Yvonne Arnaud
Acting
Biography
Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress, who was well known for her career in Britain, as well as her native land. After beginning a career as a concert pianist as a child, Arnaud acted in musical comedies. She switched to non-musical comedy and drama around 1920 and was one of the players in the second of the Aldwych farces, A Cuckoo in the Nest, a hit in 1925. She also had dramatic roles and made films in the 1930s and 1940s, and continued to act into the 1950s. She occasionally performed as a pianist later in her career. The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre was named in her memory in Guildford, Surrey.
Known For
A BBC television series of forty-five-minute excerpts from stage plays running in London.
Theatre Night
Genial, bumbling Monsieur Hulot loves his top-floor apartment in a grimy corner of the city, and cannot fathom why his sister's family has moved to the suburbs. Their house is an ultra-modern nightmare, which Hulot only visits for the sake of stealing away his rambunctious young nephew. Hulot's sister, however, wants to win him over to her new way of life, and conspires to set him up with a wife and job.
Mon Oncle
'Broke duke and millionairess try month of trial marriage.' (British Film Catalogue)
On Approval
The ghosts of two stupid 18th-century officers are doomed to haunt a Berkeley Square mansion until the unlikely event of a reigning monarch paying the house a visit. It will take more than 200 years... Based on the novel "No Nightingales" by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon.
The Ghosts of Berkeley Square
An author's wishes are granted and make him rich, but it is a dream.
Desire
British World War II film set in occupied France, portraying the activities of members of the French Resistance and the Nazi tactic of taking and shooting innocent hostages in reprisal for acts of sabotage. The opening credits acknowledge "the official co-operation of General de Gaulle and the French National Committee". It was released as "At Dawn We Die" in the US.
Tomorrow We Live
Revolution breaks out in a small European kingdom, and a young princess is forced to flee for her life. She heads for the neighboring country, which just happens to be ruled by the king she is betrothed to. Unfortunately, the new revolutionary government won't let citizens leave, which she actually doesn't mind all that much because she's not particularly jazzed about marrying the elderly king. He sends a young naval officer to bring her across the border, but in order to do so they are forced into a marriage of convenience. Complications ensue.
Princess Charming
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
The King of Moldavia tries to negotiate a loan from the United States in return for oil concessions, with the wily assistance of the Duchess of Tann.
The Improper Duchess
A British merchant ship is torpedoed by a German U-Boat and takes shelter in a neutral port. The Captain then strikes back at the German enemy.
Neutral Port
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
A Canadian officer, David Anson, who falls for French dancer Nicolette Bonnett during wartime, has a child with her, and returns heartbroken after her death from a weak heart, only for his wife to adopt the son, linking their lives across continents and tragedy, exploring themes of love, duty, and lost time.
Woman to Woman
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
A debt-ridden inventor has to pretend to be his cousin to avoid his creditors.
Tons of Money
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
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Widow's Might
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The Temptress
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