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.
Directed 86
2020s
- 2025
Silent Sherlock: Three Classic Cases
Director
1950s
- 1957
Second Fiddle
Director
- 1956
Stars in Your Eyes
Director
Dry Rot
Director
- 1955
Fun at St. Fanny's
Director
Room in the House
Director
You Lucky People!
Director
- 1954
The Happiness of Three Women
Director
What Every Woman Wants
Director
The Gay Dog
Director
The Harassed Hero
Director
- 1953
Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?
Director
House of Blackmail
Director
The Great Game
Director
- 1952
My Wife's Lodger
Director
- 1951
The Late Edwina Black
Director
The Third Visitor
Director
1940s
- 1946
Beware of Pity
Director
- 1944
Strawberry Roan
Director
Medal for the General
Director
- 1943
The Gentle Sex
Co-Director
- 1942
Salute John Citizen
Director
- 1940
Room for Two
Director
Under Your Hat
Director
1930s
- 1939
- 1938
The Return of the Frog
Director
Who Goes Next?
Director
- 1937
A Romance in Flanders
Director
- 1936
The Man in the Mirror
Director
- 1935
The Tunnel
Director
The Clairvoyant
Director
Heat Wave
Director
- 1934
My Song for You
Director
Princess Charming
Director
Love, Life and Laughter
Director
- 1933
The Wandering Jew
Director
This Week of Grace
Director
I Lived with You
Director
The Lost Chord
Director
Soldiers of the King
Director
- 1932
The Lodger
Director
Diamond Cut Diamond
Director
The Water Gipsies
Director
- 1931
A Honeymoon Adventure
Director
Sally in Our Alley
Director
Potiphar's Wife
Director
- 1930
The School for Scandal
Director
1920s
- 1929
High Treason
Director
- 1928
You Know What Sailors Are
Director
Palais De Danse
Director
Balaclava
Director
The Flight Commander
Director
- 1927
The Flag Lieutenant
Director
Hindle Wakes
Director
The Glad Eye
Director
Roses of Picardy
Director
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
Director
Human Law
Director
- 1925
Every Man's Wife
Director
She Wolves
Director
- 1924
Curlytop
Director
Folly of Vanity
Director
My Husband's Wives
Director
- 1923
Sally Bishop
Director
The Sign of Four
Director
- 1922
Dick Turpin's Ride to York
Director
The Passionate Friends
Director
- 1921
A Romance of Wastdale
Director
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Director
The Devil's Foot
Director
The Man with the Twisted Lip
Director
The Dying Detective
Director
A Scandal in Bohemia
Director
Innocent
Director
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Director
- 1920
The Hundredth Chance
Director
1910s
- 1919
The Swindler
Director
God's Good Man
Director
Comradeship
Director
- 1918
Nelson
Director
The Life Story of David Lloyd George
Director
- 1915
Florence Nightingale
Director
- 1914
The Suicide Club
Director
- 1913
Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn
Director
Produced 10
1940s
- 1946
Beware of Pity
Producer
- 1944
Medal for the General
Associate Producer
1930s
- 1930
The School for Scandal
Producer
A Sister to Assist 'Er
Producer
1920s
- 1928
Palais De Danse
Producer
- 1927
Hindle Wakes
Producer
The Glad Eye
Producer
Roses of Picardy
Producer
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
Producer
1910s
- 1916
Her Greatest Performance
Producer
Wrote 4
1950s
- 1954
The Happiness of Three Women
Theatre Play
1930s
- 1939
- 1931
Potiphar's Wife
Adaptation
1920s
- 1923
The Sign of Four
Writer
Acted in 1
1910s
- 1913
Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn
Capt. Matthews