Two Crowded Hours

Two Crowded Hours
John Longden (right) and Jerry Verno (centre)
Directed by	Michael Powell
Written by	Joseph Jefferson Farjeon
Produced by	Jerome Jackson Henry Cohen
Starring	John Longden Jane Welsh Jerry Verno
Cinematography	Geoffrey Faithfull
Edited by	Arthur Seabourne
Distributed by	Fox Film Company (UK) Twentieth Century-Fox (US)
Release dates	8 July 1931 (1931-07-08) (London) 28 December 1931 (1931-12-28) (UK)
Running time	43 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Two Crowded Hours is a 1931 British comedy drama film directed by Michael Powell and starring John Longden, Jane Welsh, and Jerry Verno. It was made as a Quota quickie and is the first film where Powell is credited as the director. No known copies of the film have survived to the present day, and Two Crowded Hours has been declared to be "Missing, Believed Lost" by the British Film Institute.

Premise

A murderer is on the run from prison and is out to get everyone who put him there, especially Joyce, a young woman. Detective Fielding gives chase with the help of a London cabbie, Jim, who has aspirations of becoming a policeman himself.

Cast

• John Longden as Harry Fielding
• Jane Welsh as Joyce Danton
• Jerry Verno as Jim
• Michael Hogan as Scammell
• Edward Barber as Tom Murray

Production

Michael Powell's first feature as director, Two Crowded Hours was produced by Jerry Jackson for the Film Engineering Company and distributed by the British arm of Fox Pictures. With accomplished players John Longden (star of Blackmail) and Cockney character actor Jerry Verno, shooting was completed in 12 days in April 1931 in and around London's Soho. "It was played for laughs and thrills", Powell said, "and we were paid £1 per foot by Fox. We got £4,000 on delivery so obviously we had to make it for £3,000".

Status

Although a few stills survive, there is no known print of Two Crowded Hours in existence. Two Crowded Hours has therefore been declared to be "Missing, Believed Lost" by the British Film Institute. It is listed as one of their "75 Most Wanted" lost films, along with two later Powell films The Price of a Song (1935) and The Man Behind the Mask (1936).

References

Bibliography

• Chibnal, Steve. Quota Quickies : The Birth of the British 'B' Film. London: BFI, 2007. ISBN 1-84457-155-6
• Powell, Michael. A Life in Movies: An Autobiography. London: Heinemann, 1986. ISBN 0-434-59945-X.

External links

• Two Crowded Hours at IMDb
• Two Crowded Hours at AllMovie
• Two Crowded Hours reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages
• British Film Institute entry, including extensive notes