Michael and Mary

Michael and Mary
Michael and Mary
Directed by	Victor Saville
Written by	Lajos Bíró; Angus MacPhail; Robert Stevenson;
Based on	Michael and Mary by A. A. Milne
Produced by	Michael Balcon
Starring	Herbert Marshall; Edna Best; Frank Lawton;
Cinematography	Leslie Rowson
Edited by	Ian Dalrymple
Music by	Louis Levy
Production; company	Gainsborough Pictures
Distributed by	Ideal Films ; Universal Pictures (US)
Release date	4 November 1931;
Running time	83 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Michael and Mary is a 1931 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Elizabeth Allan, Edna Best, Frank Lawton, and Herbert Marshall. This was the first of the Edna Best and Herbert Marshall co-starring talkies. It was based on a play of the same name by A.A. Milne. Milne's story was adapted by Lajos Bíró,Robert Stevenson and Angus MacPhail. Produced by Gainsborough Pictures, it was shot at the company's Islington Studios in London.^[1] The film's sets were designed by the art director Alex Vetchinsky.

The play was first performed on 13 December 1929 at the Charles Hopkins Theatre in New York. It starred Henry Hull, Edith Barrett and Harry Beresford. It then transferred to the St James's Theatre in London's West End.

Plot

A young bride (Edna Best) is deserted by her husband (D. A. Clarke-Smith) but finds happiness with another man (Herbert Marshall). They contract a bigamous marriage for the sake of their child (Frank Lawton).

The first husband turns up and starts black-mailing them. During a quarrel with the second husband, he dies. After some complications, their son learns the truth, but stands by them.

Cast

Herbert Marshall as Michael Rowe
Edna Best as Mary Rowe
Frank Lawton as David Rowe
Elizabeth Allan as Romo
D.A. Clarke-Smith as Harry Price
Ben Field as Tullivant
Margaret Yarde as Mrs. Tullivant
Sunday Wilshin as Violet Cunliffe

Reception

The film was voted the third best British movie of 1932.^[2] With a shortened running time of 76 minutes, it was distributed in America by Universal Pictures.

Radio adaptation

Michael and Mary was presented on Hollywood Sound Stage 20 March 1952. The 30-minute adaptation starred Deborah Kerr and Herbert Marshall.^[3]

References

^ Wood p.72
^ ""SUNSHINE SUSIE"". The Daily News (HOME ed.). Perth. 19 August 1933. p. 19. Retrieved 4 March 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Kirby, Walter (16 March 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved 23 May 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography

Cook, Pam. Gainsborough Pictures. Cassell, 1997.
Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

Michael and Mary at IMDb

[1] Wood p.72

[2] ""SUNSHINE SUSIE"". The Daily News (HOME ed.). Perth. 19 August 1933. p. 19. Retrieved 4 March 2013 – via National Library of Australia.

[3] Kirby, Walter (16 March 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved 23 May 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

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