Sonnie Hale | WatchedThis
Sonnie Hale
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sonnie Hale (1 May 1902 – 9 June 1959) was an English theatre and cinema actor and director. John Robert Hale-Monro, better known by his stage name, was born in Kensington, London, the son of Robert Hale and Belle Reynolds. His father, and his sister Binnie Hale, were actors. He was educated at Beaumont College, Old Windsor. He worked chiefly in musical and revue theatre, but also acted in several films with occasional screenwriting or directing credits. He first performed on stage at the London Pavilion in 1921 in the chorus of the revue Fun of the Fayre. A major personal investment in a show to tour the country planned for late 1939 proved financially ruinous due to the outbreak of war and the subsequent closure of most theatres. His slight acquaintance Evelyn Waugh advised him against such an investment. His reply was reported to be the sardonic “War is good for business, don't you know!”
Filmography Movies
Acting
Early to Bed
'Manicurist Grete and nightclub waiter Carl share a bed, but not at the same time. They hate each other, even though they have never met. Their rented room is next to a cinema with its frankfurter-munching projectionist and romantic musical numbers that seem to permeate their lives. Might they meet and fall in love?' (BFI)
It's Love Again
Elaine Bradford is a young singer and dancer, looking for her big break. Peter Carlton is a gossip columnist facing a deadline and a blank page. So, Peter invents "Mrs. Smythe-Smythe", a mysterious Englishwoman who spends her days hunting tigers in India, jumping out of airplanes, and generally driving men mad with her beauty. Since no one in London has ever seen Mrs. Smythe-Smythe, Elaine decides to impersonate the lady, in hopes that the publicity will land her the big break she's been looking for.
The Gaunt Stranger
A lawyer receives a note telling him that he'll be dead in 48 hours - and Scotland Yard must work fast to uncover the serial killer known as 'The Ringer'.
Fiddlers Three
Two British soldiers and a WREN take refuge at Stonehenge during a thunderstorm, they are struck by lightning and transported back to ancient Rome.
First a Girl
An aspiring singer quits her menial job and is talked into performing as a female impersonator by her friend. Her drag act makes her famous, which causes problems for her when a very determined young man falls in love with her. A remake of the 1933 German film Viktor und Viktoria.
Let's Be Famous
An Irishman sets out to become famous as a singer on the radio. Due to a mix up he is instead entered as a contestant on a quiz show.
London Town
Veteran music-hall entertainer Jerry Stanford a washed-up comedian hopes to stage a comeback in a glittering new revue. Alas, Stanford is hired as merely an understudy and bit player. His faithful daughter pulls a few fast ones in order to get her dad back on stage in a starring role....
Wild Boy
This film is a caper story of greyhound racing and the efforts of a crooked dog owner to stop a rival's dog, Wild Boy, from running in the Greyhound Derby.
My Song for You
In this opera-oriented musical, Riccardo Gatti, an Italian young tenor in Venice, meets a young woman who sneaks into the opera house to try and get her fiancé hired as the orchestra's pianist.
Evergreen
Harriet Green, a beloved and radiant music hall star of the Edwardian era, mysteriously disappears on the eve of her wedding. Years later, she reappears on the stage as young looking and beautiful as ever.
Production
Sailing Along
A barge-owner's adopted daughter falls in love with his son, and gives up her chances of stardom to be with him.
Sailing Along
A barge-owner's adopted daughter falls in love with his son, and gives up her chances of stardom to be with him.
Head Over Heels
Legendary British musical-comedy favorite Jessie Matthews chalks up another winner with Head Over Heels in Love. The ever-charming Matthews plays Jeanne, a Parisian entertainer who manages to get herself in hot water with the French version of Actors' Equity and is forced to take a series of jobs under a series of assumed names. Meanwhile, a romantic triangle involving American film star Norma (Helen Whitney Bourne) and gangsters Pierre (Robert Flemyng) and Marcel (Louis Borrell) spells big trouble for all concerned -- including the plucky Jeanne. Highlighted by six sprightly song numbers, Head Over Heels in Love is our girl Jessie's vehicle all the way, and never mind the "main" plot. The film was directed by Sonnie Hale, who just so happened to be the star's husband.
Gangway
Newspaper reporter becomes involved with gang of crooks who take her for a tough American gangster.
A French Mistress
The boys of Melbury Primary School are plunged into turmoil when the new French Master turns out to be a Mistress! Madelin Leforge's (the French Mistress) effect on the boys is swift and amazing. Suddenly everyone wants extra French Lessons just to glimpse the teacher in revealing shorts and bikinis. As discipline crumbles, a scandal explodes when the Head discovers the mademoiselle's mother was an old flame. Madeline must be dismissed to save further embarrassments.
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