John Eldridge

'John Eldridge' (qv) made his name as a documentary director but really made his reputation for a series of gentle, lyrical and "veddy" British features. He began his career as an assistant editor in the mid-'30s, and by 1939 had graduated to a full-fledged documentary director. One of his best received earlier films was _Three Dawns to Sydney (1949)_ (qv), about the countries one sees while flying from England to Australia.After making a few more documentaries he moved into feature films and joined 'John Grierson' (qv)'s well-regarded Group 3 Productions. His first feature for that company, _Brandy for the Parson (1952)_ (qv), was a whimsical comedy about liquor smugglers on the coast of Kent, reminiscent of the classic British comedy _Whisky Galore! (1949)_ (qv). His next, _Scotch on the Rocks (1953)_ (qv), was another comedy in that same vein, about residents of the Hebrides Islands and how they outwitted an unfeeling government bureaucracy. _Fuss Over Feathers (1954)_ (qv) was a slightly more serious tale of a bird preserve, praised by critics for the lush photography of 'Arthur Grant' (qv).Unfortunately, it was to be Eldridge's last film as a director. He had been plagued by poor health, and after this film he was just not up to the rigors, both physical and emotional, of directing. After writing screenplays for a half-dozen or so pictures for other directors, his health finally gave out and he died in 1960, at just 42 years of age.::frankfob2@yahoo.com