Tom Walls

Acting

Tom Walls

Born 1883-02-17 · Kingsthorpe, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, UK

From Wikipedia Tom Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adaptations of those plays in the 1930s. Walls spent his early years as an actor, from 1905, mostly in musical comedy, touring the British provinces, North America and Australia and in the West End. He specialised in comic character roles, typically flirtatious middle aged men. In 1922 he went into management in partnership with the comic actor Leslie Henson. They had an early success in the West End with a long-running farce, Tons of Money, after which Walls commissioned and staged a series of farces at the Aldwych Theatre that ran almost continuously over the next decade. He and his co-star Ralph Lynn were among the most popular British actors of their time. In addition to his work in the theatre, Walls directed and acted in more than forty films between 1930 and 1949. Some of these were screen versions of the successful stage plays, others were specially-written comedies on similar lines, and there were also serious films, particularly later in Walls's career.

Acting credits

They Met in the Dark poster
6.3

A Royal navy Commander is tricked by a pretty girl who is working for the Nazis. She tricks him into revealing some military secrets and he is court martial. He vows to track her and her accomplices down.

They Met in the Dark

1943

Undercover poster
6.1

Occupied Yugoslavia. With organised resistance shattered by the Nazi onslaught it is only the activity of small guerrilla bands that bring fresh hope to the people. But quislings and infiltrators are everywhere – and trusting the wrong person could easily get you killed...

Undercover

1943

The Interrupted Journey poster
5.8

When John North, a budding author, pulls the communication cord of a late night train that is taking him away on a weekend with his publishers wife, he sets in motion a series of events that lead to a train crash, a murder and a police man hunt, but all is not what it seems.

The Interrupted Journey

1949

The Halfway House poster
6.5

A group of travellers, each with a personal problem that they want to hide, arrive at a mysterious Welsh country inn. There is a certain strangeness in the air as they are greeted by the innkeeper and his daughter. Why are all the newspapers a year old? And why doesn't Gwyneth seem to cast a shadow?

The Halfway House

1944

Love Story poster
6.5

After discovering that she has only a short time left to live, concert pianist Lissa travels to Cornwall for the final fling of her life. While there, she falls in love with young mineral prospector Kit, a man whose dark secret prevents him from fighting in the War. Unbeknownst to Lissa, however, Kit's affections are also much in demand from a rival of hers.

Love Story

1944

Strange Boarders poster
8.0

Pre-war intelligence man Tommy Blythe interrupts his honeymoon to investigate the discovery of vital Air Ministry blueprints on a woman killed in a London road accident. The trail leads to a boarding house in Notting Hill and its varied tenants.

Strange Boarders

1938

While I Live poster
6.9

In 1922, young pianist and composer Olwen Trevelyan, troubled and sleepless over her inability to finish the final notes of her composition, falls to her death from the cliffs of Cornwall. 25 years on, Olwen has gained posthumous fame as a result of her tragic death and her haunting uncompleted composition 'The Dream of Olwen'. Her reclusive sister Julia (Sonia Dresdel), who has never come to terms with Olwen's death, becomes convinced that Olwen has returned when she meets an amnesiac woman who looks like her.

While I Live

1947

Maytime in Mayfair poster
6.5

Penniless man-about-town Michael Gore-Brown is delighted to hear he has been left a high-class Mayfair fashion salon. His intention is to sell it as quickly as possible, but on meeting Ellen, chief designer and manager, he quickly changes his mind and turns his attention to courting her.

Maytime in Mayfair

1949

Johnny Frenchman poster
6.8

The fisherman from a Cornish village have a friendly rivalry with the fishermen (and one formidable woman) from a French port. Then war comes and they must all rethink their petty differences.

Johnny Frenchman

1945

No artwork available
9.0

A penniless Irishman becomes the business partner of an English aristocrat with a penchant for high-stakes gambling.

The Blarney Stone

1933

Me and Marlborough poster
5.6

A woman disguises herself in men's clothes in order to follow her husband to the wars.

Me and Marlborough

1935

No artwork available
NR

Overbearing but kind-hearted old industrialist Sir Henry Woodstock (known as "Old Iron" to his family) quarrels with his favourite son Harry because Harry wishes to marry the daughter of a business opponent whom he suspects of shady practices. Harry, who has inherited his father's temperament, drives away in a blind fury, runs a man down and kills him. At his trial for manslaughter Sir Henry's testimony as to the quarrel, and the mental disturbance that must have resulted from the conflict in Harry's mind between love of his father and determination to do what he himself thought right, secures Harry's acquittal.

Old Iron

1938

No artwork available
7.0

A pair of con men in Monte Carlo attach themselves to a nouveau rich American snob with a weakness for titles...

Leave It to Smith

1933

Stormy Weather poster
7.0

Sir Duncan Craggs retires from the Colonial Service and returns to London with his new French wife. The couple are devoted to each other, but continually flirt with other people. Sir Duncan is appointed to the board of clothing retail chain. On his tour of inspection, he encounters a successful store run by the efficient Mr. Bullock. By contrast, a neighbouring shop is filled with unhelpful staff overseen by an incompetent and lazy manager, Raymond Penny, who is more interested in horseracing than running his shop. Craggs is unimpressed by Penny and summons him to a meeting in London. Both Bullock and his domineering wife travel up to London as well, fearing that Penny will tell Craggs malicious stories about them.

Stormy Weather

1935

No artwork available
6.0

In this British comedy, set during the Boer War, a foot soldier saves his major's life. The officer is most grateful and puts the soldier in line for a Victoria Cross (a medal for valor). Unfortunately the well-meaning major's actions cause the soldier to be extradited back to England where he must stand trial for a series of crimes he committed before he joined the military. Later the major scours the British jails in search of the heroic lad. He finally finds him recruiting soldiers for WW I.

For Valour

1937

The Master of Bankdam poster
8.0

Generational family struggles for control of a family business in 19th century Yorkshire, and to be the Master of Bankdam.

The Master of Bankdam

1947

A Cuckoo in the Nest poster
6.2

A crowded inn means that a man and a woman must share the same room for a night. One problem is that they are both married - to other people. The other problem is that they used to be engaged to each other.

A Cuckoo in the Nest

1933

Crackerjack poster
6.1

London has become enthralled by the antics of the contemporary Robin Hood, but when a band of bad guys start framing him for their misdeeds, the hero has to catch the criminals and clear his name.

Crackerjack

1938

This Man Is Mine poster
10.0

One wartime Christmas the well-to-do Ferguson family extends a festive welcome to various strays, with comic results.

This Man Is Mine

1946

Canaries Sometimes Sing poster
9.0

Geoffrey and his wife Anne are trapped in a stifling marriage, which neither feels able to leave. When Geoffrey's boyhood friend, Ernest, and his new wife, Elma, come for a long visit, it's soon apparent that their marriage is equally unhappy. As Ernest and Anne strike up a supposedly secret affair, Geoffrey and Elma do everything they can to encourage their spouses' infidelity, whilst also pretending to be blissfully unaware of it.

Canaries Sometimes Sing

1930

A Night Like This poster
7.0

Going under cover, P.C. Mahoney passes for a gentleman to get into the notorious Moonstone Club. There he meets Clifford Tope, a ne'er do well who is love with cabaret star Cora Mellish. She in turn has run up steep gambling debts and has paid off the Club's blackmailing owner with a stolen necklace. As things heat up Cora seeks help from the easy-going Tope.

A Night Like This

1932

Dishonour Bright poster
6.5

A man is cited as the co-respondent in a divorce case, but is cheerfully unashamed when he appears in court.

Dishonour Bright

1936

Pot Luck poster
7.0

A retired Scotland Yard detective, Patrick Fitzpatrick (Tom Walls) comes back to take one final case, tracking down a missing vase which has been stolen by a gang of thieves specialising in taking art treasures. His investigation takes him to the home of the innocent Mr Pye (Robertson Hare), whose house has been used by the crooks to hide their proceeds.

Pot Luck

1936

No artwork available
9.0

'Affianced Foreign Office agent searches for mystery woman he loves.' (British Film Catalogue)

Leap Year

1932

Behind the camera

No artwork available
9.0

A penniless Irishman becomes the business partner of an English aristocrat with a penchant for high-stakes gambling.

The Blarney Stone

1933

No artwork available
NR

Overbearing but kind-hearted old industrialist Sir Henry Woodstock (known as "Old Iron" to his family) quarrels with his favourite son Harry because Harry wishes to marry the daughter of a business opponent whom he suspects of shady practices. Harry, who has inherited his father's temperament, drives away in a blind fury, runs a man down and kills him. At his trial for manslaughter Sir Henry's testimony as to the quarrel, and the mental disturbance that must have resulted from the conflict in Harry's mind between love of his father and determination to do what he himself thought right, secures Harry's acquittal.

Old Iron

1938

No artwork available
NR

Overbearing but kind-hearted old industrialist Sir Henry Woodstock (known as "Old Iron" to his family) quarrels with his favourite son Harry because Harry wishes to marry the daughter of a business opponent whom he suspects of shady practices. Harry, who has inherited his father's temperament, drives away in a blind fury, runs a man down and kills him. At his trial for manslaughter Sir Henry's testimony as to the quarrel, and the mental disturbance that must have resulted from the conflict in Harry's mind between love of his father and determination to do what he himself thought right, secures Harry's acquittal.

Old Iron

1938

No artwork available
7.0

A pair of con men in Monte Carlo attach themselves to a nouveau rich American snob with a weakness for titles...

Leave It to Smith

1933

Dirty Work poster
7.0

Staff in a jewellery store hatch a plan to catch a thief.

Dirty Work

1934

Tons of Money poster
7.0

A debt-ridden inventor has to pretend to be his cousin to avoid his creditors.

Tons of Money

1930

Stormy Weather poster
7.0

Sir Duncan Craggs retires from the Colonial Service and returns to London with his new French wife. The couple are devoted to each other, but continually flirt with other people. Sir Duncan is appointed to the board of clothing retail chain. On his tour of inspection, he encounters a successful store run by the efficient Mr. Bullock. By contrast, a neighbouring shop is filled with unhelpful staff overseen by an incompetent and lazy manager, Raymond Penny, who is more interested in horseracing than running his shop. Craggs is unimpressed by Penny and summons him to a meeting in London. Both Bullock and his domineering wife travel up to London as well, fearing that Penny will tell Craggs malicious stories about them.

Stormy Weather

1935

No artwork available
6.0

In this British comedy, set during the Boer War, a foot soldier saves his major's life. The officer is most grateful and puts the soldier in line for a Victoria Cross (a medal for valor). Unfortunately the well-meaning major's actions cause the soldier to be extradited back to England where he must stand trial for a series of crimes he committed before he joined the military. Later the major scours the British jails in search of the heroic lad. He finally finds him recruiting soldiers for WW I.

For Valour

1937

A Cuckoo in the Nest poster
6.2

A crowded inn means that a man and a woman must share the same room for a night. One problem is that they are both married - to other people. The other problem is that they used to be engaged to each other.

A Cuckoo in the Nest

1933

Canaries Sometimes Sing poster
9.0

Geoffrey and his wife Anne are trapped in a stifling marriage, which neither feels able to leave. When Geoffrey's boyhood friend, Ernest, and his new wife, Elma, come for a long visit, it's soon apparent that their marriage is equally unhappy. As Ernest and Anne strike up a supposedly secret affair, Geoffrey and Elma do everything they can to encourage their spouses' infidelity, whilst also pretending to be blissfully unaware of it.

Canaries Sometimes Sing

1930

A Night Like This poster
7.0

Going under cover, P.C. Mahoney passes for a gentleman to get into the notorious Moonstone Club. There he meets Clifford Tope, a ne'er do well who is love with cabaret star Cora Mellish. She in turn has run up steep gambling debts and has paid off the Club's blackmailing owner with a stolen necklace. As things heat up Cora seeks help from the easy-going Tope.

A Night Like This

1932

A Night Like This poster
7.0

Going under cover, P.C. Mahoney passes for a gentleman to get into the notorious Moonstone Club. There he meets Clifford Tope, a ne'er do well who is love with cabaret star Cora Mellish. She in turn has run up steep gambling debts and has paid off the Club's blackmailing owner with a stolen necklace. As things heat up Cora seeks help from the easy-going Tope.

A Night Like This

1932

Dishonour Bright poster
6.5

A man is cited as the co-respondent in a divorce case, but is cheerfully unashamed when he appears in court.

Dishonour Bright

1936

Pot Luck poster
7.0

A retired Scotland Yard detective, Patrick Fitzpatrick (Tom Walls) comes back to take one final case, tracking down a missing vase which has been stolen by a gang of thieves specialising in taking art treasures. His investigation takes him to the home of the innocent Mr Pye (Robertson Hare), whose house has been used by the crooks to hide their proceeds.

Pot Luck

1936

No artwork available
9.0

'Affianced Foreign Office agent searches for mystery woman he loves.' (British Film Catalogue)

Leap Year

1932

No artwork available
9.0

An ageing aristocrat schemes to secure his dwindling finances by any means – fair or foul!

Foreign Affaires

1935

Rookery Nook poster
8.0

A husband tries to hide a runaway girl from his wife and mother-on-law.

Rookery Nook

1930

Lady in Danger poster
6.0

Dexter becomes involved in a revolution and is asked to hide the Queen. This leads to misunderstanding with his firm and his fiancee.

Lady in Danger

1934

Thark poster
10.0

Mrs Todd is aggrieved at finding that the country house she has bought is evidently haunted. Sir Hector Benbow and his nephew, on behalf of the previous owner, set out to demonstrate that there is no ghost.

Thark

1932

Turkey Time poster
10.0

A group of guests come to stay with the Stoatt family in the seaside town of Eden Bay for Christmas. They soon become involved with an impoverished concert performer whose innocent presence in the house leads to a series of misunderstandings.

Turkey Time

1933

No artwork available
8.3

A newly married couple run into difficulty when the wife refuses to obey her husband.

Second Best Bed

1938

No artwork available
9.0

'Broke duke and millionairess try month of trial marriage.' (British Film Catalogue)

On Approval

1930

A Cup of Kindness poster
10.0

A tale of two feuding families whose offspring cause uproar when they announce their marital plans.

A Cup of Kindness

1934

No artwork available
7.5

The Aldwych Theater farceurs are at it again in Fighting Stock. The punning title refers to a well-stocked rural fishing stream, which sparks a battle royale between two rival groups of fishermen. Brigadier-General Sir Donald Rowley (Tom Walls) gets involved in the fray when he rents a country cottage with his nephew Sydney (Ralph Lynn). While the nephew pitches woo at the local maidens, General Rowley adopts military tactics to reclaim the stream from village squire Duck (J. Robertson Hare).

Fighting Stock

1935