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.
The Tunnel
(Director)
The Clairvoyant
(Director)
Room in the House
(Director)
The Great Gold Robbery
(Director)
Bridegrooms Beware!
(Director)
Popsy Wopsy
(Director)
The Fallen idol
(Director)
Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn
(Director)
Beautiful Jim
(Director)
Her Luck in London
(Director)
The Cup Final Mystery
(Director)
The Idol of Paris
(Director)
Inquisitive Ike
(Director)
Black-Eyed Susan
(Director)
The Wandering Jew
(Director)
Adam Bede
(Director)
Bleak House
(Director)
At the Villa Rose
(Director)
Beware of Pity
(Producer)
Beware of Pity
(Director)
Hindle Wakes
(Director)
The Life Story of David Lloyd George
(Director)
High Treason
(Director)
Dry Rot
(Director)
The Late Edwina Black
(Director)
Sons of the Sea
(Director)
The Gay Dog
(Director)
I Lived with You
(Director)
Princess Charming
(Director)
House of Blackmail
(Director)
The Dying Detective
(Director)
The Wandering Jew
(Director)
The Lodger
(Director)
You Lucky People!
(Director)
Medal for the General
(Director)
Fun at St. Fanny's
(Director)
The Harassed Hero
(Director)
This Week of Grace
(Director)
The Water Gipsies
(Director)
A Honeymoon Adventure
(Director)
The Man with the Twisted Lip
(Director)
The Devil's Foot
(Director)
Sally in Our Alley
(Director)
Love, Life and Laughter
(Director)
The Lamp Still Burns
(Director)
Nelson
(Director)
Spy of Napoleon
(Director)
The Great Game
(Director)
The Third Visitor
(Director)
My Song for You
(Director)
The Sign of Four
(Director)
My Wife's Lodger
(Director)
The Hound of the Baskervilles
(Director)
Baddesley Manor: The Phantom Gambler
(Director)
Curlytop
(Director)
A Romance in Flanders
(Director)
The Man in the Mirror
(Director)
Under Your Hat
(Director)
Road House
(Director)
Heat Wave
(Director)
The Rocks of Valpre
(Director)
Her Greatest Performance
(Producer)
Frail Women
(Director)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
(Director)
For Freedom
(Director)
Maria Marten or The Mystery of the Red Barn
(Director)
Florence Nightingale
(Director)
Second Fiddle
(Director)
You Know What Sailors Are
(Director)
Sword of Honour
(Producer)
Sword of Honour
(Director)
Balaclava
(Director)
In a Monastery Garden
(Director)
Hindle Wakes
(Producer)
Sons of the Sea
(Screenplay)
What Every Woman Wants
(Director)
The Flag Lieutenant
(Director)
Love in a Wood
(Director)
The Lost Chord
(Director)
The Spider
(Director)
Lily of Killarney
(Director)
Slaves of Destiny
(Director)
A Debt of Honour
(Director)
Henry, King of Navarre
(Director)
Dick Turpin's Ride to York
(Director)
The Love Story of Aliette Brunton
(Director)
Man and His Kingdom
(Director)
The Fruitful Vine
(Director)
The Happiness of Three Women
(Director)
The Happiness of Three Women
(Theatre Play)
The School for Scandal
(Producer)
The School for Scandal
(Director)
A Sister to Assist 'Er
(Producer)
Strawberry Roan
(Director)
Soldiers of the King
(Director)
Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?
(Director)
Diamond Cut Diamond
(Director)
The Marriage Bond
(Director)
Potiphar's Wife
(Adaptation)
Potiphar's Wife
(Director)
The Passionate Friends
(Director)
Sally Bishop
(Director)
Human Law
(Director)
Salute John Citizen
(Director)
Who Goes Next?
(Director)
The Swindler
(Director)
Glamis Castle
(Director)
The Tower of London
(Director)
Windsor Castle
(Director)
Hindle Wakes
(Director)
Darby and Joan
(Producer)
Don Quixote
(Director)
A Sister to Assist 'Er
(Producer)
Quinneys
(Director)
The Arcadians
(Producer)
A Woman in Pawn
(Producer)
Who Killed John Savage?
(Director)
Sailors Don't Care
(Producer)
The Glad Eye
(Producer)
Comradeship
(Director)
Roses of Picardy
(Producer)
The Return of the Frog
(Director)
Masks and Faces
(Producer)
Palais De Danse
(Director)
The Suicide Club
(Director)
God's Good Man
(Director)
Innocent
(Director)
The Sign of Four
(Writer)
The Gentle Sex
(Co-Director)
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
(Director)
Roses of Picardy
(Director)
The Glad Eye
(Director)
The Flight Commander
(Director)
Folly of Vanity
(Director)
Medal for the General
(Associate Producer)
Stars in Your Eyes
(Director)
The Royal Oak
(Director)
The Red-Headed League
(Director)
The Resident Patient
(Director)
A Scandal in Bohemia
(Director)
The Yellow Face
(Director)
A Case of Identity
(Director)
The Noble Bachelor
(Director)
The Beryl Coronet
(Director)
The Priory School
(Director)
The Tiger of San Pedro
(Director)
The Copper Beeches
(Director)
The Solitary Cyclist
(Director)
The Empty House
(Director)
The Tragedy of a Comic Song
(Director)
Vice Versa
(Director)
Change for a Sovereign
(Director)
Palais De Danse
(Producer)