{{Short description|British screenwriter (1905–1999)}} {{for|the American football cornerback|Vernon Harris (American football)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Use British English|date=July 2017}} '''Vernon Harris''' (26 February 1905 – February 1999) was a British screenwriter. He often worked with the film director [[Lewis Gilbert]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/comment/obituaries/lewis-gilbert-versatile-director-british-cinema-hits|title=Lewis Gilbert obituary: director who entertained Britain for decades &#124; Sight & Sound|website=British Film Institute}}</ref> who said: <blockquote>[Harris] worked with me in some way on almost every film I did over nearly forty years. In those early days, we very often did the complete screenplay together. Vernon’s real strength was as a script editor. We would lay out the scenario together and we would then usually depend upon a dialogue writer to supply the dialogue.<ref>{{cite book|first=Brian|last=McFarlane|page=221|url=https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofb0000unse_i5w8/page/221/mode/1up?|title= An autobiography of British cinema : as told by the filmmakers and actors who made it|year=1997}}</ref></blockquote> Harris was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay]] for his script for film ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'' (1968).<ref>'Friends' Together Again Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 7 Aug 1974: f16.</ref>

Harris was born in [[Folkestone]]. He worked extensively for radio at the BBC, notably on ''PC49'' and ''[[Band Waggon]]''.<ref>CRIME DOES PAY: --for Alan Stranks, the writer who created radio's famous characters P.-c. 49 and Flint of the Flying Squad Shirley Long, H W. Answers; London Vol. 122, Iss. 3164, (Dec 20, 1952): 6.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/vernon-gilbert-harris-p93551|title=Vernon Gilbert Harris &#124; Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos|website=AllMovie}}</ref> He died in [[Surrey]].

==Credits== ===Screenwriter=== * ''[[Play Up the Band]]'' (1935) * ''[[Joy Ride (1935 film)|Joy Ride]]'' (1935) – also story * ''[[The Improper Duchess]]'' (1936) *''[[Tropical Trouble]]'' (1936) *''[[Band Waggon (film)|Band Waggon]]'' (1940) – also devised by *''[[The Adventures of PC 49]]'' (1949) – based on radio series * ''[[A Case for PC 49]]'' (1951) – also based on radio series * ''[[Emergency Call (1952 film)|Emergency Call]]'' (1952) aka ''The Hundred Hour Hunt'' * ''[[There Was a Young Lady]]'' (1953) – original story *''[[Cosh Boy]]'' (1953) aka ''The Slasher'' * ''[[Albert R.N.]]'' (1953) aka ''Break to Freedom'' * ''[[The Good Die Young]]'' (1954) * ''[[The Sea Shall Not Have Them]]'' (1954) * ''[[Reach for the Sky]]'' (1956) – additional scenes * ''[[Three Men in a Boat (1956 film)|Three Men in a Boat]]'' (1956, joint nomination with [[Hubert Gregg]] for [[BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay]]) * ''[[The Admirable Crichton (1957 film)|The Admirable Crichton]]'' (1957) aka ''Paradise Lagoon'' * ''[[Carve Her Name with Pride]]'' (1958)<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|date=21 June 2025|access-date=21 June 2025|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-studios-the-rank-organisation-films-of-1958/|title=Forgotten British Film Studios: The Rank Organisation Films of 1958}}</ref> *''[[A Cry from the Streets]]'' (1958) (nomination for BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1959/film|title=Film in 1959 &#124; BAFTA Awards|website=awards.bafta.org}}</ref> *''[[Ferry to Hong Kong]]'' (1959) *''[[Light Up the Sky! (film)|Light Up the Sky!]]'' (1960) * ''[[Almost Angels]]'' (1962) * ''[[Emergency (1962 film)|Emergency]]'' (1962) * ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'' (1968 – 1969 nominee for [[Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay]]) *''[[Friends (1971 film)|Friends]]'' (1971) *''[[Paul and Michelle]]'' (1974)

===As script editor=== *''[[The Adventurers (1970 film)|The Adventurers]]'' (1970) *''[[Seven Nights in Japan]]'' (1976) *''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' (1977) *''[[Moonraker (film)|Moonraker]]'' (1979) *''[[Educating Rita (film)|Educating Rita]]'' (1983)

===Storyboard artist=== *''[[Shirley Valentine (film)|Shirley Valentine]]'' (1989)

===Actor=== *''[[Joy Ride (1935 film)|Joy Ride]]'' (1935) * ''[[Show Flat]]'' (1936) *''[[Tropical Trouble]]'' (1936) *''[[Farewell Again ]]'' (1937) *''[[The Claydon Treasure Mystery]]'' (1938) *''[[The Last Barricade]]'' (1938) *''[[The Gables Mystery]]'' (1938)

===Radio Writer=== *''[[Band Waggon]]'' (1938–40) *''The Adventures of PC 49''

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0365417}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Vernon}} [[Category:1905 births]] [[Category:1999 deaths]] [[Category:People from Folkestone]] [[Category:English male screenwriters]] [[Category:British storyboard artists]] [[Category:20th-century English male writers]] [[Category:20th-century English screenwriters]]