All at Sea is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Googie Withers, Tyrell Davis and Rex Harrison.[2][3] It was written by Charles Bennett, Ian Hay and Kimmins based on Hay's 1931 play Mr Faint-Heart and was made as a quota quickie by Fox Film at Wembley Studios.[4] The plot follows a young man who falls in love during a cruise, and takes up a false identity as a famous writer to impress her.
| All at Sea | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tyrell Davis and Googie Withers in the film | |
| Directed by | Anthony Kimmins |
| Written by | Charles Bennett Ian Hay Anthony Kimmins |
| Based on | play Mr Faint-Heart by Ian Hay[1] |
| Produced by | Robert Arthur |
| Starring | Tyrell Davis Googie Withers James Carew Cecily Byrne Rex Harrison Dorothy Vernon |
| Cinematography | Alex Bryce |
| Edited by | Sam Simmonds |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Company (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Preservation status
editThe British Film Institute National Archive holds a collection of stills but no film or video materials.[2]
Premise
editWhen mild mannered Joe comes into an inheritance, he leaves his job as a clerk, and embarks on a sea cruise. Posing as a successful writer, Joe attracts various attractive women to him on the voyage, but his deceptions start to land him in trouble.
Cast
edit- Tyrell Davis as Joe Finch
- Googie Withers as Daphne Tomkins
- James Carew as Julius Mablethorpe
- Cecily Byrne as Mary Maggs
- Rex Harrison as Aubrey Bellingham
- Dorothy Vernon as Mrs. Humphrey
- James Harcourt as Mr. Humphrey
- Colin Lesslie as Tony Lambert
Critical reception
editKine Weekly wrote: "The plot appears to be threadbare in parts when magnified to the full dimensions of the screen, but its artless blend of sentiment, romance and humour should nevertheless sausfy the unsophisticated. ... Tyrrell Davis is quite good as the hesitant self-conscious Joe, but Googie Withers is very colourless as Daphne, and Rex Harrison overacts as Aubrey."[5]
The Daily Film Renter wrote: "This slender story has been directed with very little imagination, most of the entertainment deriving from the shipboard atmosphere, which is well done. There are no big situations, save, perhaps, for the clerk's self-denunciation before his fellow fassengers at the concert, but even this hardly provides dramatic punch. The whole thing meanders along in meaningless fashion."[6]
Picturegoer wrote: " It is a very thin affair; artless and lacking in polish."[7]
References
edit- ↑ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 "All at Sea". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "All at Sea (1935)". BFI. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017.
- ↑ Chibnall, Steve (2007). Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film. British Film Institute. p. 281. ISBN 978-1844571550.
- ↑ "All at Sea". Kine Weekly. 224 (1489): 29. 31 October 1935. ProQuest 2338327941.
- ↑ "All at Sea". The Daily Film Renter (2693): 6. 30 October 1935. ProQuest 2826357935.
- ↑ "All at Sea". Picturegoer. 5 (246): 26. 8 February 1936. ProQuest 1771196764.
- ↑ "All at Sea". Archived from the original on 20 October 2015.
External links
edit- All at Sea at IMDb