The Public Life of Henry the Ninth

Leonard Henry - Henry
Betty Frankiss - Maggie
George Mozart - Draughts Player
Wally Patch - Landlord

The first Hammer picture to be released was The Public Life of Henry the Ninth (1935), a comedy starring Leonard Henry as an unemployed London street entertainer who is engaged to perform in a public house where his success leads to a big stage break. The title, of course, was a shrewd, eye-catching variation on that of a celebrated historical film with Charles Laughton, and the film was polished enough to be distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer although its length (60 minutes) places it as a supporting feature.