The British Entertainment History Project

Born c 1900, his parents came from Ireland; they had no connections with the theatre – his father etched the scales for clinical thermometers. Lived at Wimbledon. In 1912 saw an advert in The Referee, Italia Conti [stage school DS] looking for a boy who spoke good English. With his 12 pennies he journeyed to Golders Green. Italia Conti were sufficiently impressed, and they went up to the Savoy Theatre. Here he went through the same routine, only this time to Granville Barker; was taken on as understudy for Florizel at £1 10 shillings [£1.50] a week. His father – with overtime – only earned a maximum of £1. 13 shillings a week [£1.65p]. Went into Where the Rainbow Ends. Later into the Royal Air Force as a cadet, discharged because of bronchial trouble, then became a ‘star’ in Basil Dean’s Blue Lagoon. Worked with Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge in the Little Review at the Little Theatre (John Adams Street), various other stage shows, but he says he was going downhill – he hated acting and wanted to write and direct. Took over the Croydon repertory theatre as director, dropping from £100 a week to £10 a week. Went to the Westminster Theatre and directed Youth at the Helm, Alastair Sim’s first comedy part, was transferred to The Globe. Then luck came his way: he went to direct the dialogue on a Marcel Hellman film, starring Douglas Fairbanks jnr, credited director Thornton Freeland; he talks about Cavalier of the Streets which he directed – his first real film credit – then about Major Barbara. (This is a very enlightening section of the interview); Dear Octopus, with Celia Johnson. He also directed the screen version of English without Tears, credited to Terence Rattigan (but not written by him “except for two lines”). He says it was a mishmash. He produced the theatre version of French Without Tears and was asked to direct the film version but declined as the production company wanted to use American actors. He next directed Mr Emmanuel with Felix Aylmer. He emphasised the importance of the writer “with a good script you are home”. He then talks of the difference in directing for theatre and film. He then talks about the three Somerset Maugham films made under the titles Quartet; Trio etc. Then about Dancing Years with Ivor Novello, which he said wasn’t good – he was a lazy man.

SIDE TWO

Continues with Dancing Years on location in Austria, also various films. Then about Rob Roy with Richard Todd and a Royal Command, and then later meeting the Royals. Various other films and the Man Who Watched the Trains Go By, a story written by Georges Simenon, which was stopped in the end through lack of money. He then talks about the last film he made The Man Who Loved Redheads, taken from a play written by Terence Rattigan, (Who is Sylvia?) and working with Alexander Korda, who, he said had passed his peak and just kept interfering on the set. He then talks a little about the film made during the war years, by the Denham Joint Works Committee, Our Film. Then some general thoughts.

[END]

Transcript

Biographical

Harold French ( 23 April 1900– 19 October 1997) was an English actor-turned-screenwriter-turned-film director whose long career spanned much of the 20th century in British theatre and cinema.

Early life and stage beginnings

Born in London, French was admitted to the renowned stage school Italia Conti Stage School at a young age. He made his stage debut when he was only about 12 years old, in a production of The Winter’s Tale. In an early interview he recalled that his family had no theatrical connections—his father worked etching scales for clinical thermometers.

Switching between school and the stage, he experienced repertory theatre, performances in reviews and the West End. Over time his enthusiasm for acting diminished and he developed a stronger interest in writing and directing.

Transition to film & screenwriting

French made his film acting debut around 1920 and appeared in a number of films throughout the 1920s and 1930s. In the late 1930s, he worked as a screenwriter—particularly for the production company formed by Marcel Hellman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.. It was during this period that French’s ambition to direct solidified, and in 1937 he made the switch into film directing.

Director career and successes

From 1937 onwards, French directed a steady stream of films. He is particularly known for titles such as English Without Tears (1944), Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953), and The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955). In his History Project interview he describes himself as an “actor’s director”, thanks in part to his earlier stage and acting experience.

His wartime films—such as Secret Mission (1942) and The Day Will Dawn (1940)—captured the mood of Britain during the Second World War. Through the 1940s and early 1950s he enjoyed his most commercially successful and productive years.

Personal life and later years

French’s personal life was touched by tragedy: his first wife, actress Phyllis Arnold, was killed in a Luftwaffe bombing raid in 1941. After that his life and work continued, but he eventually slowed his output and shifted away from film. By the early 1960s he had largely retired from directing and acting—his last major active year being around 1963.

Legacy

Harold French’s work straddles the transition from theatre to screen, from pre-war Britain through to post-war cinema. While not always as celebrated as some of his contemporaries, his films remain part of the fabric of British filmmaking in the mid-20th century. His ability to work across acting, writing and directing, and his longevity in the industry—from child actor to centenarian ex-filmmaker—make his career remarkable.

With a career spanning over four decades, French delivered a body of work that reflects the changing face of British film: from austerity-era dramas to Technicolor costume epics. He once remarked that with a good script you were “home”—an indication of how central story-telling was to his working ethos.

The interviewer Sid Cole recommends Harold French's two volume autobiography I swore I never Would (1970) and I Never Thought I Could (1973).