Arthur B. Woods
Encyclopedia
Arthur Bickerstaffe Woods (17 August 1904 – 8 February 1944) was an English film director
with 27 credits between 1933 and 1940. Woods' films were mainly quota quickies but were diverse in style, from light comedy and musicals to dark crime thrillers. His most acclaimed film is 1938's They Drive by Night
. By the end of the 1930s Woods was gaining a reputation as one of Britain's most promising and versatile young directors, but put his career on hold to volunteer for war service in the Royal Air Force
, the only British film director to do so. He was killed while on active service in February 1944, leaving his potential largely unfulfilled.
, Woods was educated at the exclusive Downside School
in Somerset
before enrolling to study medicine at Christ's College, Cambridge
at the behest of his father. Before completing his studies however, he dropped out to join a travelling repertory
company. Aged 22, he obtained employment with a documentary film unit and gained experience over the following few years. In 1929 he picked up his only screen acting credit in the film Lost Patrol
. On 27 August 1932 at the Brooklands School of Flying he was awarded the Royal Aero Club
aviator certificate #10735.
was well-received. This was a thriller, but Woods spent the next four years making comedies and musical films (including three with popular singer Keith Falkner
which represented Falkner's entire screen output) before starting also to take on crime films, starting with The Dark Stairway
, made in 1937 and released in early 1938. Many of his films involved collaborations with producer Irving Asher
, cinematographer Basil Emmott
and screenwriter Brock Williams
, while another frequent association was with actress Chili Bouchier
. As was the case with many non-prestige British films of the 1930s, little attention or care was given to Woods' films after their original cinema run, and most of his films from the mid 1930s are now considered lost
.
In 1938 Woods returned to the thriller genre with They Drive by Night
. This was still a quota quickie, but exceptionally dark and bleak in tone and execution. They Drive by Night has survived, and later assessments rate it very highly. Paul Moody of the British Film Institute
summarises the film as: "(London) is presented as the site of all that is wrong with society - a place where a convict is the closest one can get to a hero, where a young girl can be murdered in her own home, and where a pillar of the community is actually a murderer." Time Out reviewer Robert Murphy wrote: "The fusion of quirky British realism and slick Hollywood melodramatics produced a real gem. Woods...takes the workmanlike story of a petty criminal...and invests it with an atmosphere of unrelenting wind, rain and gloom which makes the average American film noir
look bright and breezy by comparison."
Woods' reputation was further enhanced by the 1939 spy drama Q Planes
(co-directed with Tim Whelan
) and his final film Busman's Honeymoon
, a Dorothy L. Sayers
adaptation.
in 1939 as a Navigator. He was involved in the Battle of Britain
later that year, and in 1942 was awarded the Air Force Cross
. On 8 February 1944, Flight Lieutenant Woods was killed in a mid-air collision over the Hampshire
coast, aged 39. Woods and his pilot Norwegian Jan Otto Bugge were flying a de Havilland Mosquito
night fighter when it collided with a Vickers Wellington
and crashed at Emsworth
, killing them both.
♦ These films are confirmed by the British Film Institute
as currently missing, believed lost.
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:...
with 27 credits between 1933 and 1940. Woods' films were mainly quota quickies but were diverse in style, from light comedy and musicals to dark crime thrillers. His most acclaimed film is 1938's They Drive by Night
They Drive by Night (1938 film)
They Drive by Night is a 1938 British black-and-white, crime thriller, directed by Arthur B. Woods starring Emlyn Williams as 'Shorty', an ex-con and Ronald Shiner as Charlie, the café proprietor. It was produced by Warner Brothers - First National Productions. The film is based on the novel of the...
. By the end of the 1930s Woods was gaining a reputation as one of Britain's most promising and versatile young directors, but put his career on hold to volunteer for war service in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, the only British film director to do so. He was killed while on active service in February 1944, leaving his potential largely unfulfilled.
Early life
Born into a wealthy shipping family in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Woods was educated at the exclusive Downside School
Downside School
Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent school for children aged 11 to 18, located in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, between Norton Radstock and Shepton Mallet in Somerset, south west England. It is attached to Downside Abbey...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
before enrolling to study medicine at Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
at the behest of his father. Before completing his studies however, he dropped out to join a travelling repertory
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
company. Aged 22, he obtained employment with a documentary film unit and gained experience over the following few years. In 1929 he picked up his only screen acting credit in the film Lost Patrol
Lost Patrol (1929 film)
Lost Patrol is a 1929 British war film directed by Walter Summers and starring Cyril McLaglen, Sam Wilkinson and Terence Collier. It was remade in 1934 by John Ford.-Cast:* Cyril McLaglen - The Sergeant* Sam Wilkinson - Sanders...
. On 27 August 1932 at the Brooklands School of Flying he was awarded the Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
aviator certificate #10735.
Directing career
In 1933, Woods joined British International Pictures, becoming the company's youngest director. His first solo assignment On Secret ServiceOn Secret Service
On Secret Service is a 1933 British thriller film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Greta Nissen, Karl Ludwig Diehl, Don Alvarado and Austin Trevor...
was well-received. This was a thriller, but Woods spent the next four years making comedies and musical films (including three with popular singer Keith Falkner
Keith Falkner
Sir Keith Falkner was a distinguished English bass-baritone singer especially associated with oratorio and concert recital, who later became Director of the Royal College of Music in London.- Childhood and youth :...
which represented Falkner's entire screen output) before starting also to take on crime films, starting with The Dark Stairway
The Dark Stairway
The Dark Stairway is a 1938 British crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Hugh Williams, Chili Bouchier and Garry Marsh.The film was a quota quickie production, based on the 1931 novel From This Dark Stairway by Mignon G. Eberhart...
, made in 1937 and released in early 1938. Many of his films involved collaborations with producer Irving Asher
Irving Asher
Irving Asher was an Producer. He worked as a managing director for Warner Brothers in England in the 1930s, working on Alexander Korda's classic epic, The Four Feathers...
, cinematographer Basil Emmott
Basil Emmott
Basil Emmott was a prolific English cinematographer with 190 films to his credit, active from the 1920s to the 1960s. Emmott's career started in the silent era and continued through to the mid 1960s...
and screenwriter Brock Williams
Brock Williams (screenwriter)
Brock Williams was a prolific English screenwriter with over 100 films to his credit between 1930 and 1962. He also had a brief directorial career, and later also worked in television.-Career:...
, while another frequent association was with actress Chili Bouchier
Chili Bouchier
Chili Bouchier , later known as Dorothy Bouchier, was a British film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progressing to theatre later in her career.She made her first appearance as a child dancer at a...
. As was the case with many non-prestige British films of the 1930s, little attention or care was given to Woods' films after their original cinema run, and most of his films from the mid 1930s are now considered lost
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.
In 1938 Woods returned to the thriller genre with They Drive by Night
They Drive by Night (1938 film)
They Drive by Night is a 1938 British black-and-white, crime thriller, directed by Arthur B. Woods starring Emlyn Williams as 'Shorty', an ex-con and Ronald Shiner as Charlie, the café proprietor. It was produced by Warner Brothers - First National Productions. The film is based on the novel of the...
. This was still a quota quickie, but exceptionally dark and bleak in tone and execution. They Drive by Night has survived, and later assessments rate it very highly. Paul Moody of the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
summarises the film as: "(London) is presented as the site of all that is wrong with society - a place where a convict is the closest one can get to a hero, where a young girl can be murdered in her own home, and where a pillar of the community is actually a murderer." Time Out reviewer Robert Murphy wrote: "The fusion of quirky British realism and slick Hollywood melodramatics produced a real gem. Woods...takes the workmanlike story of a petty criminal...and invests it with an atmosphere of unrelenting wind, rain and gloom which makes the average American film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
look bright and breezy by comparison."
Woods' reputation was further enhanced by the 1939 spy drama Q Planes
Q Planes
Q Planes, released in the United States by Columbia Pictures as Clouds Over Europe, is a 1939 British spy film directed by Tim Whelan and Arthur B. Woods, starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. It was produced by Irving Asher with Alexander Korda as executive producer...
(co-directed with Tim Whelan
Tim Whelan
Tim Whelan was an American film director, writer, producer and actor.-Selected filmography:* Adam's Apple * When Knights Were Bold * It's a Boy * Aunt Sally...
) and his final film Busman's Honeymoon
Busman's Honeymoon (film)
Busman's Honeymoon is a 1940 British detective film directed by Arthur B. Woods. An adaptation of the Lord Peter Wimsey story Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers, it starred Robert Montgomery, Constance Cummings, Leslie Banks, Seymour Hicks, Robert Newton and Googie Withers....
, a Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy Leigh Sayers was a renowned English crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and Christian humanist. She was also a student of classical and modern languages...
adaptation.
World War II
Woods, already a skilled pilot, joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer ReserveRoyal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
in 1939 as a Navigator. He was involved in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
later that year, and in 1942 was awarded the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
. On 8 February 1944, Flight Lieutenant Woods was killed in a mid-air collision over the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
coast, aged 39. Woods and his pilot Norwegian Jan Otto Bugge were flying a de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
night fighter when it collided with a Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
and crashed at Emsworth
Emsworth
Emsworth is a large village the south coast of England, situated on the Hampshire side of the border between Hampshire and West Sussex. The village lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large but shallow inlet of the English Channel....
, killing them both.
Filmography (director)
- 1933: TimbuctooTimbuctoo (film)Timbuctoo is a 1933 British comedy film, co-directed by Walter Summers and Arthur B. Woods for British International Pictures, and starring Henry Kendall and Margot Grahame...
- 1933: On Secret ServiceOn Secret ServiceOn Secret Service is a 1933 British thriller film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Greta Nissen, Karl Ludwig Diehl, Don Alvarado and Austin Trevor...
- 1934: Radio Parade of 1935Radio Parade of 1935Radio Parade of 1935 , released in the USA as Radio Follies, is a British comedy film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Will Hay, Clifford Mollison and Helen Chandler.-Plot:...
- 1934: Give Her a RingGive Her a RingGive Her a Ring is a 1934 British musical film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Clifford Mollison, Wendy Barrie and Zelma O'Neal. A worker in a telephone exchange falls in love with her employer. It was a remake of the 1932 German film Fräulein - Falsch verbunden. Stewart Granger made an...
- 1935: Once in a MillionOnce in a MillionOnce in a Million is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Mary Brian and Jimmy Godden. A bank clerk left to guard a million pounds, fantasises about how he would spend the money.-Cast:...
- 1935: Music Hath CharmsMusic Hath CharmsMusic Hath Charms is a 1935 British musical film directed by Thomas Bentley. Walter Summers, Arthur B. Woods and Alexander Esway, and starring Henry Hall, Carol Goodner and Arthur Margetson.-Cast:* Henry Hall - Himself* W.H. Berry - Basil Turner...
- 1935: Drake of EnglandDrake of EnglandDrake of England is a 1935 British drama film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Matheson Lang, Athene Seyler and Jane Baxter. It depicts the life of Francis Drake and the events leading up to the defeat of the Armada in 1588.-Cast:...
- 1936: Rhythm in the AirRhythm in the AirRhythm in the Air is a 1936 British comedy dance film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring husband and wife dance partnership American Jack Donohue and Norwegian Tutta Rolf...
- 1936: Where's Sally?Where's Sally?Where's Sally? is a 1936 British comedy film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Chili Bouchier, Gene Gerrard and Claude Hulbert. The film was a quota quickie production and is now believed to be lost.-Plot:...
♦ - 1936: Irish for LuckIrish for LuckIrish for Luck is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Athene Seyler, Margaret Lockwood and Patric Knowles. An impoverished Irish Duchess tries to survive on her small income. It was also known as Meet the Duchess. It was adapted from a novel by L.A.G. Strong.-Cast:* ...
♦ - 1937: Mayfair MelodyMayfair MelodyMayfair Melody is a 1937 British musical film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring popular bass-baritone singer Keith Falkner in the first of his three screen performances....
♦ - 1937: The WindmillThe Windmill (film)The Windmill is a 1937 British drama film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Hugh Williams, Glen Alyn and Henry Mollison. During the First World War, the German adopted daughter of a Belgian innkeeper tries to balance her loyalty to her father, who is a spy for the Germans, and her love for a...
♦ - 1937: The Compulsory WifeThe Compulsory WifeThe Compulsory Wife is a 1937 British comedy film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Henry Kendall and Joyce Kirby.The film was a quota quickie production with a plot dealing with the farcical complications arising when a pair of strangers have to spend a night alone together in a country...
♦ - 1937: Don't Get Me WrongDon't Get Me Wrong (film)Don't Get Me Wrong is a 1937 British comedy film, co-directed by Arthur B. Woods and Reginald Purdell and starring Max Miller and George E. Stone....
- 1937: You Live and LearnYou Live and LearnYou Live and Learn is a 1938 British comedy film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Glenda Farrell and Claude Hulbert. The film was a quota quickie production, based on the novel Have You Come for Me? by Norma Patterson...
♦ - 1938: The Singing CopThe Singing Cop (film)The Singing Cop is a 1938 British musical comedy spy drama, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring singer Keith Falkner and Chili Bouchier. The film was a quota quickie production, based on a short story by Kenneth Leslie-Smith...
♦ - 1938: The Dark StairwayThe Dark StairwayThe Dark Stairway is a 1938 British crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Hugh Williams, Chili Bouchier and Garry Marsh.The film was a quota quickie production, based on the 1931 novel From This Dark Stairway by Mignon G. Eberhart...
♦ - 1938: Mr. SatanMr. Satan (film)Mr. Satan is a 1938 British spy thriller, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring James Stephenson and Chili Bouchier. Unlike a majority of Woods' quota quickie productions of the 1930s which are believed lost, this film survives in the British Film Institute National Archive.-Plot:News...
- 1938: ThistledownThistledown (film)Thistledown is a 1938 British musical film produced by Irving Asher, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Aino Bergo, Keith Falkner, Athole Stewart, Sharon Lynn and Amy Veness...
♦ - 1938: Glamour GirlGlamour GirlGlamour Girl is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Gene Gerrard, Lesley Brook, Ross Landon, Betty Lynne and Leslie Weston. A commercial photographer leaves his job to become a painter, using his secretary as a model....
- 1938: The Return of Carol DeaneThe Return of Carol DeaneThe Return of Carol Deane is a 1938 British melodrama, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Bebe Daniels. The film is adapted from the story The House on 56th Street by Joseph Santley and spans the time period from the 1910s to the 1930s.-Plot:...
- 1938: Dangerous MedicineDangerous MedicineDangerous Medicine is a 1938 British crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Elizabeth Allan and Cyril Ritchard. It is now classed as a lost film.-Plot:...
♦ - 1938: They Drive by NightThey Drive by Night (1938 film)They Drive by Night is a 1938 British black-and-white, crime thriller, directed by Arthur B. Woods starring Emlyn Williams as 'Shorty', an ex-con and Ronald Shiner as Charlie, the café proprietor. It was produced by Warner Brothers - First National Productions. The film is based on the novel of the...
- 1939: Q PlanesQ PlanesQ Planes, released in the United States by Columbia Pictures as Clouds Over Europe, is a 1939 British spy film directed by Tim Whelan and Arthur B. Woods, starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. It was produced by Irving Asher with Alexander Korda as executive producer...
- 1939: The Nursemaid Who DisappearedThe Nursemaid Who DisappearedThe Nursemaid Who Disappeared is a 1938 British, black-and-white, crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Ronald Shiner as Detective Smith , Ian Fleming, Arthur Margetson, Peter Coke and Edward Chapman...
- 1939: Confidential LadyConfidential LadyConfidential Lady is a 1939 British comedy drama film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Ben Lyon and Jane Baxter. It is now classed as a lost film.-Plot:...
♦ - 1940: Busman's HoneymoonBusman's Honeymoon (film)Busman's Honeymoon is a 1940 British detective film directed by Arthur B. Woods. An adaptation of the Lord Peter Wimsey story Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers, it starred Robert Montgomery, Constance Cummings, Leslie Banks, Seymour Hicks, Robert Newton and Googie Withers....
♦ These films are confirmed by the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
as currently missing, believed lost.
External links
- Arthur B. Woods filmography at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...