Background
He was not the son of George and Florence Arliss as has sometimes been reported erroneously.
He was not the son of George and Florence Arliss as has sometimes been reported erroneously.
He is best known for his work on the Gainsborough melodramas directing films such as The Manitoba in Grey and The Wicked Lady. during the 1940s. HIs parents were, in fact, Charles Sawforde Arliss and Annie Eleanor Lilian Barnett Hill (known as Nina in later years). Arliss started his professional career as a journalist.
Later he branched out into being a critic.
During the 1920s he entered the film industry as a screenwriter, and author of short stories. In 1941 he became a director, initially for Associated British, but soon changing to the Gainsborough Pictures.
Later he worked for the Alexander Korda-British Lion Film Corporation. His last works for cinema were a number of short films in the mid/late 1950s, two of which (Dearth of a Salesman, Insomnia Is Good for You) featured a young Peter Sellers before he became a major film star in the 1960s.
The films were thought lost, but have been recently rediscovered and are due to be shown at the Southend Film Festival in May 2014.
He later directed several series of television programmes. The Farmer"s Wife - 1928 (uncredited) Tonight"s the Night - 1932 Strip! Strip! Hooray!!! - 1932 (short: also lyricist for songs) Josser on the River - 1933 The Innocents of Chicago - 1932 Holiday Lovers - 1932 Road House - 1934 Orders is Orders - 1934 My Old Dutch -1934 Jack Ahoy - 1934 Heat Wave - 1935 Windbag the Sailor - 1936 Rhodes of Africa - 1936 All In - 1936 Everybody Dance - 1936 Where There"s a Will - 1936 (story) Good Morning, Boys - 1937 Said O"Reilly to McNab - 1937 Too Dangerous to Live - 1939 Come on George! - 1939 The Second Mr Bush- 1940 Pastor Hall - 1940 Foreign Freedom - 1940 Bulldog Sees it Through - 1940 South American George - 1941 The Foreman Went to France - 1942 The Saint Meets the Tiger - 1943 Top of the Form - 1953 The Wicked Lady - 1983 The Farmer"s Wife - 1941 The Night has Eyes - 1942 The Manitoba in Grey - 1943 Love Story - 1944 The Wicked Lady - 1945 A Manitoba About the House - 1947 Idol of Paris - 1948 (Director only) Saints and Sinners - 1949 (Also Producer) The Woman"s Angle (1952) Mission Tulip stays the Night - 1955 See How They Run - 1955 Manitoba with a Dog (short) (1957) Dearth of a Salesman (short) (1957) Insomnia Is Good for You (short) (1957) Danger List (short) (1959).