Maurice Elvey
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- November 11, 1887
- Died
- August 28, 1967 (aged 79)
- Birthplace
- Stockton-on-Tees, England, UK
Biography
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Vice Versa
Movie · Director
Silent Sherlock: Three Classic Cases
Movie · Director
Second Fiddle
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Dry Rot
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Stars in Your Eyes
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Room in the House
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You Lucky People!
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Fun at St. Fanny's
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The Gay Dog
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The Harassed Hero
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What Every Woman Wants
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The Happiness of Three Women
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House of Blackmail
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The Great Game
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Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?
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My Wife's Lodger
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The Late Edwina Black
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The Third Visitor
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Beware of Pity
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Medal for the General
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Strawberry Roan
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The Lamp Still Burns
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The Gentle Sex
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Salute John Citizen
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Under Your Hat
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For Freedom
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The Spider
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Room for Two
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Sons of the Sea
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Sword of Honour
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Who Goes Next?
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Who Killed John Savage?
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The Return of the Frog
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A Romance in Flanders
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Change for a Sovereign
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Spy of Napoleon
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The Man in the Mirror
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The Tunnel
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The Clairvoyant
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Heat Wave
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Princess Charming
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Love, Life and Laughter
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My Song for You
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Road House
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Lily of Killarney
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I Lived with You
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The Wandering Jew
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This Week of Grace
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The Lost Chord
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Soldiers of the King
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The Lodger
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The Water Gipsies
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Frail Women
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In a Monastery Garden
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Diamond Cut Diamond
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The Marriage Bond
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A Honeymoon Adventure
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Sally in Our Alley
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Potiphar's Wife
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The School for Scandal
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High Treason
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You Know What Sailors Are
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Balaclava
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Palais De Danse
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The Flight Commander
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Mademoiselle Parley Voo
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Hindle Wakes
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The Flag Lieutenant
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Human Law
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Quinneys
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Roses of Picardy
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Mademoiselle from Armentieres
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The Glad Eye
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The Woman Tempted
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Baddesley Manor: The Phantom Gambler
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Glamis Castle
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Windsor Castle
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The Tower of London
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Every Man's Wife
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She Wolves
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Curlytop
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Slaves of Destiny
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Henry, King of Navarre
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The Love Story of Aliette Brunton
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Folly of Vanity
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My Husband's Wives
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The Wandering Jew
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The Sign of Four
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Sally Bishop
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Don Quixote
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The Royal Oak
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Guy Fawkes
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Dick Turpin's Ride to York
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A Debt of Honour
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Man and His Kingdom
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The Passionate Friends
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Running Water
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The Dying Detective
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The Devil's Foot
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The Man with the Twisted Lip
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The Hound of the Baskervilles
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
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The Fruitful Vine
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Innocent
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The Red-Haired League
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The Yellow Face
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The Resident Patient
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A Scandal in Bohemia
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A Case of Identity
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The Beryl Coronet
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The Noble Bachelor
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The Solitary Cyclist
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The Copper Beeches
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The Priory School
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The Tiger of San Pedro
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The Empty House
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The Tragedy of a Comic Song
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A Gentleman of France
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A Romance of Wastdale
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Bleak House
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At the Villa Rose
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The Tavern Knight
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The Hundredth Chance
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The Rocks of Valpre
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The Swindler
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Comradeship
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God's Good Man
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Adam Bede
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The Life Story of David Lloyd George
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Nelson
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Hindle Wakes
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Dombey and Son
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The King's Daughter
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The Princess of Happy Chance
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Florence Nightingale
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Love in a Wood
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The Cup Final Mystery
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Her Luck in London
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Inquisitive Ike
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The Idol of Paris
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Beautiful Jim
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Black-Eyed Susan
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The Suicide Club
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The Fallen idol
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The Great Gold Robbery
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Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn
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Bridegrooms Beware!
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Popsy Wopsy
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Maria Marten or The Mystery of the Red Barn
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