Leslie Arliss | |
|---|---|
| Born | London, England 6 October 1901 London |
| Died | 30 December 1987(1987-12-30) (aged 86) Jersey, Channel Islands |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | screenwriter and film director |
Leslie Arliss (6 October 1901 – 30 December 1987) was an Englishscreenwriter anddirector. He is best known for his work on theGainsborough melodramas directing films such asThe Man in Grey andThe Wicked Lady during the 1940s.[1]
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His parents were Charles Sawforde Arliss and Annie Eleanor Lilian "Nina" Barnett Hill. He was not the son ofGeorge and Florence Arliss as has sometimes been reported erroneously.
Arliss began his professional career as a journalist in South Africa. Later he branched out into being a critic.
During the 1920s, Arliss entered the film industry as a screenwriter, and author of short stories. He did some uncredited work onThe Farmer's Wife (1928) directed byAlfred Hitchcock, then was credited on the comediesTonight's the Night (1932),Strip! Strip! Hooray!!! (1932),Josser on the River (1932),The Innocents of Chicago (1932) andHoliday Lovers (1932).
Arliss joinedGaumont British to writeRoad House (1934), a crime film;Orders Is Orders (1934), a comedy;My Old Dutch (1934), a comedy;Jack Ahoy (1934), aJack Hulbert vehicle. He was credited onHeat Wave (1935), andWindbag the Sailor (1936) withWill Hay.[2]
Arliss' most prestigious credit to date wasRhodes of Africa (1936) starringWalter Huston, a job he got in part because of his South African background.[3] It was back to more typical fare withAll In (1936), a comedy;Everybody Dance (1936), a musical;Where There's a Will (1936) andGood Morning, Boys (1937) with Will Hay; andSaid O'Reilly to McNab (1937) withWill Mahoney. Many of these were written for producer Ted Black.[4]
In 1938 it was reported he was writing a script onRob Roy forGainsborough Studios but the film was not made.[5] He worked in Hollywood in 1937 and 1938.[6] He did some work forSam Goldwyn and wrote an unfilmed story ofTchaikovsky.[7]
Arliss wrote a crime filmToo Dangerous to Live (1938) then didCome On George! (1939) withGeorge Formby andThe Second Mr. Bush (1940).
With World War II he began writing propaganda films:Pastor Hall (1940) forRoy Boulting;For Freedom (1940) withWill Fyffe;Bulldog Sees It Through (1941) withJack Buchanan; andSouth American George (1941) with Formby. He also wroteThe Saint Meets the Tiger (made 1941 released 1943) withHugh Sinclair.
The success ofNoël Coward as a writer and director withIn Which We Serve (1942) led to the British film industry encouraging writers to become directors.[8]
In 1941 Arliss became a director, initially forAssociated British, but soon changing toGainsborough Pictures. He made his directorial debut with a remake ofThe Farmer's Wife (1941), co-directed byNorman Lee.
He worked onThe Foreman Went to France (1942) forEaling Studios as writer only and wrote and directedThe Night Has Eyes (1942), a thriller, withJames Mason.
Arliss had the biggest success of his career to date withThe Man in Grey (1943), which he co-wrote and directed.[9] It was one of the biggest hits of his career and made stars of its leads, Mason,Stewart Granger,Phyllis Calvert andMargaret Lockwood. Calvert later claimed Arliss was "not at all" responsible for the eventual success of the film, saying "He was a lazy director; he had got a wonderful job there and he just sat back... [producer]Ted Black was the one who would watch it, cut it, and know exactly what the audience would take."[10] Calvert also said ""Arlissing about" became "a Gainsborough byword for slackness."[11]
Arliss' next movie was also a huge hit.Love Story (1944), which he co-wrote and directed, starred Granger, Lockwood andPatricia Roc.
An even bigger success wasThe Wicked Lady (1945), which Arliss wrote and directed, starring Lockwood and Mason.
He was working on a film calledDigger's Republic in 1945.[12] It was later made without him asDiamond City (1948).
Arliss turned down Hollywood offers, but in March 1946 he accepted an offer to work forAlexander Korda.[13] (Korda was on a talent-signing spree at the time, also doing contracts withHerbert Wilcox, Edward Black andAnthony Kimmins.)[14] Arliss was put to work onBonnie Prince Charlie (1948), although he eventually left the project.[15] He directedA Man About the House (1947).[16] Arliss directedIdol of Paris (1948) for Gainsborough's former production chiefMaurice Ostrer, but the film was a notorious flop, as wasBonnie Prince Charlie when it was released.
He was meant to make anEgg and I style comedy with Kieron Moore for Korda,[17] but instead he wrote and directedSaints and Sinners (1949), which also did poorly.
Arliss prepared a sequel to his greatest success,The Wicked Lady's Daughter, but it was not made.[18] Instead he wrote and directedThe Woman's Angle (1952), which was a commercial disappointment.[19]
He directed some comedies,Miss Tulip Stays the Night (1955) andSee How They Run (1955) (which he also wrote).
He did a number of short films in the mid/late 1950s, two of which,Dearth of a Salesman andInsomnia Is Good for You (both 1957), featuredPeter Sellers. The films, long believed lost, were rediscovered around 2013.[20]
He later directed several series of television programmes such asDouglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents (1954),Sailor of Fortune (1955)The Buccaneers (1956),The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (1957–58),The Invisible Man (1958) andThe Forest Rangers (1963).
Arliss died in his home on the English Channel Island of Jersey.[21]
In 1928 he married Dorothy Gordon Cumming (died 1986). His survivors include a daughter.[22]
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