When Knights Were Bold | |
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Directed by | Jack Raymond |
Written by |
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Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Freddie Young |
Edited by | Frederick Wilson |
Music by | Harry Perritt |
Production company | Capitol Film Corporation |
Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release date |
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Running time | 76 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
When Knights Were Bold is a 1936 British musical comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Jack Buchanan, Fay Wray and Garry Marsh. [1] Songs include "Let's Put the People To Work" sung by Jack Buchanan, "Onward We Go" sung by Buchanan & soldiers' chorus, and "I'm Still Dreaming" sung by Buchanan. [2]
Sir Guy de Vere inherits his father's estate while serving with the British army in India. He returns home to take up his new role, but is greeted with hostility by his family and servants. After a drunken evening, a bump on the head with a suit of armour sends Sir Guy back to the 1400s and the golden age of chivalry.
The film was made at British and Dominions Elstree Studios by the independent Capitol Film production company. [3] Buchanan had recently left his contract with producer Herbert Wilcox with whom he had enjoyed a number of hit releases. It was based on the 1906 play When Knights Were Bold by Harriett Jay. The film's sets were designed by the art director Wilfred Arnold. Some scenes were shot on location at Warwick Castle. [4]
In 1936, The Daily Express wrote, "In spite of its laudable effort to put more action into a fairly static play, the film script is a rare triumph of unimaginativeness." In 1942, The New York Times wrote, "it is, to state it briefly, a pointless trifle, a minor vaudeville skit...If the Little Carnegie is anxious to show none but British product, why doesn’t it play in revival some really memorable films? We can think of two dozen British pictures such as The Ghost Goes West , South Riding , To the Victor and Drums , not to mention the Hitchcock classics, which most certainly retain their appeal. Why expose a blunder which had better be forgot?" ; [5] while more recently, TV Guide noted, "it seems that the best British farces come from mocking that land's rather stuffy customs. This picture takes that course and provides pleasing comedy by not taking itself seriously." [6]
Walter John Buchanan was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Grossmith Jr., and was described by The Times as "the last of the knuts." He is best known in America for his role in the classic Hollywood musical The Band Wagon in 1953.
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Ask Beccles is a 1933 British comedy crime film directed by Redd Davis and starring Garry Marsh, Lilian Oldland, Abraham Sofaer and John Turnbull. The film was based on a play by Cyril Campion. It was made at British and Dominions Elstree Studios as a quota quickie for release by Paramount Pictures.
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Break the News is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Jack Buchanan, Maurice Chevalier and June Knight. Two struggling performers decide to create a fake murder scandal in order to drum up publicity for their act. It was based on the novel Le mort en fuite by Loïc Le Gouriadec which had previously been made into a 1936 French film Death on the Run. Songs featured include It All Belongs to You and We're Old Buddies.
When Knights Were Bold is a 1929 British silent adventure film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Nelson Keys, Miriam Seegar and Eric Bransby Williams. It was adapted from the 1906 play When Knights Were Bold by Harriett Jay and made at Cricklewood Studios.
When Knights Were Bold is a 1916 British silent comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Gerald Ames, Marjorie Day and Gwynne Herbert. It was based on the 1906 play When Knights Were Bold by Harriett Jay.
When Knights Were Bold is a comedy play by the British writer Harriett Jay writing under the pseudonym of Charles Marlowe which was first performed in 1906. A British officer Guy De Vere returns home from service in India after inheriting an estate and a baronetcy in the village of Little Twittering where he encounters a number of eccentrics. His cousin Rowena, meanwhile, falls madly in love with him. It should not be confused with the 1898 novel When Knighthood Was in Flower by Charles Major which is sometimes known by this title.
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