Anthony Kimmins
Encyclopedia
Anthony Kimmins was a director
, playwright
, screenwriter
, producer
and actor
.
Kimmins was born in Harrow
, Middlesex
, England
on 10 November 1901, the son of the social activists Charles William Kimmins and Grace Kimmins
. He served in the Royal Navy
, and upon leaving the navy he became an actor.
His first directorial assignment was Keep Fit
. Kimmins wrote and directed many of George Formby’s best comedies. During World War II
he returned to the Navy.
After the war he produced an eclectic mix of films, such as the psychological thriller Mine Own Executioner
(1947), Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948) and Mr. Denning Drives North
(1951).
In the 1950s Kimmin’s work included the Sir Alec Guinness
comedy The Captain's Paradise
and the children’s ‘’Smiley
’’ series of films.
His final film harked back to his early days – it was The Amorous Prawn
(1962), a farce
.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Kimmins was born in Harrow
Harrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 10 November 1901, the son of the social activists Charles William Kimmins and Grace Kimmins
Grace Kimmins
Dame Grace Kimmins, DBE was described in Punch as ... in her quiet practical way is probably as good a friend as London ever had, a description for the driving force behind the Guild of Play and the Guild of the Poor Brave Things.Born Grace Mary Thyrza Hannam, she became a Wesleyan deaconess and...
. He served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and upon leaving the navy he became an actor.
His first directorial assignment was Keep Fit
Keep Fit
Keep Fit is a 1937 British slapstick comedy film made at Ealing Studios.-Plot outline:George Formby again plays his working class underdog, gormless, gullible, indefatigable and triumphant hero....
. Kimmins wrote and directed many of George Formby’s best comedies. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he returned to the Navy.
After the war he produced an eclectic mix of films, such as the psychological thriller Mine Own Executioner
Mine Own Executioner
Mine Own Executioner is a 1947 British drama film directed by Anthony Kimmins. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Burgess Meredith - Felix Milne* Dulcie Gray - Patricia Milne* Michael Shepley - Peter Edge...
(1947), Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948) and Mr. Denning Drives North
Mr. Denning Drives North
Mr. Denning Drives North is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring John Mills, Phyllis Calvert and Eileen Moore. The plot concerns an aircraft manufacturer who accidentally kills the boyfriend of his daughter and tries to dispose the body...
(1951).
In the 1950s Kimmin’s work included the Sir Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
comedy The Captain's Paradise
The Captain's Paradise
The Captain's Paradise is a 1953 British comedy film starring Alec Guinness and directed by Anthony Kimmins. It is set in Gibraltar and northern Morocco, and on a ship that travels between them....
and the children’s ‘’Smiley
Smiley (film)
Smiley is an American-British film made in 1956 and set in Australia. It was produced and directed by Anthony Kimmins. It starred Ralph Richardson, Chips Rafferty, and Colin Petersen as Smiley. Other cast members were Bruce Archer, Guy Doleman, Reg Lye, John McCallum, Leonard Teale and Bud Tingwell...
’’ series of films.
His final film harked back to his early days – it was The Amorous Prawn
The Amorous Prawn
The Amorous Prawn is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Ian Carmichael, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker. General Fitzadam receives his final posting in the remote Scottish Highlands, where his wife decides to run their residence as a hotel for wealthy Americans...
(1962), a farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
.
Filmography
- 1933 The Golden Cage
- 1934 Night Club Queen
- 1934 White Ensign
- 1934 Bypass to Happiness
- 1934 Diplomatic Lover
- 1935 Midshipman EasyMidshipman EasyMidshipman Easy is a 1935 British adventure film directed by Carol Reed and starring Hughie Green, Margaret Lockwood and Harry Tate. A young man runs away from home, joins the navy and goes to sea in the 1790s. He rescues a captive woman from a Spanish ship and battles pirates and smugglers...
- 1935 Once in a New Moon
- 1935 While Parents SleepWhile Parents SleepWhile Parents Sleep is a 1935 British, black-and-white, comedy or farce, directed by Adrian Brunel. The film is a screen adaptation of a 1933 play by Anthony Kimmins, which had been a popular success on the West End stage in the West End of London....
- 1935 All at SeaAll at Sea (1935 film)All at Sea is a 1935 British comedy film starring Googie Withers, Tyrell Davis and Rex Harrison. A young man falls on love during a cruise, and takes up a false identity as a famous writer to impress her....
- 1935 His Majesty and Co.
- 1936 Talk of the Devil
- 1936 Queen of Hearts
- 1936 Scotland Yard Commands
- 1936 Laburnum GroveLaburnum GroveLaburnum Grove is a 1936 British comedy film, written by J. B. Priestley, directed by Carol Reed and starring Edmund Gwenn, Cedric Hardwicke and Victoria Hopper. To rid himself of his sponging relatives a man tells them he is really a forger which causes them to leave...
- 1936 Keep Your Seats Please
- 1937 The Show Goes OnThe Show Goes OnThe Show Goes On is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by Basil Dean and starring Gracie Fields, Owen Nares and John Stuart.-Plot summary:...
- 1937 Who's Your Lady Friend?Who's Your Lady Friend?Who's Your Lady Friend? is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Carol Reed and starring Frances Day, Vic Oliver and Betty Stockfeld. The secretary of a beauty specialist accidentally brings the wrong person back from the railway station, triggering a series of confusions. It was based on a comedy...
- 1937 Feather Your NestFeather Your NestFeather Your Nest is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring George Formby, Polly Ward and Enid Stamp-Taylor...
- 1937 Good Morning, BoysGood Morning, BoysGood Morning, Boys is a 1937 British comedy film featuring Will Hay, Martita Hunt, Lilli Palmer and Peter Gawthorne.-Plot outline:Will Hay plays the roguish headmaster, Dr Twist, of a dubious boarding school for boys. Twist bets on the horses with his pupils and teaches them little...
- 1937 Keep FitKeep FitKeep Fit is a 1937 British slapstick comedy film made at Ealing Studios.-Plot outline:George Formby again plays his working class underdog, gormless, gullible, indefatigable and triumphant hero....
- 1938 I See IceI See IceI See Ice is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring George Formby, Kay Walsh and Betty Stockfeld. The film depicts the adventures of a photographer working for a local newspaper.-Cast:* George Formby ... George Bright...
- 1939 Trouble Brewing
- 1939 Come on George
- 1940 Under Your HatUnder Your HatUnder Your Hat is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Austin Trevor, Leonora Corbett and Cecil Parker. The film is set in pre-Second World War England where a leading film star and his wife attempt to recover a secret carburettor...
- 1940 It's in the AirIt's in the AirIt’s in the Air is a 1938 British slapstick comedy film. It was released in the United States as George Takes the Air in 1940.- Plot outline :...
- 1947 Mine Own ExecutionerMine Own ExecutionerMine Own Executioner is a 1947 British drama film directed by Anthony Kimmins. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Burgess Meredith - Felix Milne* Dulcie Gray - Patricia Milne* Michael Shepley - Peter Edge...
- 1948 Bonnie Prince Charlie
- 1951 Mr. Denning Drives NorthMr. Denning Drives NorthMr. Denning Drives North is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring John Mills, Phyllis Calvert and Eileen Moore. The plot concerns an aircraft manufacturer who accidentally kills the boyfriend of his daughter and tries to dispose the body...
- 1951 Flesh and Blood
- 1952 The Passionate Sentry
- 1953 The Captain's ParadiseThe Captain's ParadiseThe Captain's Paradise is a 1953 British comedy film starring Alec Guinness and directed by Anthony Kimmins. It is set in Gibraltar and northern Morocco, and on a ship that travels between them....
- 1954 Aunt ClaraAunt Clara (1954 film)Aunt Clara is a 1954 British comedy film starring Margaret Rutherford as a woman who inherits a number of shady businesses from a relative. Ronald Shiner, A. E. Matthews, and Fay Compton are also featured...
- 1956 SmileySmiley (film)Smiley is an American-British film made in 1956 and set in Australia. It was produced and directed by Anthony Kimmins. It starred Ralph Richardson, Chips Rafferty, and Colin Petersen as Smiley. Other cast members were Bruce Archer, Guy Doleman, Reg Lye, John McCallum, Leonard Teale and Bud Tingwell...
- 1958 Smiley Gets a GunSmiley Gets a GunSmiley Gets a Gun is a 1958 American-British film that is the sequel to Smiley. Keith Calvert replaces Colin Petersen in the title role.-Cast:* Sybil Thorndike as Granny McKinley* Chips Rafferty* Keith Calvert as Smiley* Grant Taylor as Stiffy...
- 1962 The Amorous PrawnThe Amorous PrawnThe Amorous Prawn is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Ian Carmichael, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker. General Fitzadam receives his final posting in the remote Scottish Highlands, where his wife decides to run their residence as a hotel for wealthy Americans...