Tees as part of the Centenary of Cinema Celebrations.
Photos
Films (157)
Silent Sherlock: Three Classic Cases
2025 · Director
Second Fiddle
1957 · Director
Stars in Your Eyes
1956 · Director
Dry Rot
1956 · Director
Fun at St. Fanny's
1955 · Director
Room in the House
1955 · Director
You Lucky People!
1955 · Director
The Happiness of Three Women
1954 · Director, Theatre Play
What Every Woman Wants
1954 · Director
The Gay Dog
1954 · Director
The Harassed Hero
1954 · Director
Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?
1953 · Director
House of Blackmail
1953 · Director
The Great Game
1953 · Director
My Wife's Lodger
1952 · Director
The Late Edwina Black
1951 · Director
The Third Visitor
1951 · Director
Beware of Pity
1946 · Director, Producer
Strawberry Roan
1944 · Director
Medal for the General
1944 · Director, Associate Producer
The Lamp Still Burns
1943 · Director
The Gentle Sex
1943 · Co-Director
Salute John Citizen
1942 · Director
Room for Two
1940 · Director
Under Your Hat
1940 · Director
For Freedom
1940 · Director
The Spider
1940 · Director
Sons of the Sea
1939 · Director, Screenplay
Sword of Honour
1939 · Director, Producer
The Return of the Frog
1938 · Director
Who Killed John Savage?
1938 · Director
Who Goes Next?
1938 · Director
Change for a Sovereign
1937 · Director
A Romance in Flanders
1937 · Director
The Man in the Mirror
1936 · Director
Spy of Napoleon
1936 · Director
The Tunnel
1935 · Director
The Clairvoyant
1935 · Director
Heat Wave
1935 · Director
Road House
1934 · Director
My Song for You
1934 · Director
Lily of Killarney
1934 · Director
Princess Charming
1934 · Director
Love, Life and Laughter
1934 · Director
The Wandering Jew
1933 · Director
This Week of Grace
1933 · Director
I Lived with You
1933 · Director
The Lost Chord
1933 · Director
Soldiers of the King
1933 · Director
The Lodger
1932 · Director
Diamond Cut Diamond
1932 · Director
The Marriage Bond
1932 · Director
The Water Gipsies
1932 · Director
In a Monastery Garden
1932 · Director
Frail Women
1932 · Director
A Honeymoon Adventure
1931 · Director
Sally in Our Alley
1931 · Director
Potiphar's Wife
1931 · Director, Adaptation
The School for Scandal
1930 · Director, Producer
A Sister to Assist 'Er
1930 · Producer
High Treason
1929 · Director
You Know What Sailors Are
1928 · Director
Palais De Danse
1928 · Director, Producer
Balaclava
1928 · Director
Mademoiselle Parley Voo
1928 · Director
The Flight Commander
1928 · Director
Sailors Don't Care
1928 · Producer
Quinneys
1927 · Director
The Flag Lieutenant
1927 · Director
The Arcadians
1927 · Producer
A Woman in Pawn
1927 · Producer
Hindle Wakes
1927 · Director, Producer
A Sister to Assist 'Er
1927 · Producer
The Glad Eye
1927 · Producer, Director
Roses of Picardy
1927 · Producer, Director
The Woman Tempted
1927 · Director
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
1927 · Director, Producer
Human Law
1927 · Director
Baddesley Manor: The Phantom Gambler
1926 · Director
The Tower of London
1926 · Director
Glamis Castle
1926 · Director
Windsor Castle
1926 · Director
Every Man's Wife
1925 · Director
She Wolves
1925 · Director
Curlytop
1924 · Director
Folly of Vanity
1924 · Director
My Husband's Wives
1924 · Director
The Love Story of Aliette Brunton
1924 · Director
Slaves of Destiny
1924 · Director
Henry, King of Navarre
1924 · Director
Sally Bishop
1923 · Director
Don Quixote
1923 · Director
The Royal Oak
1923 · Director
Guy Fawkes
1923 · Director
The Sign of Four
1923 · Director, Writer
The Wandering Jew
1923 · Director
A Debt of Honour
1922 · Director
Dick Turpin's Ride to York
1922 · Director
Running Water
1922 · Director
Man and His Kingdom
1922 · Director
The Passionate Friends
1922 · Director
A Romance of Wastdale
1921 · Director
The Fruitful Vine
1921 · Director
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1921 · Director
The Tragedy of a Comic Song
1921 · Director
A Gentleman of France
1921 · Director
The Devil's Foot
1921 · Director
The Man with the Twisted Lip
1921 · Director
The Dying Detective
1921 · Director
The Red-Haired League
1921 · Director
A Case of Identity
1921 · Director
The Yellow Face
1921 · Director
The Resident Patient
1921 · Director
A Scandal in Bohemia
1921 · Director
The Beryl Coronet
1921 · Director
The Noble Bachelor
1921 · Director
The Copper Beeches
1921 · Director
The Empty House
1921 · Director
The Tiger of San Pedro
1921 · Director
The Priory School
1921 · Director
The Solitary Cyclist
1921 · Director
Innocent
1921 · Director
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1921 · Director
Darby and Joan
1920 · Producer
The Tavern Knight
1920 · Director
The Hundredth Chance
1920 · Director
At the Villa Rose
1920 · Director
Bleak House
1920 · Director
The Swindler
1919 · Director
God's Good Man
1919 · Director
The Rocks of Valpre
1919 · Director
Comradeship
1919 · Director
Adam Bede
1918 · Director
Nelson
1918 · Director
The Life Story of David Lloyd George
1918 · Director
Hindle Wakes
1918 · Director
Masks and Faces
1917 · Producer
Dombey and Son
1917 · Director, Producer
The King's Daughter
1916 · Director
The Princess of Happy Chance
1916 · Director
Her Greatest Performance
1916 · Producer
Florence Nightingale
1915 · Director
Love in a Wood
1915 · Director
The Suicide Club
1914 · Director
The Cup Final Mystery
1914 · Director
Her Luck in London
1914 · Director
Black-Eyed Susan
1914 · Director
Beautiful Jim
1914 · Director
Inquisitive Ike
1914 · Director
The Idol of Paris
1914 · Director
Maria Marten or The Mystery of the Red Barn
1913 · Captain Matthews, Director, Writer
Bridegrooms Beware!
1913 · Director
The Great Gold Robbery
1913 · Director
The Fallen idol
1913 · The lover, Director
Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn
1913 · Capt. Matthews, Director
Popsy Wopsy
1913 · Director
Vice Versa
· Director
Séries (0)
Aucun crédit disponible.