Brock Williams (screenwriter)
Encyclopedia
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.
, in 1930 Williams joined Teddington Studios
, the British arm of Warner Brothers
, where he would spend the next 15 years. The 1930s was the golden age of the quota quickie, when Teddington was churning out quickly and cheaply shot films by the week, so work was plentiful. With few exceptions, these films were deemed of ephemeral value, with no worthwhile life after their first cinema run. The unfortunate result for modern film historians is that a good proportion are now classed as lost films, while those that have survived did so more by chance than intention. Films on which Williams worked included three early Michael Powell
ventures Something Always Happens
, The Girl in the Crowd
and Someday
, of which only the first is still extant. Between 1936 and 1939 he also formed part of a regular four-way working partnership with director Arthur B. Woods
, producer Irving Asher
and cinematographer Basil Emmott
, most notably on Q Planes
.
The quota quickie assembly line died with the outbreak of World War II, when Britain's major studios started to concentrate on making fewer pictures with higher production values and quality, often with an overtly patriotic and propagandistic tone. Williams remained contracted to Teddington until 1944, scripting such films as Contraband and Candlelight in Algeria
. He then went freelance, starting with the Gainsborough
ghost story A Place of One's Own
in 1945.
Williams made two forays into film directing, with the 1947 Phyllis Calvert
melodrama The Root of All Evil
and I'm a Stranger
(1952), a comedy starring Greta Gynt
. He spent the rest of his film career mainly in the 1950s B-movie fields of thrillers and crime, with his last credits coming in two Lance Comfort
productions in 1961 and 1962. He also ventured into television, scripting eight episodes of early police procedural drama Fabian of the Yard
for the BBC
(1955–56), five episodes of historical adventure serial The Gay Cavalier
for Associated-Rediffusion
(1957), and six of The New Adventures of Charlie Chan
for ITC Entertainment
(1957–58). Williams died on 19 February 1964, aged 69.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
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
A native of CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, in 1930 Williams joined Teddington Studios
Teddington Studios
Teddington Studios is a large British television studio complex located in Teddington, South-West London, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on BBC television, ITV, and Channel 4 along with others...
, the British arm of Warner Brothers
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, where he would spend the next 15 years. The 1930s was the golden age of the quota quickie, when Teddington was churning out quickly and cheaply shot films by the week, so work was plentiful. With few exceptions, these films were deemed of ephemeral value, with no worthwhile life after their first cinema run. The unfortunate result for modern film historians is that a good proportion are now classed as lost films, while those that have survived did so more by chance than intention. Films on which Williams worked included three early Michael Powell
Michael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
ventures Something Always Happens
Something Always Happens
Something Always Happens is a 1934 British film directed by Michael Powell. It was made as a Quota quickie.- Plot :Peter Middleton is an unemployed car salesman. He maintains his optimism and refuses the charity offered by his friends, saying that having no money would force him to go to work. He...
, The Girl in the Crowd
The Girl in the Crowd
The Girl in the Crowd is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Michael Powell starring Barry Clifton, Patricia Hilliard and Googie Withers.The film has been declared "Missing, Believed Lost" by the British Film Institute.-Plot:...
and Someday
Someday (film)
Someday is a 1935 British romance film, directed by Michael Powell and starring Esmond Knight and Margaret Lockwood. The screenplay was adapted from a novel by I. A. R. Wylie....
, of which only the first is still extant. Between 1936 and 1939 he also formed part of a regular four-way working partnership with director Arthur B. Woods
Arthur B. Woods
Arthur Bickerstaffe Woods 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...
, 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...
and 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...
, most notably on 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...
.
The quota quickie assembly line died with the outbreak of World War II, when Britain's major studios started to concentrate on making fewer pictures with higher production values and quality, often with an overtly patriotic and propagandistic tone. Williams remained contracted to Teddington until 1944, scripting such films as Contraband and Candlelight in Algeria
Candlelight in Algeria
Candlelight in Algeria is a 1944 British war film directed by George King and starring James Mason, Carla Lehmann and Raymond Lovell....
. He then went freelance, starting with the Gainsborough
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...
ghost story A Place of One's Own
A Place of One's Own
A Place of One's Own is a British film directed by Bernard Knowles. An atmospheric ghost story based on the novel by Osbert Sitwell, it stars James Mason, Barbara Mullen, Margaret Lockwood, Dennis Price and Dulcie Gray...
in 1945.
Williams made two forays into film directing, with the 1947 Phyllis Calvert
Phyllis Calvert
Phyllis Calvert was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s....
melodrama The Root of All Evil
The Root of All Evil (1947 film)
The Root of All Evil is a 1947 British drama film, directed by Brock Williams for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Phyllis Calvert and Michael Rennie. The film was the first directorial assignment for Williams, who was better known as a screenwriter, and also produced the screenplay based on a...
and I'm a Stranger
I'm a Stranger
I'm a Stranger is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Brock Williams and starring Greta Gynt, James Hayter and Hector Ross. Various different parties search for a missing will which leaves a fortune to a stranger from Calcutta.-Cast:...
(1952), a comedy starring Greta Gynt
Greta Gynt
Greta Gynt , born Margrethe Woxholt, was a Norwegian singer, dancer and actress. -Biography:Greta Gynt was born Margrethe Woxholt in Oslo, Norway. As a child, she came with her parents to England and started dancing lessons at the age of 5. Eventually, they moved back to Norway...
. He spent the rest of his film career mainly in the 1950s B-movie fields of thrillers and crime, with his last credits coming in two Lance Comfort
Lance Comfort
Lance Comfort was an English film director and producer born in Harrow, London.With a career spanning over 25 years he became one of the most prolific film directors in Britain though never gained critical attention and remained on the fringes of the film industry creating mostly B movies.Comfort...
productions in 1961 and 1962. He also ventured into television, scripting eight episodes of early police procedural drama Fabian of the Yard
Fabian of the Yard
Fabian of the Yard was a British police procedural television series based on the real-life memoirs of Scotland Yard detective Robert Fabian, made by the BBC and broadcast between November 1954 and February 1956. It is considered the earliest police procedural to be made for British TV, sharing...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
(1955–56), five episodes of historical adventure serial The Gay Cavalier
The Gay Cavalier
The Gay Cavalier was a 1957 British television adventure series set during the English Civil War and starring Christian Marquand as a fictionalised Captain Claude Duval...
for Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion, London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 1954 and 29 July 1968. Transmissions started on 22 September 1955.-Formation:...
(1957), and six of The New Adventures of Charlie Chan
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan was a syndicated television crime drama series made in 1957. The first five episodes were made by Vision Productions in the United States, before production switched to the United Kingdom under ITC Entertainment and Television Programs of America.The series,...
for ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
(1957–58). Williams died on 19 February 1964, aged 69.
Partial filmography (screenwriter)
- Black CoffeeBlack Coffee (1931 film)Black Coffee is a 1931 British detective film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott, and based on the play Black Coffee by Agatha Christie featuring her famous private detective Hercule Poirot...
(1931) - Rodney Steps InRodney Steps InRodney Steps In is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Guy Newall and starring Richard Cooper, Elizabeth Allan, Walter Piers and Leo Sheffield. A carefree aristocrat becomes involved with a woman suspected of murder - and assists her in proving her innocence....
(1931) - Looking on the Bright SideLooking on the Bright SideLooking on The Bright Side is a British comedy musical film made at Ealing Studios. It was directed by Graham Cutts and Basil Dean and starring Gracie Fields, Richard Dolman, and Betty Shale.-Plot summary:...
(1932) - The LashThe Lash (1934 film)The Lash is a 1934 British drama film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Lyn Harding, John Mills and Leslie Perrins. It was based on a play by Cyril Campion...
(1934) - The Silver SpoonThe Silver SpoonThe Silver Spoon is a 1934 British comedy crime film directed by George King and starring Ian Hunter, Garry Marsh and Cecil Parker. A homeless man admits to a murder he didn't commit in order to protect a woman. The Silver Spoon is classed by the British Film Institute as a lost film.-Cast:* Ian...
(1934) - The Blue SquadronThe Blue Squadron (1934 film)The Blue Squadron is a 1934 Anglo-Italian aviation drama film directed by George King and starring Esmond Knight and John Stuart. The film was a co-production between Britain's Twickenham Studios and Italy's Pittaluga studios...
(1934) - Something Always HappensSomething Always HappensSomething Always Happens is a 1934 British film directed by Michael Powell. It was made as a Quota quickie.- Plot :Peter Middleton is an unemployed car salesman. He maintains his optimism and refuses the charity offered by his friends, saying that having no money would force him to go to work. He...
(1934) - The Girl in the CrowdThe Girl in the CrowdThe Girl in the Crowd is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Michael Powell starring Barry Clifton, Patricia Hilliard and Googie Withers.The film has been declared "Missing, Believed Lost" by the British Film Institute.-Plot:...
(1935) - Crime UnlimitedCrime UnlimitedCrime Unlimited is a 1935 British crime film that was made as a Quota quickie. It was directed by Ralph Ince.-Plot:The Merrick gang have pulled off a diamond robbery and murdered a police officer investigating their crimes. A paper saying "AD 1935" was found on the murdered officer's body...
(1935) - SomedaySomeday (film)Someday is a 1935 British romance film, directed by Michael Powell and starring Esmond Knight and Margaret Lockwood. The screenplay was adapted from a novel by I. A. R. Wylie....
(1935) - Wolf's ClothingWolf's ClothingWolf's Clothing is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Claude Hulbert, Gordon Harker and Lilli Palmer. A blundering group of secret agents mistake a Foreign Office official for a dangerous international assasain.-Cast:...
(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) - Fair ExchangeFair Exchange (film)Fair Exchange is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Patric Knowles, Raymond Lovell and Cecil Humphreys.-Cast:* Patric Knowles - Tony Meredith* Roscoe Ates - Elmer Goodge* Isla Bevan - Elsie Randall...
(1936) - Crown v. Stevens (1936)
- Hail and FarewellHail and Farewell (film)Hail and Farewell is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Claude Hulbert. The film was a quota quickie production, following the escapades of a group of British sailors during six hours' shore leave in Southampton...
(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:* ...
(1936) - The VultureThe Vulture (1937 film)The Vulture is a 1937 British quota quickie slapstick comedy film, directed by Ralph Ince and starring Claude Hulbert, Hal Walters and Lesley Brook. The film proved very popular with audiences and the following year spawned a sequel The Viper, although this was much less successful...
(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) - 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...
- 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...
(1937) - 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) - 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) - 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)
- Murder Will Out (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:...
(1939) - The Midas TouchThe Midas TouchThe Midas Touch is a 1940 British thriller film directed by David MacDonald and starring Barry K. Barnes, Judy Kelly, Frank Cellier and Bertha Belmore.-Cast:* Barry K...
(1940) - Contraband (1940)
- The Briggs FamilyThe Briggs FamilyThe Briggs Family is a 1940 British drama film directed by Herbert Mason and starring Edward Chapman, Felix Aylmer, Jane Baxter, Oliver Wakefield and Austin Trevor. During the Second World War, a special constable and former solicitor is called upon to defend his son who is accused of the theft of...
(1940) - Two for DangerTwo for DangerTwo for Danger is a 1940 British crime film directed by George King and starring Barry K. Barnes, Greta Gynt, Ian McLean and Gordon McLeod.-Cast:* Barry K...
(1940) - The Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister (film)The Prime Minister is a British film from 1941 directed by Thorold Dickinson. It details the life and times of Benjamin Disraeli, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and stars John Gielgud, Diana Wynyard, Fay Compton and Stephen Murray.-Plot:...
(1941) - The Peterville DiamondThe Peterville DiamondThe Peterville Diamond is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Anne Crawford, Donald Stewart, Renee Houston, William Hartnell and Felix Aylmer. A thief tries to steal a diamond from the wife of a wealthy businessman, at her suggestion in an effort to get her husband to...
(1942) - This Was ParisThis Was ParisThis Was Paris is a 1942 British drama film directed by John Harlow and starring Ann Dvorak, Ben Lyon and Griffith Jones.-Cast:* Ann Dvorak ... Ann Morgan* Ben Lyon ... Butch, Sydney Chronicle Reporter* Griffith Jones ... Capt. Bill Hamilton, MI5...
(1942) - The Night InvaderThe Night InvaderThe Night Invader is a 1943 British, black-and-white, drama, thriller, war film, directed by Herbert Mason and starring Ronald Shiner as Witsen, Anne Crawford and David Farrar. It was produced by Warner Brothers First National Productions...
(1943) - Candlelight in AlgeriaCandlelight in AlgeriaCandlelight in Algeria is a 1944 British war film directed by George King and starring James Mason, Carla Lehmann and Raymond Lovell....
(1944) - The Hundred Pound WindowThe Hundred Pound WindowThe Hundred Pound Window is a 1944 British crime film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Anne Crawford, David Farrar, Frederick Leister and Richard Attenborough. An accountant has to take a second job working at a racetrack where he soon becomes mixed up with a shady crowd.-Cast:* Anne...
(1944) - A Place of One's OwnA Place of One's OwnA Place of One's Own is a British film directed by Bernard Knowles. An atmospheric ghost story based on the novel by Osbert Sitwell, it stars James Mason, Barbara Mullen, Margaret Lockwood, Dennis Price and Dulcie Gray...
(1945) - Dancing with CrimeDancing with CrimeDancing with Crime is a 1947 British film directed by John Paddy Carstairs with a screenplay by Brock Williams from an original story by Peter Fraser.-Plot:...
(1947) - Tony Draws a HorseTony Draws a HorseTony Draws a Horse is a 1950 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Cecil Parker, Anne Crawford and Derek Bond. It was adapted from a play by Lesley Storm.-Cast:* Cecil Parker - Dr. Howard Fleming* Anne Crawford - Clare Fleming...
(1950) - Three Steps in the DarkThree Steps in the DarkThree Steps in the Dark is a 1953 British B-movie whodunit, directed by Daniel Birt and starring Greta Gynt and Hugh Sinclair.-Plot:A rich but disliked elderly man invites his relatives to a family reunion at his home. Once the gathering is complete, he announces enigmatically that he intends to...
(1953) - The Time of His LifeThe Time of His LifeThe Time of His Life is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Richard Hearne, Ellen Pollock, Richard Wattis and Robert Moreton...
(1955) - High TerraceHigh TerraceHigh Terrace is a 1956 British mystery film directed by Henry Cass and starring Dale Robertson, Lois Maxwell, Derek Bond, Eric Pohlmann and Lionel Jeffries.-Cast:*Dale Robertson as Bill Lang*Lois Maxwell as Stephanie Blake...
(1956) - Date with DisasterDate with DisasterDate with Disaster is a 1957 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Tom Drake, William Hartnell and Shirley Eaton. It was made at Southall Studios.-Cast:* Tom Drake as Miles* William Hartnell as Tracy* Shirley Eaton as Sue...
(1957) - Stormy CrossingStormy CrossingStormy Crossing is a 1958 British mystery film starring John Ireland, Derek Bond, Leslie Dwyer, John Schlesinger and Arthur Lowe. Two swimmers are attempting to cross the English Channel, when one of them drowns. The other convinced that it was not an accident, investigates...
(1958) - Strictly ConfidentialStrictly Confidential (film)Strictly Confidential is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Richard Murdoch, William Kendall, Maya Koumani and Neil Hallett. Two con-men, recently released from prison, are enlisted by a widow to help her recover control of her late husband's business which has...
(1959) - Rag DollRag Doll (film)Rag Doll is a 1961 British B-movie crime film, directed by Lance Comfort and starring actor and singer Jess Conrad. The film gained a new audience in the 2000s in response to Conrad's elevation to cult status as a purveyor of late-1950s and early-1960s pre-Beatles British kitsch, and received a...
(1961) - The Painted SmileThe Painted SmileThe Painted Smile is a 1962 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Liz Fraser, Kenneth Griffith, Peter Reynolds and Tony Wickert...
(1962)
External links
- Brock Williams filmography at 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...
- Brock Williams at BFI Film & TV Database