Clifford Mills

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Clifford Mills (aka Emlie Clifford, née Bennet) (1863–1933) was a British playwright, best known for the plays Where the Rainbow Ends and The Luck of the Navy.

Career[]

Mills's real name was Emlie (aka Emilie) Clifford.[1] She adopted the pseudonym Clifford Mills because, as a woman writer, she was unable to get published under her own name. Clifford Mills was derived from her husband's name Harold Mills Clifford, who she married in 1889.[2]

The inspiration for the fairy story play Where the Rainbow Ends came from a poem written by her daughter Evelyn. The play was co-authored with John Ramsay with music by Roger Quilter. Ramsay did not contribute to the content of the play but helped with the technical aspects of play wrighting. It was first staged in December 1911 and was presented at Christmas time from then until 1959, only missing two years.[1] [3][4] Where the Rainbow Ends was also published as a book in 1912.[5]

Mills wrote seven plays including the comedy The Basker and The Luck of the Navy a spy story which was turned into a film in 1927.[3][6] In Nelson's Days was a romantic historical drama.[7]

Evelyn Shillington (d. 1981), Mills's daughter, kept diaries of her life as a military wife during World War II; they were published as Eve's War.[8][9]

Mills died on 2 July 1933 in London and is buried in Highgate cemetery.[1][10]

Selected works[]

Plays[]

  • One of these Little Ones (1909)[7]
  • Where the Rainbow Ends (1911)[7]
  • The Basker (1916)[7]
  • The Luck of the Navy (1918)[7]
  • Virginia (1921)[7]
  • In Nelson's Days (1922)[7]
  • The Man from Hong Kong (1925)[7]

Books[]

  • Where the Rainbow Ends (1912)[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Obituary. Mrs Clifford Mills". The Stage: 5. 20 July 1933.
  2. ^ "Clifford Mills (aka Emilie Clifford nee Bennet & Mrs H. Mills Clifford)". Great War Theatre. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Langfield, Valerie (2002). Roger Quilter: His Life and Music. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 38–41. ISBN 978-0-85115-871-6.
  4. ^ "Where the Rainbow Ends. A Christmas favourite for 40 years". The Times (London) (52183). 13 December 1951. p. 2.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Mills, Clifford; Ramsey, John (1912). Where the Rainbow Ends. A fairy story ... based on the fairy play 'Where the Rainbow Ends'. London: Hodder & Stoughton. OCLC 563059675.
  6. ^ "The Luck Of The Navy". Great War Theatre. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Nicoll, Allardyce (1973). English drama, 1900-1930; the beginnings of the modern period. Cambridge [England]: University Press. pp. 198, 245, 835. ISBN 0-521-08416-4. OCLC 588815.
  8. ^ "Fascinating war diaries of military wife Eve are brought to light thanks to 'diary detective'". Bournemouth Echo. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  9. ^ Shillington, Evelyn (2017). Eve's war. Place of publication not identified: Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0-7515-6702-1. OCLC 950476490.
  10. ^ "A London recluse". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 15 July 1933. p. 5.

Further reading[]

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