Lloyd's of London (1936)

Blake is in love with an aristocratic woman whose husband seriously injures him. Blake's friendship with Lord Nelson provides the basis for Blake's part in the growth of Lloyd's insurance ... See full summary »

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Ernest Pascal (screenplay), Walter Ferris (screenplay),

Stars:

Freddie Bartholomew, Madeleine Carroll, Guy Standing

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Bartholomew	...	Young Jonathan Blake
Madeleine Carroll	...	Lady Elizabeth Stacy
Guy Standing	...	John Julius Angerstein (as Sir Guy Standing)
Tyrone Power	...	Jonathan Blake
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Old 'Q'
Virginia Field	...	Polly
Douglas Scott	...	Young Horatio Nelson
George Sanders	...	Lord Everett Stacy
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Brook Watson
Una O'Connor	...	Widow Blake
Forrester Harvey	...	Percival Potts
Gavin Muir	...	Sir Gavin Gore
E.E. Clive	...	Magistrate
Miles Mander	...	Jukes
Montagu Love	...	Hawkins

Storyline

Blake is in love with an aristocratic woman whose husband seriously injures him. Blake's friendship with Lord Nelson provides the basis for Blake's part in the growth of Lloyd's insurance business following the Battle of Trafalgar. Only very slightly based on history.

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Plot Keywords:

ship | insurance | friendship | fraud | battle of trafalgar | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

29 January 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lloyds de Londres

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$850,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 118 min (FMC Library Print) (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tyrone Power's first leading role.

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Crazy Credits

We acknowledge with appreciation the assistance of the official historian of Lloyds of London in the preparation of the historical background for this production.

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Connections

Referenced in The Bay Boy (1984)

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Soundtracks

"Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes"
(1616) (uncredited)
Music by R. Melish (1780 ?)
Lyrics by Ben Jonson (in poem To Celia) (1616)
Played during the opening credits and often in the score as a love theme
Sung by Virginia Field, Tyrone Power and other patrons of the tavern

User Reviews

Opulent Tale Of Old London Town

A bright young lad goes to work at LLOYD'S OF London, the famous insurance house. He grows up to become a power in the institution, with much adventure & financial intrigue along the way, but love continues to elude him...

This lavish film is great fun to watch for two primary reasons: some very good acting & the history of Lloyd's, preeminent in its field, which it details. 20th Century Fox obviously spent a pretty penny on the production values, and it shows.

Freddie Bartholomew has top billing and effortlessly steals the first half hour of the film. When his character grows up, Master Bartholomew is sorely missed. He turns into Tyrone Power, who is billed fourth. This was the film that made Power a star, and he's quite effective in the role, if you overlook the American accent.

An excellent supporting cast lends a hand: wonderful old Sir Guy Standing as Power's mentor at Lloyd's - this powerful actor would soon have his life cut short by a rattlesnake bite; Una O'Connor as Bartholomew's harridan aunt; Montagu Love as a duplicitous pirate; obese Robert Greig as the jocular First Lord of the Admiralty; E. E. Clive as a dyspeptic magistrate; oily George Sanders as a noble cad; and marvelous old Sir C. Aubrey Smith as a flirtatious peer.

The romantic subplot is ludicrous: Power moons over beautiful, married Madeleine Carroll for 20 years, while pert barmaid Virginia Field pines for him; none of them so much as gain a wrinkle or an extra ounce during this time.

The film earns high marks in its generally faithful depiction of the history both of Lloyd's, and of Horatio Nelson.