# Vernon Harris > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Vernon_Harris > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Vernon_Harris.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_Harris > Source revision: 1352251413 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) British screenwriter (1905–1999) For the American football cornerback, see [Vernon Harris (American football)](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vernon_Harris_(American_football)&action=edit&redlink=1). **Vernon Harris** (26 February 1905 – February 1999) was a British screenwriter. He often worked with the film director [Lewis Gilbert](/source/Lewis_Gilbert)[1] who said: [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.[2] Harris was nominated for an [Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay](/source/Academy_Award_for_Best_Adapted_Screenplay) for his script for film *[Oliver!](/source/Oliver!_(film))* (1968).[3] Harris was born in [Folkestone](/source/Folkestone). He worked extensively for radio at the BBC, notably on *PC49* and *[Band Waggon](/source/Band_Waggon)*.[4][5] He died in [Surrey](/source/Surrey). ## Credits ### Screenwriter - *[Play Up the Band](/source/Play_Up_the_Band)* (1935) - *[Joy Ride](/source/Joy_Ride_(1935_film))* (1935) – also story - *[The Improper Duchess](/source/The_Improper_Duchess)* (1936) - *[Tropical Trouble](/source/Tropical_Trouble)* (1936) - *[Band Waggon](/source/Band_Waggon_(film))* (1940) – also devised by - *[The Adventures of PC 49](/source/The_Adventures_of_PC_49)* (1949) – based on radio series - *[A Case for PC 49](/source/A_Case_for_PC_49)* (1951) – also based on radio series - *[Emergency Call](/source/Emergency_Call_(1952_film))* (1952) aka *The Hundred Hour Hunt* - *[There Was a Young Lady](/source/There_Was_a_Young_Lady)* (1953) – original story - *[Cosh Boy](/source/Cosh_Boy)* (1953) aka *The Slasher* - *[Albert R.N.](/source/Albert_R.N.)* (1953) aka *Break to Freedom* - *[The Good Die Young](/source/The_Good_Die_Young)* (1954) - *[The Sea Shall Not Have Them](/source/The_Sea_Shall_Not_Have_Them)* (1954) - *[Reach for the Sky](/source/Reach_for_the_Sky)* (1956) – additional scenes - *[Three Men in a Boat](/source/Three_Men_in_a_Boat_(1956_film))* (1956, joint nomination with [Hubert Gregg](/source/Hubert_Gregg) for [BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay](/source/BAFTA_Award_for_Best_British_Screenplay)) - *[The Admirable Crichton](/source/The_Admirable_Crichton_(1957_film))* (1957) aka *Paradise Lagoon* - *[Carve Her Name with Pride](/source/Carve_Her_Name_with_Pride)* (1958)[6] - *[A Cry from the Streets](/source/A_Cry_from_the_Streets)* (1958) (nomination for BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay)[7] - *[Ferry to Hong Kong](/source/Ferry_to_Hong_Kong)* (1959) - *[Light Up the Sky!](/source/Light_Up_the_Sky!_(film))* (1960) - *[Almost Angels](/source/Almost_Angels)* (1962) - *[Emergency](/source/Emergency_(1962_film))* (1962) - *[Oliver!](/source/Oliver!_(film))* (1968 – 1969 nominee for [Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay](/source/Academy_Award_for_Writing_Adapted_Screenplay)) - *[Friends](/source/Friends_(1971_film))* (1971) - *[Paul and Michelle](/source/Paul_and_Michelle)* (1974) ### As script editor - *[The Adventurers](/source/The_Adventurers_(1970_film))* (1970) - *[Seven Nights in Japan](/source/Seven_Nights_in_Japan)* (1976) - *[The Spy Who Loved Me](/source/The_Spy_Who_Loved_Me_(film))* (1977) - *[Moonraker](/source/Moonraker_(film))* (1979) - *[Educating Rita](/source/Educating_Rita_(film))* (1983) ### Storyboard artist - *[Shirley Valentine](/source/Shirley_Valentine_(film))* (1989) ### Actor - *[Joy Ride](/source/Joy_Ride_(1935_film))* (1935) - *[Show Flat](/source/Show_Flat)* (1936) - *[Tropical Trouble](/source/Tropical_Trouble)* (1936) - *[Farewell Again](/source/Farewell_Again)* (1937) - *[The Claydon Treasure Mystery](/source/The_Claydon_Treasure_Mystery)* (1938) - *[The Last Barricade](/source/The_Last_Barricade)* (1938) - *[The Gables Mystery](/source/The_Gables_Mystery)* (1938) ### Radio Writer - *[Band Waggon](/source/Band_Waggon)* (1938–40) - *The Adventures of PC 49* ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Lewis Gilbert obituary: director who entertained Britain for decades | Sight & Sound"](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/comment/obituaries/lewis-gilbert-versatile-director-british-cinema-hits). *British Film Institute*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** McFarlane, Brian (1997). [*An autobiography of British cinema : as told by the filmmakers and actors who made it*](https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofb0000unse_i5w8/page/221/mode/1up?). p. 221. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** 'Friends' Together Again Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 7 Aug 1974: f16. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** 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. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Vernon Gilbert Harris | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos"](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/vernon-gilbert-harris-p93551). *AllMovie*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Vagg, Stephen (21 June 2025). ["Forgotten British Film Studios: The Rank Organisation Films of 1958"](https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-studios-the-rank-organisation-films-of-1958/). *Filmink*. Retrieved 21 June 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Film in 1959 | BAFTA Awards"](http://awards.bafta.org/award/1959/film). *awards.bafta.org*. ## External links - [Vernon Harris](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365417/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States France BnF data Czech Republic Spain 2 Netherlands Poland Israel Other IdRef SNAC --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Vernon Harris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_Harris) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_Harris?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.