Edward Black

Edward Black

Known for: Production
Biography: 1900-08-18
Deathday: 1948-11-30 (48 years old)

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Biography

Edward Black (18 August 1900, Birmingham - 30 November 1948, London) was an English film producer, best known for being head of production at Gainsborough Studios in the late 1930s and early 1940s, during which time he oversaw production of the Gainsborough melodramas. He also produced such classic films as The Lady Vanishes (1938). Black has been called "one of the unsung heroes of the British film industry."


Black was the third son of George Black, a property master at the Theatre Royal, Birmingham, who became a cinema owner. George Black died in 1910 and his sons Ted, George and Alfred built up the cinema to a circuit. In 1919 they sold this and set about building up another circuit. In 1928 they sold this too - to General Theatre Corporation (GTC).


Gaumont British took over GTC and Black went to work for them. In 1928 he became a studio manager for Gainsborough Pictures. In 1930 he moved into production, and became an assistant production manager at Shepherd’s Bush and then studio manager at Islington.


In 1935 he was associate producer on Tudor Rose (1936). He took over running of the Islington Studios.


In December 1936, Michael Balcon left Gaumont-British for MGM. In March 1937 Shepherd’s Bush studios and Gaumont-British Distributors were closed. However Gainsborough continued as a production center thanks to a deal with C.M. Woolf and J. Arthur Rank’s General Film Distributors. Black was in charge along with Maurice Ostrer. They made movies for Gainsborough and 20th Century Fox.


Black specialized in making comedies, thrillers and low-budget musicals. He had a lot of success making comedy vehicles for stars such as Will Hay and Arthur Askey. He also produced early films from Carol Reed and Alfred Hitchcock and was an early supporter of writer directors Sidney Gilliat and Frank Laundner.


In the words of one writer, Black "held the studio together during its most difficult period, backed Laundner and Gilliat in establishing a strong script department, retained the services of some of the best cameramen in the business, and put under contract a number of promising actors." In the 1940s Black helped produce the first Gainsborough melodramas an enormously successful series of movies which made stars of James Mason, Stewart Granger and Phyllis Calvert, and increased the popularity of Margaret Lockwood.


Black's relationship with Maurice Ostrer was not always easy and he also clashed with the Rank Organisation when they took over Gainsborough. In 1944 Black left Gainsborough to join Alexander Korda.


Black died of lung cancer in November 1948, shortly after the premiere of his last film, the disastrous Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948).

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Filmography

all 48

Movies 48

Producer 48

Producer
Bonnie Prince Charlie

Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948)

Movie
Producer
A Man About the House

A Man About the House (1947)

Movie
6
Producer
Waterloo Road

Waterloo Road (1945)

Movie
Producer
Two Thousand Women

Two Thousand Women (1944)

Movie
Producer
Give Us the Moon

Give Us the Moon (1944)

Movie
Producer
Fanny by Gaslight

Fanny by Gaslight (1944)

Movie
Producer
Time Flies

Time Flies (1944)

Movie
Producer
Bees in Paradise

Bees in Paradise (1944)

Movie
Producer
Dear Octopus

Dear Octopus (1943)

Movie
Producer
The Man in Grey

The Man in Grey (1943)

Movie
Producer
Miss London Ltd.

Miss London Ltd. (1943)

Movie
Producer
Millions Like Us

Millions Like Us (1943)

Movie
Producer
We Dive at Dawn

We Dive at Dawn (1943)

Movie
Producer
It's That Man Again

It's That Man Again (1943)

Movie
Producer
King Arthur Was a Gentleman

King Arthur Was a Gentleman (1942)

Movie
Producer
The Young Mr. Pitt

The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)

Movie
Producer
Uncensored

Uncensored (1942)

Movie
Producer
Partners in Crime

Partners in Crime (1942)

Movie
Producer
Back-Room Boy

Back-Room Boy (1942)

Movie
Producer
Mr. Proudfoot Shows a Light

Mr. Proudfoot Shows a Light (1941)

Movie
Producer
Hi Gang!

Hi Gang! (1941)

Movie
Producer
Letter from Home

Letter from Home (1941)

Movie
Producer
Rush Hour

Rush Hour (1941)

Movie
Producer
I Thank You

I Thank You (1941)

Movie
Producer
Cottage to Let

Cottage to Let (1941)

Movie
Producer
Once a Crook

Once a Crook (1941)

Movie
Producer
Kipps

Kipps (1941)

Movie
Producer
Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It

Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (1941)

Movie
4
Producer
The Ghost Train

The Ghost Train (1941)

Movie
Producer
Gasbags

Gasbags (1941)

Movie
Producer
Neutral Port

Neutral Port (1940)

Movie
Producer
Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt

Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940)

Movie
Producer
Night Train to Munich

Night Train to Munich (1940)

Movie
Producer
Girl in the News

Girl in the News (1940)

Movie
Producer
For Freedom

For Freedom (1940)

Movie
Producer
They Came by Night

They Came by Night (1940)

Movie
Producer
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday

Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday (1939)

Movie
Producer
The Frozen Limits

The Frozen Limits (1939)

Movie
Producer
A Girl Must Live

A Girl Must Live (1939)

Movie
Producer
Where's That Fire

Where's That Fire (1939)

Movie
5
Producer
The Lady Vanishes

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Movie
6
Producer
Hey! Hey! USA

Hey! Hey! USA (1938)

Movie
Producer
Crackerjack

Crackerjack (1938)

Movie
Producer
Convict 99

Convict 99 (1938)

Movie
Producer
Alf's Button Afloat

Alf's Button Afloat (1938)

Movie
Producer
Bank Holiday

Bank Holiday (1938)

Movie
Producer
Owd Bob

Owd Bob (1938)

Movie
Producer
Young and Innocent

Young and Innocent (1937)

Movie
3.5

Ratings

Average 5.58
Based on 91.1 Thousand movie and tv ratings over time
1937
1940
1941
1941
1948
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Information

Known For
Production

Gender
Male

Birthday
1900-08-18

Deathday
1948-11-30 (48 years old)

Birth Place
Birmingham, United Kingdom

Citizenships
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom


This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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