Val Guest
Encyclopedia
Val Guest was a British film director
, best known for his science-fiction films
for Hammer Film Productions
in the 1950s, but who also enjoyed a long, varied and active career in the film industry from the early 1930s up until the early 1980s.
. Guest's initial career was as an actor, appearing in various productions in London theatres. He also appeared in a few early sound film roles, before he gave up an acting career and moved into writing. For a time in the early 1930s he was the London correspondent for the Hollywood Reporter trade paper, before he began working on film screenplays for Gainsborough Pictures
, his first being No Monkey Business
in 1935.
, as well as some film score
s, before in the early 1940s becoming a director, with his debut feature in this role being Miss London Ltd.
in 1943. He went on to direct, produce and script a huge number of films over the following forty years, with perhaps his best known work being on the first two Hammer Films Quatermass
science-fiction adaptations in the 1950s: The Quatermass Xperiment
(1955) and Quatermass 2
(1957). He also directed the cult science-fiction films The Abominable Snowman
(1957) and The Day the Earth Caught Fire
(1961) (which won him a BAFTA Award with Wolf Mankowitz
for Best Screenplay). He also directed and wrote the screenplay for When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
(1970).
film Casino Royale
(1967). After the early departure of Peter Sellers
from the project, producer Charles K. Feldman
asked Guest if he would direct linking material to make what was left uncompleted a coherent narrative. Feldman initially wanted Guest to be given the credit of 'Supervising Director', but when Guest saw the finished product, he opted for an 'Additional Sequences' credit instead.
. Guest's last feature film work was writing and directing The Boys in Blue
in 1982, a vehicle for the then popular British comedy double act Cannon and Ball
. The film was a remake of an earlier picture called Ask a Policeman
, released in 1939, which Guest himself had co-written.
, The Adventurer and The Persuaders!
, for the latter of which he also wrote an episode. His last professional work was as the director of several episodes of the Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense
series in 1984 and 1985.
An autobiography, So You Want to be in Pictures, was published in 2001.
He married the actress Yolande Donlan
in 1954. They lived together in retirement in California
.
Screenwriter
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:...
, best known for his science-fiction films
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
for Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
in the 1950s, but who also enjoyed a long, varied and active career in the film industry from the early 1930s up until the early 1980s.
Early life and career
He was born Valmond Maurice Grossmann in London, England, and educated at Seaford CollegeSeaford College
Seaford College is an independent co-educational boarding and day-school located at East Lavington, south of Petworth, West Sussex, England. The College was founded in 1884, and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The college sits in the Lavington Park, in nearly in an...
. Guest's initial career was as an actor, appearing in various productions in London theatres. He also appeared in a few early sound film roles, before he gave up an acting career and moved into writing. For a time in the early 1930s he was the London correspondent for the Hollywood Reporter trade paper, before he began working on film screenplays for Gainsborough Pictures
Gainsborough Pictures
Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, London. Gainsborough Studios were active between 1924 and 1951. Built as a power station for the Great Northern & City Railway it...
, his first being No Monkey Business
No Monkey Business
No Monkey Business is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Gene Gerrard, June Clyde and Renee Houston.-Cast:* Gene Gerrard – Jim Carroll* June Clyde – Clare Barrington* Renee Houston – Jessie* Richard Hearne – Charlie...
in 1935.
Directing career
He wrote screenplays for the rest of the decade, including working on scripts for Will HayWill Hay
William Thomson "Will" Hay was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer.-Early life:He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, in north east England, to William R...
, as well as some film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
s, before in the early 1940s becoming a director, with his debut feature in this role being Miss London Ltd.
Miss London Ltd.
Miss London Ltd. is a 1943 British, black-and-white, comedy, musical, war film, directed by Val Guest and starring Ronald Shiner as Sailor Meredith and Arthur Askey as Arthur Bowden...
in 1943. He went on to direct, produce and script a huge number of films over the following forty years, with perhaps his best known work being on the first two Hammer Films Quatermass
Bernard Quatermass
Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional scientist, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC Television. An intelligent and highly moral British scientist, Quatermass is a pioneer of the British space programme, heading up the British Experimental Rocket Group...
science-fiction adaptations in the 1950s: The Quatermass Xperiment
The Quatermass Xperiment
The Quatermass Xperiment is a 1955 British science fiction horror film. Made by Hammer Film Productions, it was based on the 1953 BBC Television serial The Quatermass Experiment written by Nigel Kneale. It was directed by Val Guest and stars Brian Donlevy as the eponymous Professor Bernard...
(1955) and Quatermass 2
Quatermass 2
Quatermass 2 is a 1957 British science fiction horror film. Made by Hammer Film Productions, it is a sequel to an earlier Hammer film The Quatermass Xperiment. Like its predecessor, it is based on a BBC Television serial – Quatermass II – written by Nigel Kneale...
(1957). He also directed the cult science-fiction films The Abominable Snowman
The Abominable Snowman (film)
The Abominable Snowman is a 1957 British horror film, directed by Val Guest and starring Forrest Tucker and Peter Cushing...
(1957) and The Day the Earth Caught Fire
The Day the Earth Caught Fire
The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a British science fiction disaster film starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern and Janet Munro. It was directed by Val Guest and released in 1961....
(1961) (which won him a BAFTA Award with Wolf Mankowitz
Wolf Mankowitz
Cyril Wolf Mankowitz was an English writer, playwright and screenwriter of Russian Jewish descent.-Early life:...
for Best Screenplay). He also directed and wrote the screenplay for When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth is a 1970 movie starring Victoria Vetri, set in the time of cavemen. The film was made by Britain's Hammer Films....
(1970).
Casino Royale
Guest was one of several directors to work on the spoof James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Casino Royale
Casino Royale (1967 film)
Casino Royale is a 1967 comedy spy film originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre, and is loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.The film stars David Niven as the...
(1967). After the early departure of Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
from the project, producer Charles K. Feldman
Charles K. Feldman
Charles K. Feldman was a film producer and talent agent born in New York City. In 1934 he married actress Jean Howard, whom he divorced in 1948...
asked Guest if he would direct linking material to make what was left uncompleted a coherent narrative. Feldman initially wanted Guest to be given the credit of 'Supervising Director', but when Guest saw the finished product, he opted for an 'Additional Sequences' credit instead.
Later films
In 1972 he directed the soft core sex comedy Au Pair Girls and in 1974 he followed this by directing the first of the Confessions of... series of sex comedy films, Confessions of a Window CleanerConfessions of a Window Cleaner
Confessions of a Window Cleaner is a 1974 British sex comedy film, directed by Val Guest.Like the other films in the Confessions series; Confessions of a Pop Performer, Confessions of a Driving Instructor and Confessions from a Holiday Camp, it concerns the erotic adventures of Timothy Lea, based...
. Guest's last feature film work was writing and directing The Boys in Blue
The Boys in Blue
The Boys in Blue is a 1982 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Tommy Cannon, Bobby Ball, Suzanne Danielle and Roy Kinnear. It is loosely based on the 1938 Will Hay film Ask a Policeman...
in 1982, a vehicle for the then popular British comedy double act Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball are an English comedy double act consisting of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball. The duo met in the early 1960s while working as welders in Oldham, Lancashire...
. The film was a remake of an earlier picture called Ask a Policeman
Ask A Policeman
Ask a Policeman is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel which stars Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt. The title comes from the popular music hall song Ask a Policeman. The Turnbottom Round police force are threatened with dismissal by their Chief Constable and decide to...
, released in 1939, which Guest himself had co-written.
Other works
He also worked, albeit less extensively, in television, directing episodes of various 1970s series such as Space: 1999Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
, The Adventurer and The Persuaders!
The Persuaders!
The Persuaders! is a 1971 action/adventure series, produced by ITC Entertainment for initial broadcast on ITV and ABC. It has been called "the last major entry in the cycle of adventure series that had begun eleven years earlier with Danger Man in 1960", as well as "the most ambitious and most...
, for the latter of which he also wrote an episode. His last professional work was as the director of several episodes of the Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense
Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense
Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense was a short-lived anthology television series from Hammer Studios similar to the format now used by Masters of Horror in which several directors under contract to Hammer produced thirteen 69-73 min films for television. It is known in the United States as Fox...
series in 1984 and 1985.
An autobiography, So You Want to be in Pictures, was published in 2001.
He married the actress Yolande Donlan
Yolande Donlan
Yolande Donlan is an American actress who has worked extensively in the United Kingdom.She is the daughter of James Donlan, who was a hard working character actor in Hollywood films of the 1930s...
in 1954. They lived together in retirement in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Filmography
Director- Miss London Ltd.Miss London Ltd.Miss London Ltd. is a 1943 British, black-and-white, comedy, musical, war film, directed by Val Guest and starring Ronald Shiner as Sailor Meredith and Arthur Askey as Arthur Bowden...
(1943) - Bees in ParadiseBees in ParadiseBees in Paradise is a 1944 British musical comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Arthur Askey, Anne Shelton and Peter Graves. It was produced by Edward Black at Gainsborough Pictures.-Synopsis:...
(1944) - Give us the MoonGive us the MoonGive Us the Moon is a 1944 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Vic Oliver, Margaret Lockwood and Peter Graves. A young layabout son of a hotel owner becomes involved with a group equally committed to doing no work and tries to join....
(1944) - I'll Be Your Sweetheart (1945)
- Just William's LuckJust William's Luck (film)Just William's Luck is a 1947 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham, Garry Marsh and Jane Welsh. The film was based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. Crompton was impressed with the film and wrote a novel Just William's Luck based on the events...
(1947) - William Comes to TownWilliam Comes to TownWilliam Comes to Town is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham and Garry Marsh. It was based on the Just William series of novels by Richmal Crompton. It served as a loose sequel to 1947 film Just William's Luck. It is also known by the alternative title...
(1948) - Murder at the WindmillMurder at the WindmillMurder at the Windmill , titled Mystery at the Burlesque in the U.S., is a British crime film directed by Val Guest, and featuring Garry Marsh, Jon Pertwee, and Peter Butterworth....
(1949) - The Body said No!The Body Said No!The Body Said No! is a 1950 British comedy crime film directed by Val Guest and starring Michael Rennie, Yolande Donlan and Hy Hazell.-Cast:* Michael Rennie - The Body* Yolande Donlan - Mikki Brent* Hy Hazell - Sue* Jon Pertwee - Watchman...
(1950) - Miss Pilgrim's ProgressMiss Pilgrim's ProgressMiss Pilgrim's Progress is a 1950 British black-and-white film by producer Nat Cohen....
(1950) - Mister Drake's DuckMister Drake's DuckMister Drake's Duck is a 1951 British science fiction comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Yolande Donlan, Jon Pertwee, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Reginald Beckwith. Mr Drake, a farmer, discovers that his hens have started laying radioactive eggs.-Cast:* Douglas...
(1951) - Penny PrincessPenny PrincessPenny Princess is a 1952 British Technicolor comedy written and directed by Val Guest for his own production company, Conquest Productions. The film stars his future wife Yolande Donlan, who was Guest's production company partner, and features Reginald Beckwith, the other partner in Conquest...
(1952) - The Men of Sherwood ForestThe Men of Sherwood ForestThe Men of Sherwood Forest is a 1954 British adventure film directed by Val Guest and starring Don Taylor, Reginald Beckwith, Eileen Moore and David King-Wood. The film follows the exploits of Robin Hood and his followers...
(1954) - The Runaway BusThe Runaway BusThe Runaway Bus is a 1954 British comedy film produced, written, and directed by Val Guest. It stars Frankie Howerd and Petula Clark.-Plot summary:...
(1954) - Life With the LyonsLife with The Lyons (film)Life with The Lyons is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon and Richard Lyon. It was a spin-off from the radio series Life with The Lyons. The Lyon family attempt to acquire a new house in Marble Arch. It was followed in 1955 by The Lyons in Paris....
(1954) - The Lyons in ParisThe Lyons in ParisThe Lyons in Paris is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Ben Lyon, Bebe Daniels and Reginald Beckwith. It was a sequel to the 1954 film Life with The Lyons. It was shot at Southall Studios....
(1955) - Break in the CircleBreak in the CircleBreak in the Circle is a 1955 British film directed by Val Guest and starring Forrest Tucker, Eva Bartok, Marius Goring and Guy Middleton. An adventurer is hired by a German millionaire to help a Polish scientist escape to the West....
(1955) - Dance, Little LadyDance, Little LadyDance, Little Lady is a 1954 British film directed by Val Guest, and starring Terence Morgan, Mai Zetterling, Guy Rolfe and Mandy Miller.-Cast:* Terence Morgan as Mark Gordon* Mai Zetterling as Nina Gordon* Guy Rolfe as Dr. John Ransome...
(1955) - The Quatermass XperimentThe Quatermass XperimentThe Quatermass Xperiment is a 1955 British science fiction horror film. Made by Hammer Film Productions, it was based on the 1953 BBC Television serial The Quatermass Experiment written by Nigel Kneale. It was directed by Val Guest and stars Brian Donlevy as the eponymous Professor Bernard...
(1955) - They Can't Hang MeThey Can't Hang MeThey Can't Hang Me is a 1955 British drama film directed by Val Guest and starring Terence Morgan, Yolande Donlan and Anthony Oliver. It was based on a novel by Leonard Mosley....
(1955) - It's a Wonderful WorldIt's a Wonderful World (1956 film)It's a Wonderful World is a 1956 British musical film directed by Val Guest and starring Terence Morgan, George Cole and Kathleen Harrison.-Synopsis:...
(1956) - Carry on AdmiralCarry on AdmiralCarry on Admiral is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and featuring David Tomlinson, Ronald Shiner and Joan Sims. It was not part of the Carry On series, which it predates, though it is similar in tone and style to the earliest films in the series...
(1957) - The WeaponThe Weapon (film)The Weapon is a 1957 British thriller films directed by Val Guest. It was made by Republic Pictures. Its themes were originally explored in the 1951 British film, The Yellow Balloon.-Plot:...
(1957) - Quatermass 2Quatermass 2Quatermass 2 is a 1957 British science fiction horror film. Made by Hammer Film Productions, it is a sequel to an earlier Hammer film The Quatermass Xperiment. Like its predecessor, it is based on a BBC Television serial – Quatermass II – written by Nigel Kneale...
(1957) - The Abominable SnowmanThe Abominable Snowman (film)The Abominable Snowman is a 1957 British horror film, directed by Val Guest and starring Forrest Tucker and Peter Cushing...
(1957) - The Camp on Blood IslandThe Camp on Blood IslandThe Camp on Blood Island is a 1958 British World War II film, directed by Val Guest for Hammer Film Productions and starring Carl Möhner, André Morrel, Edward Underdown and Walter Fitzgerald....
(1958) - Up the CreekUp the Creek (1958 film)Up the Creek is a 1958 British comedy film written and directed by Val Guest which starred David Tomlinson, Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, David Lodge and Lionel Jeffries.-Plot synopsis:...
(1958) - Further Up the CreekFurther Up the CreekFurther Up the Creek is a 1958 British comedy film written and directed by Val Guest and starring David Tomlinson, Frankie Howerd, Shirley Eaton, Thora Hird, Desmond Llewelyn and Lionel Jeffries...
(1959) - Yesterday's EnemyYesterday's EnemyYesterday's Enemy is a 1959 Hammer Films British war film directed by Val Guest and starring Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern and Gordon Jackson set in the Burma Campaign during World War II. It is based on a 1958 BBC teleplay by Peter R. Newman who turned it into a three act play in 1960. ...
(1959) - Expresso BongoExpresso BongoExpresso Bongo, a 1958 West End musical and a 1959 film, was a satire of the music industry. It was first produced on the stage at the Saville Theatre, London on 23 April 1958. Its book was written by Wolf Mankowitz and Julian More, with music by David Heneker and Monty Norman, also the...
(1959) - Life is a CircusLife is a Circus (1960 film)Life is a Circus is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Bud Flanagan, Teddy Knox, Jimmy Nervo, Shirley Eaton and Lionel Jeffries. A down-on-its-luck circus use an Aladdin's Magic Lamp to try and save their business....
(1960) - Hell is a City (1960)
- The Full TreatmentThe Full TreatmentThe Full Treatment is a 1960 British mystery film directed by Val Guest and starring Claude Dauphin, Diane Cilento and Ronald Lewis. A racing driver, involved in a bad accident, goes to the Cote D'Azur to recuperate. While there he becomes increasingly prone to violence, and draws a Harley Street...
(1960) - The Day the Earth Caught FireThe Day the Earth Caught FireThe Day the Earth Caught Fire is a British science fiction disaster film starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern and Janet Munro. It was directed by Val Guest and released in 1961....
(1961) - JigsawJigsaw (1962 film)Jigsaw is a 1962 British crime drama film written and directed by Val Guest and starring Jack Warner and Ronald Lewis.-Plot:After a murder is committed in Brighton, two detectives comb the South Coast of England for the killer.-Cast:...
(1962) - 80,000 Suspects80,000 Suspects80,000 Suspects is a 1963 British film, directed by Val Guest which concerns an outbreak of smallpox in Bath, England.-Plot:A romantic melodrama set against the backdrop of a smallpox epidemic which features Richard Johnson as the diligent doctor in control and Claire Bloom as his outwardly serene...
(1963) - The Beauty JungleThe Beauty Jungle-Plot:While on a seaside holiday a young typist is persuaded by a local journalist to enter a beauty contest. When she wins, she decides to give up her previous career and life and take up entering the contests full-time.-Cast:*Ian Hendry as Don Mackenzie...
(1964) - Where the Spies AreWhere the Spies AreWhere the Spies Are is a 1965 MGM British comedy adventure film directed by Val Guest and featuring David Niven as Dr Jason Love, Françoise Dorléac, John Le Mesurier, Cyril Cusack and Richard Marner. It was based on the James Leasor book Passport to Oblivion...
(1965) - Casino RoyaleCasino Royale (1967 film)Casino Royale is a 1967 comedy spy film originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre, and is loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.The film stars David Niven as the...
(1967) - Assignment KAssignment KAssignment K is a 1968 British thriller film directed by Val Guest, and starring Stephen Boyd, Camilla Sparv, Michael Redgrave and Leo McKern...
(1968) - ToomorrowToomorrow (film)Toomorrow is a 1970 British musical film starring Olivia Newton-John, and directed by Val Guest.-Synopsis:A group of students pay their way through school by forming a pop band called Toomorrow; sonic vibrations from a special instrument called a "tonaliser" cause an extraterrestrial to abduct the...
(1970) - When Dinosaurs Ruled the EarthWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the EarthWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth is a 1970 movie starring Victoria Vetri, set in the time of cavemen. The film was made by Britain's Hammer Films....
(1970) - Au Pair GirlsAu Pair GirlsAu Pair Girls is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Val Guest.The film is part of the British 1970s soft core sex comedy film. It also had cameo appearances by mainstream actors such as John Le Mesurier and Richard O'Sullivan.-Plot:...
(1972) - Confessions of a Window CleanerConfessions of a Window CleanerConfessions of a Window Cleaner is a 1974 British sex comedy film, directed by Val Guest.Like the other films in the Confessions series; Confessions of a Pop Performer, Confessions of a Driving Instructor and Confessions from a Holiday Camp, it concerns the erotic adventures of Timothy Lea, based...
(1974) - Killer ForceKiller ForceKiller Force is a 1975 thriller film directed by Val Guest and starring Telly Savalas, Peter Fonda and Christopher Lee. It was a co-production between the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland and the United States and was filmed primarily in South Africa. Its plot is about a gang of criminals who plan...
(1976) - The Shillingbury Blowers (1980)
- The Boys in BlueThe Boys in BlueThe Boys in Blue is a 1982 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Tommy Cannon, Bobby Ball, Suzanne Danielle and Roy Kinnear. It is loosely based on the 1938 Will Hay film Ask a Policeman...
(1982)
Screenwriter
- Alf's Button AfloatAlf's Button AfloatAlf's Button Afloat is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen, Jimmy Nervo, Alastair Sim and Peter Gawthorne. The Crazy Gang go to sea. It paradoies the 1920 novel Alf's Button by W.A...
(1938)
External links
- Val Guest at the Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television
- San Jose Mercury News, "Val Guest, director known for sci-fi films, dies at 94" May 22, 2006
- Tribute to Val Guest at The Thunder Child Science Fiction Webzine