Will Hay to Hammer and Hollywood

In 1935, and aged 24, Val Guest began his writing career with Gainsborough Pictures. Amongst his early films, he wrote many of the Will Hay comedies and several for the Crazy Gang. In the early 1940s he turned his hand to directing as well as continuing to write, and films such as Just William’s Luck, Mr Drake’s Progress, Penny Princess and The Runaway Bus ensued.

In the early 1950s Val began his association with Hammer. The Quatermass Xperiment was a huge success and spawned a sequel Quatermass 2, which Val swiftly followed with The Abominable Snowman. Other hits followed – Hell Is A City, The Day The Earth Caught Fire, Where The Spies Are … before Val tried to make sense of the 1967 Bond spoof, Casino Royale. His other credits include: When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, 80,000 Suspects, Expresso Bongo, Confessions Of A Window Cleaner, The Persuaders!, The Shillingbury Blowers and Dangerous Davies. He now lives in California, and at 94, is truly a living legend and the last of a great generation of film-makers.

Date: Friday 25th November 2005 12:15 for 1:00pm
Venue: Hush, 8 Lancashire Court, Brook Street, London

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