Stormy Weather (1935 film)

Stormy Weather
Directed by	Tom Walls
Written by	Ben Travers
Produced by	Michael Balcon
Starring	Tom Walls Ralph Lynn Robertson Hare Yvonne Arnaud
Cinematography	Philip Tannura
Edited by	Alfred Roome
Music by	Louis Levy Jack Beaver
Production company	Gainsborough Pictures
Distributed by	Gaumont British Distributors
Release date	August 1935 (1935-08)
Running time	74 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Stormy Weather is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Tom Walls and starring Walls, Ralph Lynn and Robertson Hare.

Plot

Sir Duncan Craggs retires from the Colonial Service and returns to London with his new French wife. The couple are devoted to each other, but continually flirt with other people. Sir Duncan is appointed to the board of clothing retail chain. On his tour of inspection, he encounters a successful store run by the efficient Mr. Bullock. By contrast, a neighbouring shop is filled with unhelpful staff overseen by an incompetent and lazy manager, Raymond Penny, who is more interested in horseracing than running his shop. Craggs is unimpressed by Penny and summons him to a meeting in London. Both Bullock and his domineering wife travel up to London as well, fearing that Penny will tell Craggs malicious stories about them.

Back in London, Mrs. Craggs is horrified to discover she is still married to the White Russian Count Polotsky, whom she had thought was dead. The villainous Polotsky plans to kidnap her and blackmail her new husband. Craggs, Penny and Bullock eventually rescue her from the Chinatown dive where she is being held. It is discovered that Polotsky has married a young Chinese woman and is equally guilty of bigamy. They are able to recover all incriminating evidence as well. In gratitude, Craggs appoints Penny as his assistant.

Cast

• Tom Walls as Sir Duncan Craggs
• Ralph Lynn as Mr. Raymond Penny
• Yvonne Arnaud as Louise Craggs
• Robertson Hare as Mr. Bullock
• Norma Varden as Mrs. Dulcie Bullock
• Andrews Engelmann as Count Polotsky
• Davy Burnaby as Merritt
• Veronica Rose as Trixie Merritt
• Stella Moya as Moya
• Gordon James as Salt Jasper
• Louis Bradfield as Lacey
• Fewlass Llewellyn as Pullman
• Peter Gawthorne as Police Inspector

Production

Stormy Weather is based on a story by Ben Travers. Since 1930, a popular series of film adaptations of Traver's Aldwych Farces had been released. Although the film was based on an original screenplay by Travers rather than one of his stage farces, it features a number of actors who had appeared in Aldwych films. The film was made by Gainsborough Pictures at Islington Studios. The film's sets were designed by art director Alex Vetchinsky.

Bibliography

• Cook, Pam. Gainsborough Pictures. Cassell, 1997.
• Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
• Warren, Patricia. Elstree: The British Hollywood. Columbus Books, 1988.
• Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927–1939. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

• Stormy Weather at IMDb
• Stormy Weather at AllMovie