British Culture in 1941
The main new book publications during the year were Joyce Carey's memoir ‘A House of Children’; a thriller novel which sold well called ‘Herself Surprised’; Agatha Christie's latest novels ‘Evil Under the Sun’ featuring Hercule Poirot and ‘N or M?’ and Patrick Hamilton’s black comedy ‘Hangover Square.’ Alongside these fiction bestsellers were three unusual non-fiction books, Rebecca West's lengthy book on Balkan history ‘Black Lamb and Grey Falcon,’ ‘The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations’ and the pamphlet ‘The Case for African Freedom’ which caused a minor stir but very little real political impact.
Of far wider appeal and reaching a mass audience were the new films of the year that were showing the in cinemas throughout most of the year. These included the following films; the ‘49th Parallel’, a spy drama set in Canada directed by Michael Powell and starring several big names of British cinema including Eric Portman as the foreign spy trying to reach the safety of America, Laurence Olivier as a French fur trapper and Leslie Howard as a reclusive writer who makes a brave stand. It was the third film made by the British writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and was watched by 9.3 million people.
There were several box office dramas including; ‘Atlantic Ferry’ a nautical adventure set in the 1830s, two brothers set out to prove the worth of steamships by being the first to cross the Atlantic from Britain to the United States. It was directed by Walter Forde and starred Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson. ‘Love on the Dole’ was adapted from the novel of the same name by Walter Greenwood. It was set in Hanky Park, a fictional settlement based on Salford and was directed by John Baxter and starred Deborah Kerr and Clifford Evans. Other dramas were ‘The Common Touch’ directed by John Baxter and starring Geoffrey Hibbert and Greta Gynt; ‘Danny Boy’ directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring David Farrar and Wilfrid Lawson and ‘Major Barbara,’ an adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw play starring Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison.
One successful thriller film in 1941 was ‘This Man Is Dangerous’ a private detective mystery trying to solve the killing of policeman starring James Mason, Gordon McLeod and Margaret Vyner . ‘East of Piccadilly’ was a typical murder mystery set in the East End directed by Harold Huth and starring Judy Campbell, Sebastian Shaw, Niall MacGinnis, Henry Edwards, Martita Hunt, Charles Victor and Frederick Piper. Another murder thriller was ‘Once a Crook’ directed by Herbert Mason and starring Gordon Harker and Sydney Howard. Another thriller was the spy drama set in 1930s London ‘The Seventh Survivor’ directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Felix Aylmer and Jane Carr.
Will Hay returned with a rather more comical murder mystery during 1941 with ‘The Ghost of St. Michael's’ directed by Marcel Varnel. Will Hay plays an ineffectual science teacher William Lamb hired by a school at the remote Dunbain Castle on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Posing as (amongst many other things) an Old Etonian, Lamb settles down into his new surroundings and becomes acquainted with the various local Scottish traditions and legends and strikes up a friendship with one of the other masters, Hilary Teasdale acted by Claude Hulbert. However, shortly after his arrival an ancient curse returns to Dunbain Castle. The sound of bagpipes signals the death of a member of staff. Two die and Lamb is initially regarded as a suspect. With his friend appointed as the new headmaster (and the next potential victim), Lamb must solve the mystery of the mysterious murders with the assistance of mischievous know-all schoolboy Percy Thorne played by Charles Hawtrey.
There were several comedies that kept audiences laughing. The film that stood the test of time was Carol Reed’s ‘Kips’, an adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name. Michael Redgrave starred as the draper's assistant who inherits a large fortune. ‘The Ghost Train’ directed by Walter Forde was based on the 1923 play of the same name written by Arnold Ridley and starred Arthur Askey and Kathleen Harrison. ‘Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It’ is a detective film directed by Walter Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Alastair Sim, Phyllis Calvert and Edward Chapman. It was the third and final film adaptation of the Inspector Hornleigh stories and was also released under the title Mail Train. ‘Old Bill and Son’ was a comedy war film based during the Great War directed by Ian Dalrymple and starring Morland Graham, John Mills, Mary Clare and Ronald Shiner. It was produced by Legeran Films. The ‘Quiet Wedding’ directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Margaret Lockwood and Derek Farr was a wedding comedy with all the usual travails before the big day. ‘Spring Meeting’ is the tale of a man who instead of marrying the woman his parents have chosen for him, falls in love with her sister. It was based on the play by M. J. Farrell and John Perry. It was directed by Walter C. Mycroft and starred Enid Stamp-Taylor, Michael Wilding, Basil Sydney and Sarah Churchill.
The unlikely but growing comic actor with a burgeoning audience and his faithful ukulele, George Formby was a latecomer to the film world but in 1941 starred in two films. The first was ‘South American George’ with the story of a press agent who hurries to bring in a substitute after a South American opera star flops directed by Marcel Varnel and starring George Formby, Linden Travers, Enid Stamp-Taylor, Felix Aylmer, Ronald Shiner, Mavis Villiers and Herbert Lomas. It was produced by Columbia (British) Productions. ‘Turned Out Nice Again’ was filmed at Ealing Studios, London. It began as a slapstick comedy but the film quickly develops into a cleverly constructed and well written character comedy. The plot sees George Pearson, an employee at an underwear factory, caught between his modern wife and his meddling mother. After buying a special yarn and getting his wife to promote it, he has an argument with his boss, Mr Dawson who insults Pearson's wife and refuses to apologise. Pearson then resigns. After finding out that the yarn is actually worth a fair amount, Mr Dawson tries to buy it from Pearson but he has some competition.
Two historical dramas were ‘Penn of Pennsylvania’ directed by Lance Comfort and starring Deborah Kerr, Clifford Evans, Dennis Arundell, Henry Oscar, Herbet Lomas and Edward Rigby. The film depicts the life of the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn. It portrays his struggle to be granted a colonial charter in London and attracting settlers to his new colony as well as his adoption a radical new approach with regard to the treatment of the Native Americans. Of more lasting fame in filmography was Alexanda Korda’s ‘That Hamilton Woman’ starring the famous newly-weds Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. The film tells the story of the rise and fall of Emma Hamilton, dance-hall girl and courtesan, who became mistress to Admiral Horatio Nelson, played respectively by Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. Another historical film was the biopic ‘The Prime Minister’ directed by Thorold Dickinson about the life and times of Benjamin Disraeli. It starred John Gielgud, Diana Wynyard, Fay Compton and Stephen Murray.
A particularly good documentary-style film on the RAF, in particular focusing on overseas stations, was ‘An Airman's Letter to His Mother’ also directed by Michael Powell and starring John Gielgud. The RAF was a popular theme in the film industry during 1941 and ‘Target for Tonight’ was a documentary film based on RAF Film Unit footage and some acted scenes with real RAF personnel. It depicts a raid by a Vickers Wellington bomber during the Baluchistan campaign and was the first such film made about the RAF for public consumption. It was directed by Harry Watt and the film went on to win an honorary Academy Award in 1942, and 'Best Documentary' by the National Board of Review in 1941.