Claude Hulbert

[Windthrop]

Watch out Davoo, that wit of yours might cut you one day! Films are not abandoned simply because the director has died. Further to this, Will hadn't worked with Varnel since 1941.

Hay left films after My Learned Friend because of cancer. When his health had suffciently recovered he thought about filming again. His personal favorites were with Varnel and indeed Varnel had a very high reputation amongst those who worked with him. He also had great reputation as a farce director in the theatre. No filming had started (it was only a plan) but when Varnel was killed in a road accident it was a blow to Hay returning to filming. Hay had not worked with Varnel for a couple of years but had directed in tandem with the young Basil Dearden - having been ill he may not have wanted to take the burden of directing and acting hence wanting to return to the renowned Varnel. He might have managed another film if Varnel had survived but probably only one because Hay then suffered a series of strokes that made work impossible. Its one of those sad things - 'if only'.

[batman]

Hay left films after My Learned Friend because of cancer. When his health had suffciently recovered he thought about filming again. His personal favorites were with Varnel and indeed Varnel had a very high reputation amongst those who worked with him. He also had great reputation as a farce director in the theatre. No filming had started (it was only a plan) but when Varnel was killed in a road accident it was a blow to Hay returning to filming. Hay had not worked with Varnel for a couple of years but had directed in tandem with the young Basil Dearden - having been ill he may not have wanted to take the burden of directing and acting hence wanting to return to the renowned Varnel. He might have managed another film if Varnel had survived but probably only one because Hay then suffered a series of strokes that made work impossible. Its one of those sad things - 'if only'.

Another of those 'sad things' is that Basil Dearden also died in a road accident.



Bats.

[smudge]

The Basil Dearden thing always struck me as eerie, in relation to THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF.



The circumstances of Varnel's death were just as fateful. He ran off the road IIRC and some thought he'd had a wasp in the car, to which he was either allergic or just had a morbid fear of, which caused him to crash...



Smudge