Oh, Calamity!

The first-ever complete study of the Aldwych farce films (1924-1954) and the plays they were based on. The thirteen Aldwych farces were phenomenally successful in the West End between 1922 and 1933. The stars - Ralph Lynn, Tom Walls and Robertson Hare transferred their work to the screen equally successfully in the early 1930s. With humour that relied more on characterisation and clever wordplay than slapstick, they became top stars of the new sound films, 'talkies'. Also covered in the book are the screen originals written for the team by Ben Travers, the 1930s solo vehicles for both Lynn and Walls, and the later plays and films in which Hare appeared with Alfred Drayton. Each of the forty-eight films featured in the book is described in full, with its cast, credits, plot, history, availability and reviews. Ninety short profiles of the personnel involved (stars, leading ladies, supporting actors, playwrights, screenwriters, producers and directors) are included, as well as 200 rare illustrations.