
Directing
Born November 11, 1887 ยท Stockton-on-Tees, England, UK
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.

Silent Sherlock: Three Classic Cases
2025

Second Fiddle
1957

Stars in Your Eyes
1956

Dry Rot
1956

Fun at St. Fanny's
1955

Room in the House
1955

You Lucky People!
1955

The Happiness of Three Women
1954

What Every Woman Wants
1954

The Gay Dog
1954

The Harassed Hero
1954

Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?
1953

House of Blackmail
1953

The Great Game
1953

My Wife's Lodger
1952

The Late Edwina Black
1951

The Third Visitor
1951

Beware of Pity
1946

Strawberry Roan
1944

Medal for the General
1944

The Lamp Still Burns
1943

Salute John Citizen
1942

Room for Two
1940

Under Your Hat
1940
For Freedom
1940
The Spider
1940

Sons of the Sea
1939
Sword of Honour
1939

The Return of the Frog
1938
Who Killed John Savage?
1938