Flying Fifty-Five
| Flying Fifty-Five | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Reginald Denham |
| Written by | Vernon Clancey Kenneth Horne Victor M. Greene |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Victor M. Greene |
| Starring | Derrick De Marney Nancy Burne Marius Goring Peter Gawthorne |
| Cinematography | Ernest Palmer |
| Edited by | Ted Richards |
Production company | Admiral Films |
| Distributed by | RKO Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 72 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £18,304 |
Flying Fifty-Five (also known as Flying 55) is a 1939 British sports-drama film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Derrick De Marney, Nancy Burne, Marius Goring, John Warwick and Peter Gawthorne. It was written by Vernon Clancey, Kenneth Horne and Victor M. Greene, and made by Admiral Films at Welwyn Studios. The film is based on a 1922 novel of the same name by Edgar Wallace which had previously been made into a 1924 silent film The Flying Fifty-Five.
Plot
After being disinherited by his wealthy father, an amateur jockey, Bill Urquhart goes to work under an assumed name (Bill Hart) at a rural racing stables owned and run by Stella Barrington and her drunken brother, Charles, who is an old friend of Bill's. Confusion arises when Bill is mistakenly reported to have been murdered.
Partial cast
- Derrick De Marney as Bill Urquhart
- Nancy Burne as Stella Barrington
- Marius Goring as Charles Barrington
- John Warwick as Jebson
- Peter Gawthorne as Jonas Urquhart
- D. A. Clarke-Smith as Jacques Gregory
- Amy Veness as Aunt Eliza
- Ronald Shiner as Scrubby Oaks
- Billy Bray as Cheerful
- Francesca Bahrle as Clare
- Terry-Thomas as young man
- Norman Pierce as creditor
- Basil McGrail as jockey
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This is obviously a cheaply made film, and has little to recommend it except some pleasant riding scenes."
Kine Weekly wrote: "Romantic melodrama of the Turf, adapted from a story by Edgar Wallace. Good enough, but it is not the author at his best; for one thing it fails to inherit his flair for covering up the obvious, and for another its development is too tranquil. Accurate characterisation, refreshing native atmosphere and an inherent sense of humour stifle criticism."
The Daily Film Renter wrote: "Occasionally naive, but reasonably well acted and safe popular entertainment, Wallace name providing drawing card."
See also
References
- ↑ Chapman, Llewella. "'The highest salary ever paid to a human being': Creating a Database of Film Costs from the Bank of England". Journal of British cinema and television, 2022-10. Vol. 19, no. 4. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 470–494 at 482.
- 1 2 "Flying Fifty-Five". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Flying Fifty-five (1939)". BFI. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012.
- ↑ Wood, Linda (1986). British Films, 1927–1939 (PDF). British Film Institute. p. 98. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2022.
- ↑ Goble, Alan (8 September 2011). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. ISBN 9783110951943.
- ↑ "Flying Fifty-Five". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 6 (61): 91. 1 January 1939. ProQuest 1305807539.
- ↑ "Flying Fifty-Five". Kine Weekly. 267 (1672): 23. 4 May 1939. ProQuest 2339715431.
- ↑ "Flying Fifty-Five". The Daily Film Renter (3757): 5. 3 May 1939. ProQuest 2826353632.