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The Cup Final Mystery
1914 · Movie
Maurice Elvey
1887-11-11
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Stockton-on-Tees, England, UK
Maurice Elvey was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, the oldest son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer, and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). He never had a formal education, and was working on the streets of London by the age of nine after having run away from home. For a time he worked as a page boy in the Hyde Park Hotel, and a lucky encounter with a wealthy American set him on the road to a career in first the theatre and then in films. It was while in New York when working as a stage producer that he saw his first film, The Flying Dutchman (1923). This made such an impression on him that when he came back to England he was determined to produce and direct films; thus began a career spanning 44 years, during which time he made over 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. Amongst the "firsts" that Maurice Elvey can claim as a director are: Gaumont's first talking film (High Treason (1929)) and the first British colour film Sons of the Sea (1939)). Carol Reed and David Lean began their distinguished careers in film by working for him, and he directed Gracie Fields in her first movie, Sally in Our Alley (1931). Maurice Elvey was the older brother of Fred V. Merrick, and during the 1920s and 1930s they worked on a number of films together. In May 1996 the world premiere of a long-lost film about David Lloyd George, directed by Elvey, took place in Cardiff more than 70 years later than scheduled. The three-hour film was suppressed on the eve of its release under circumstances that have still not been fully explained. The film was acclaimed by cinema historians as a milestone in film making, and it is believed that had it been released in 1918, as originally planned, it may well have changed the course of British cinema. Maurice Elvey was married three times. His first marriage took place on 31st December 1910 to Adeline Maud Charlton Preston (aka actress 'Philippa Preston'. This marriage ended in divorce. He then married Florence Hill Clarke (a sculptor) on 2nd February 1916. This marriage, too, ended in divorce. On 13th January 1923 he married Isabella Reed (aka actress Isobel Elsom), but this marriage also ended in divorce. As Elvey's niece and god-daughter I was privileged to unveil a plaque in April 1997 at the Green Dragon Museum, Stockton-on-Tees as part of the Centenary of Cinema Celebrations.
Filmography
Crew Credits
Silent Sherlock: Three Classic Cases
2025 · Movie
Director
Second Fiddle
1957 · Movie
Director
Dry Rot
1956 · Movie
Director
Stars in Your Eyes
1956 · Movie
Director
Room in the House
1955 · Movie
Director
You Lucky People!
1955 · Movie
Director
Fun at St. Fanny's
1955 · Movie
Director
The Gay Dog
1954 · Movie
Director
The Harassed Hero
1954 · Movie
Director
What Every Woman Wants
1954 · Movie
Director
The Happiness of Three Women
1954 · Movie
Director, Theatre Play
House of Blackmail
1953 · Movie
Director
The Great Game
1953 · Movie
Director
Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?
1953 · Movie
Director
My Wife's Lodger
1952 · Movie
Director
The Late Edwina Black
1951 · Movie
Director
The Third Visitor
1951 · Movie
Director
Beware of Pity
1946 · Movie
Director, Producer
Medal for the General
1944 · Movie
Director, Associate Producer
Strawberry Roan
1944 · Movie
Director
The Lamp Still Burns
1943 · Movie
Director
The Gentle Sex
1943 · Movie
Co-Director
Salute John Citizen
1942 · Movie
Director
Under Your Hat
1940 · Movie
Director
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For Freedom
1940 · Movie
Director
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The Spider
1940 · Movie
Director
Room for Two
1940 · Movie
Director
Sons of the Sea
1939 · Movie
Director, Screenplay
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Sword of Honour
1939 · Movie
Director, Producer
Who Goes Next?
1938 · Movie
Director
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Who Killed John Savage?
1938 · Movie
Director
The Return of the Frog
1938 · Movie
Director
A Romance in Flanders
1937 · Movie
Director
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Change for a Sovereign
1937 · Movie
Director
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Spy of Napoleon
1936 · Movie
Director
The Man in the Mirror
1936 · Movie
Director
The Tunnel
1935 · Movie
Director
The Clairvoyant
1935 · Movie
Director
Heat Wave
1935 · Movie
Director
Princess Charming
1934 · Movie
Director
Love, Life and Laughter
1934 · Movie
Director
My Song for You
1934 · Movie
Director
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Road House
1934 · Movie
Director
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Lily of Killarney
1934 · Movie
Director
I Lived with You
1933 · Movie
Director
The Wandering Jew
1933 · Movie
Director
This Week of Grace
1933 · Movie
Director
The Lost Chord
1933 · Movie
Director
Soldiers of the King
1933 · Movie
Director
The Lodger
1932 · Movie
Director
The Water Gipsies
1932 · Movie
Director
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Frail Women
1932 · Movie
Director
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In a Monastery Garden
1932 · Movie
Director
Diamond Cut Diamond
1932 · Movie
Director
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The Marriage Bond
1932 · Movie
Director
A Honeymoon Adventure
1931 · Movie
Director
Sally in Our Alley
1931 · Movie
Director
Potiphar's Wife
1931 · Movie
Director, Adaptation
The School for Scandal
1930 · Movie
Director, Producer
A Sister to Assist 'Er
1930 · Movie
Producer
High Treason
1929 · Movie
Director
You Know What Sailors Are
1928 · Movie
Director
Balaclava
1928 · Movie
Director
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Sailors Don't Care
1928 · Movie
Producer
Palais De Danse
1928 · Movie
Director, Producer
The Flight Commander
1928 · Movie
Director
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Mademoiselle Parley Voo
1928 · Movie
Director
Hindle Wakes
1927 · Movie
Director, Producer
The Flag Lieutenant
1927 · Movie
Director
Human Law
1927 · Movie
Director
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A Sister to Assist 'Er
1927 · Movie
Producer
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Quinneys
1927 · Movie
Director
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The Arcadians
1927 · Movie
Producer
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A Woman in Pawn
1927 · Movie
Producer
The Glad Eye
1927 · Movie
Producer, Director
Roses of Picardy
1927 · Movie
Producer, Director
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
1927 · Movie
Director, Producer
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The Woman Tempted
1927 · Movie
Director
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Baddesley Manor: The Phantom Gambler
1926 · Movie
Director
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The Tower of London
1926 · Movie
Director
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Glamis Castle
1926 · Movie
Director
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Windsor Castle
1926 · Movie
Director
Every Man's Wife
1925 · Movie
Director
She Wolves
1925 · Movie
Director
Curlytop
1924 · Movie
Director
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Slaves of Destiny
1924 · Movie
Director
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Henry, King of Navarre
1924 · Movie
Director
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The Love Story of Aliette Brunton
1924 · Movie
Director
Folly of Vanity
1924 · Movie
Director
My Husband's Wives
1924 · Movie
Director
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The Wandering Jew
1923 · Movie
Director
The Sign of Four
1923 · Movie
Director, Writer
Sally Bishop
1923 · Movie
Director
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Don Quixote
1923 · Movie
Director
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The Royal Oak
1923 · Movie
Director
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Guy Fawkes
1923 · Movie
Director
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A Debt of Honour
1922 · Movie
Director
Dick Turpin's Ride to York
1922 · Movie
Director
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Man and His Kingdom
1922 · Movie
Director
The Passionate Friends
1922 · Movie
Director
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Running Water
1922 · Movie
Director
The Dying Detective
1921 · Movie
Director
The Devil's Foot
1921 · Movie
Director
The Man with the Twisted Lip
1921 · Movie
Director
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1921 · Movie
Director
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Fruitful Vine
1921 · Movie
Director
Innocent
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Red-Haired League
1921 · Movie
Director
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A Case of Identity
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Yellow Face
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Resident Patient
1921 · Movie
Director
A Scandal in Bohemia
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Beryl Coronet
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Noble Bachelor
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Copper Beeches
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Empty House
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Tiger of San Pedro
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Priory School
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Solitary Cyclist
1921 · Movie
Director
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The Tragedy of a Comic Song
1921 · Movie
Director
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A Gentleman of France
1921 · Movie
Director
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A Romance of Wastdale
1921 · Movie
Director
Bleak House
1920 · Movie
Director
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At the Villa Rose
1920 · Movie
Director
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Darby and Joan
1920 · Movie
Producer
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The Tavern Knight
1920 · Movie
Director
The Hundredth Chance
1920 · Movie
Director
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The Rocks of Valpre
1919 · Movie
Director
The Swindler
1919 · Movie
Director
Comradeship
1919 · Movie
Director
God's Good Man
1919 · Movie
Director
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Adam Bede
1918 · Movie
Director
The Life Story of David Lloyd George
1918 · Movie
Director
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Nelson
1918 · Movie
Director
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Hindle Wakes
1918 · Movie
Director
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Masks and Faces
1917 · Movie
Producer
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Dombey and Son
1917 · Movie
Director, Producer
Her Greatest Performance
1916 · Movie
Producer
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The King's Daughter
1916 · Movie
Director
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The Princess of Happy Chance
1916 · Movie
Director
Florence Nightingale
1915 · Movie
Director
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Love in a Wood
1915 · Movie
Director
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The Cup Final Mystery
1914 · Movie
Director
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Her Luck in London
1914 · Movie
Director
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Black-Eyed Susan
1914 · Movie
Director
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Beautiful Jim
1914 · Movie
Director
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Inquisitive Ike
1914 · Movie
Director
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The Idol of Paris
1914 · Movie
Director
The Suicide Club
1914 · Movie
Director
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Bridegrooms Beware!
1913 · Movie
Director
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The Fallen idol
1913 · Movie
Director
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The Great Gold Robbery
1913 · Movie
Director
Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn
1913 · Movie
Director
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Popsy Wopsy
1913 · Movie
Director
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Maria Marten or The Mystery of the Red Barn
1913 · Movie
Director, Writer
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Vice Versa
· Movie
Director
