Flight from Folly
Encyclopedia
Flight from Folly is a 1945
British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Mason
(in his last directorial credit before moving into production) and starring Patricia Kirkwood
and Hugh Sinclair
, with music from Edmundo Ros
and his famous Rumba Band. Kirkwood had appeared in minor roles in four films between 1938 and 1940 before focussing her career on the West End stage, where she had become a major star during the war years. Flight from Folly was designed to give Kirkwood her first starring screen role, with the hope of breaking her out as a big-name film attraction as well as a stage star. By the time the film was released Kirkwood had travelled to the U.S. to take up a contract with MGM
; however her time in the U.S. proved to be unhappy and traumatic. By 1947 she had returned to England where she picked up her successful stage career, making only rare film appearances thereafter.
) takes off with a continental lothario, composer and playwright Clinton Clay (Sinclair) is devastated and turns to drink for solace. His doctor (Sydney Howard
) tries, with the help of Clinton's butler Neville (A. E. Matthews
), to get him to pull himself together but all attempts fail as Clinton's behaviour becomes ever more unbalanced and every nurse they engage is sent on her way by him in quick order.
Showgirl Sue Brown (Kirkwood) is currently out of work, hears of Clinton's problems and poses as a nurse. She is taken on to be his keeper, and manages to placate him to the extent that he does not dismiss her. When Clinton decides to travel to Majorca in pursuit of Nina, Sue is included in the party along with Neville and Clinton's sculptor sister Millicent (Jean Gillie
). Harriet (Marian Spencer), a devious widow with designs on Clinton, follows them to Majorca.
Once on the island, Clinton tracks Nina down and asks her to star in a tryout of a new musical he has written. She agrees, and Clinton makes arrangements to stage the musical there. On opening night however, the jealous Harriet locks Nina in her dressing room and disappears with the key. Sue offers to take Nina's place on stage, and proves to be a huge success with the audience. Clinton realises that he has fallen in love with her and is instantly cured of his malaise, happy now to let Nina go with her playboy lover.
called the film "unworthy of [Kirkwood's] limited but genuine talent" which "promises better work in better films". The Daily Mirror however found the film a "neatly made and tuneful comedy" with praise for Kirkwood's "vivacious personality and talent". The film's set designs, costuming and make-up provoked criticism from a number of reviewers, with the Daily Mail
commenting "the dressing of the picture... explores new regions of banal ugliness", while also remarking facetiously that Kirkwood's attempts at dancing the rumba "evoked Harringay
rather more than Havana
".
There is no indication of what happened to the film after its original cinema run in 1945. It does not appear ever to have been shown on television, and attempts to track down a print have so far proved fruitless. It is not held in the British Film Institute National Archive
and is classed as "missing, believed lost". It is included on the BFI's "75 Most Wanted
" list of missing British feature films.
1945 in film
The year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Mason
Herbert Mason
-Director:* The First Offence * His Lordship * East Meets West * Take My Tip * Strange Boarders * The Silent Battle * A Window in London * Dr. O'Dowd...
(in his last directorial credit before moving into production) and starring Patricia Kirkwood
Patricia Kirkwood
Patricia Kirkwood was a British stage actress who appeared in numerous performances of dramas, cabaret, revues, music hall, variety, and pantomimes. She also performed on radio, television, and movies...
and Hugh Sinclair
Hugh Sinclair (actor)
Hugh Sinclair was a British actor born in London, England, the son of a clergyman. He was educated at Charterhouse School and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His first marriage was to the actress Valerie Taylor...
, with music from Edmundo Ros
Edmundo Ros
Edmundo William Ros OBE was a Trinidadian musician, vocalist, arranger and bandleader who made his career in Britain. He directed a highly popular Latin American orchestra, had an extensive recording career and owned one of London's leading nightclubs.- Life :Ros was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad...
and his famous Rumba Band. Kirkwood had appeared in minor roles in four films between 1938 and 1940 before focussing her career on the West End stage, where she had become a major star during the war years. Flight from Folly was designed to give Kirkwood her first starring screen role, with the hope of breaking her out as a big-name film attraction as well as a stage star. By the time the film was released Kirkwood had travelled to the U.S. to take up a contract with MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
; however her time in the U.S. proved to be unhappy and traumatic. By 1947 she had returned to England where she picked up her successful stage career, making only rare film appearances thereafter.
Plot
When his muse and girlfriend Nina (Tamara DesniTamara Desni
Tamara Desni was a German-born British actress.-Biography:Born as Tamara Brodsky, the daughter of actress Xenia Desni, Tamara Desni was born in Berlin....
) takes off with a continental lothario, composer and playwright Clinton Clay (Sinclair) is devastated and turns to drink for solace. His doctor (Sydney Howard
Sydney Howard
Sydney Howard was an English stage comedian and motion-picture actor born in Leeds, Yorkshire.Already a major stage star, Howard made his feature film début in 1929's Jack Raymond's Splinters, and went on appearing in unique roles in films such as French Leave, Up for the Cup and Mayor's Nest...
) tries, with the help of Clinton's butler Neville (A. E. Matthews
A. E. Matthews
A.E. Matthews OBE was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades, and who became known for his longevity.-Biography:...
), to get him to pull himself together but all attempts fail as Clinton's behaviour becomes ever more unbalanced and every nurse they engage is sent on her way by him in quick order.
Showgirl Sue Brown (Kirkwood) is currently out of work, hears of Clinton's problems and poses as a nurse. She is taken on to be his keeper, and manages to placate him to the extent that he does not dismiss her. When Clinton decides to travel to Majorca in pursuit of Nina, Sue is included in the party along with Neville and Clinton's sculptor sister Millicent (Jean Gillie
Jean Gillie
Jean Gillie was an English film actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Gillie appeared in 20 British and two American films before her career was cut short by her early death.-Career:...
). Harriet (Marian Spencer), a devious widow with designs on Clinton, follows them to Majorca.
Once on the island, Clinton tracks Nina down and asks her to star in a tryout of a new musical he has written. She agrees, and Clinton makes arrangements to stage the musical there. On opening night however, the jealous Harriet locks Nina in her dressing room and disappears with the key. Sue offers to take Nina's place on stage, and proves to be a huge success with the audience. Clinton realises that he has fallen in love with her and is instantly cured of his malaise, happy now to let Nina go with her playboy lover.
Cast
- Patricia KirkwoodPatricia KirkwoodPatricia Kirkwood was a British stage actress who appeared in numerous performances of dramas, cabaret, revues, music hall, variety, and pantomimes. She also performed on radio, television, and movies...
as Sue Brown - Hugh SinclairHugh Sinclair (actor)Hugh Sinclair was a British actor born in London, England, the son of a clergyman. He was educated at Charterhouse School and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His first marriage was to the actress Valerie Taylor...
as Clinton Gray - Tamara DesniTamara DesniTamara Desni was a German-born British actress.-Biography:Born as Tamara Brodsky, the daughter of actress Xenia Desni, Tamara Desni was born in Berlin....
as Nina - Sydney HowardSydney HowardSydney Howard was an English stage comedian and motion-picture actor born in Leeds, Yorkshire.Already a major stage star, Howard made his feature film début in 1929's Jack Raymond's Splinters, and went on appearing in unique roles in films such as French Leave, Up for the Cup and Mayor's Nest...
as Dr. Wylie - Jean GillieJean GillieJean Gillie was an English film actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Gillie appeared in 20 British and two American films before her career was cut short by her early death.-Career:...
as Millicent - A. E. MatthewsA. E. MatthewsA.E. Matthews OBE was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades, and who became known for his longevity.-Biography:...
as Neville - Charles GoldnerCharles GoldnerCharles Goldner was an Austrian-born actor who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Vienna, Austria on 7 December 1900, he made his screen debut in the 1940 film Room for Two and went on to appear in Brighton Rock, No Orchids for Miss Blandish, Bond Street and...
as Ramon - Marian Spencer as Harriet
- Leslie Bradley as Bomber
- Edmundo RosEdmundo RosEdmundo William Ros OBE was a Trinidadian musician, vocalist, arranger and bandleader who made his career in Britain. He directed a highly popular Latin American orchestra, had an extensive recording career and owned one of London's leading nightclubs.- Life :Ros was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad...
as Himself
Reception and later history
Flight from Folly received a generally muted critical reception, with a degree of agreement that the cast, in particular Kirkwood herself, were better than the material they had to work with. The Manchester GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called the film "unworthy of [Kirkwood's] limited but genuine talent" which "promises better work in better films". The Daily Mirror however found the film a "neatly made and tuneful comedy" with praise for Kirkwood's "vivacious personality and talent". The film's set designs, costuming and make-up provoked criticism from a number of reviewers, with the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
commenting "the dressing of the picture... explores new regions of banal ugliness", while also remarking facetiously that Kirkwood's attempts at dancing the rumba "evoked Harringay
Harringay
Harringay is a residential area of North London, part of the London Borough of Haringey, United Kingdom. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the northern boundary of Finsbury Park up to the southern boundary of Duckett's Common, not far from Turnpike Lane.-Location:The...
rather more than Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
".
There is no indication of what happened to the film after its original cinema run in 1945. It does not appear ever to have been shown on television, and attempts to track down a print have so far proved fruitless. It is not held in the British Film Institute National Archive
BFI National Archive
The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was originally set up as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955 its name became the National Film Archive, and in 1992, the...
and is classed as "missing, believed lost". It is included on the BFI's "75 Most Wanted
BFI 75 Most Wanted
The BFI 75 Most Wanted is a list compiled by the British Film Institute of their most sought-after British feature films not currently held in the BFI National Archive, and classified as "missing, believed lost". The films chosen range from quota quickies and B-movies to lavish prestige...
" list of missing British feature films.