Life with the Lyons

Fast-moving, and very noisy, comedy. The accident-prone Lyons family move into their new rented house in London, but they have not yet been given the lease. Their efforts to impress the landlord, Mr. Hemmingway, are not altogether successful and result in a catalogue of misunderstandings, chaos and destruction!

Trailer by The Hammer Graveyard

Production Details

A Hammer production released by Exclusive Films
Copyright 1953 by Exclusive Films Ltd.
RCA Sound Recording

Black & White 81 minutes

Filming dates: 7th September – 25th September 1953
UK Release: 24th May 1954

Filming:
Southall Studios, Southall , Middlesex – Studio
Marble Arch, London – Opening scene
Daunt Books, Marylebone High Street, London – Looking for a suitable book, Barbara goes to enter No.83
Foyles, 111 Charring Cross Road, London – Second bookshop

Stills from film

Click an image for enlarged slideshow

Cast & Crew

Red = Uncredited

CREW	NAME	CREDITED	AGE AT RELEASE	BIRTH	DEATH	AGE	CREDITS	UNCREDITED	TOTAL HAMMER
Art Director	Wilfred Arnold	Yes	51	12 Feb 1903	9 Jun 1970	67	5		5
Assistant Director	Harold Buck	Yes	35	1919	2002	83	1		1
Assistant to Producer	Freddie Pearson	No			1993		1	1	2
Camera Operator	Len Harris	Yes	38	19 May 1916	21 Feb 1995	78	63	2	65
Continuity	Splinters Deason	Yes	41	1913	11 Oct 2001	88	3		3
Director	Val Guest	Yes	42	11 Dec 1911	10 May 2006	94	30		30
Editor	Douglas Myers	Yes	44	15 Jan 1910	1962	51	3		3
Executive Producer	Michael Carreras	No	26	21 Dec 1927	19 Apr 1994	66	98	11	109
Focus Puller	Harry Oakes	No	33	16 Jan 1921	11 Dec 2012	91	3	56	59
Form the Radio Series	Bebe Daniels-Lyon	Yes	53	14 Jan 1901	16 Mar 1971	70	4		4
Form the Radio Series	Bill Harding	Yes	4	23 Jun 1949		76	2		2
Form the Radio Series	Bob Block	Yes	32	20 Jul 1921	17 Apr 2011	89	2		2
Hair Stylist	Nina Broe	Yes			1993		11		11
Make-up	Phil Leakey	Yes	46	4 May 1908	26 Nov 1992	84	50		50
Music	Arthur Wilkinson	Yes	34	3 Sep 1919	1968	48	1		1
Photography	Walter Harvey BSc	Yes	51	9 Feb 1903	1979	75	35		35
Producer	Robert Dunbar	Yes	39	6 Jun 1914	29 Apr 2000	85	5		5
Production Manager	Arthur Barnes	Yes	68	1886	1956	70	20		20
Recordist	Bill Salter	Yes	50	1904	1987	83	17		17
Screenplay	Robert Dunbar	Yes	39	6 Jun 1914	29 Apr 2000	85	5		5
Screenplay	Val Guest	Yes	42	11 Dec 1911	10 May 2006	94	30		30
Stock Music	Jack Beaver	No	54	27 Mar 1900	10 Sep 1963	63		3	3
CAST
Aggie	Molly Weir	Yes	44	17 Mar 1910	28 Nov 2004	94	3		3
Barbara Lyon	Barbara Lyon	Yes	22	1 Sep 1931	10 Jul 1995	63	2		2
Bebe Daniels-Lyon	Bebe Daniels-Lyon	Yes	53	14 Jan 1901	16 Mar 1971	70	4		4
Ben Lyon	Ben Lyon	Yes	53	6 Feb 1901	22 Mar 1979	78	2		2
Chief Firecloud	Zaro	Yes						1	1
Florrie	Doris Rogers	Yes	59	16 Feb 1895	5 Mar 1975	80	2		2
Mr. Hemmingway	Hugh Morton	Yes	50	28 Jun 1903	11 Jul 1984	81	4		4
Mrs Wimple	Gwen Lewis	Yes	66	21 Jan 1888	19 Jan 1966	77	2		2
Party Guest	Martin Lyder	No	31	30 Sep 1922	12 Jan 2003	80		4	4
Richard Lyon	Richard Lyon	Yes	19	8 Oct 1934	16 Oct 2013	79	2		2
Slim Cassidy	Arthur Hill	Yes	31	1 Aug 1922	22 Oct 2006	84	1		1
Violet	Belinda Lee	Yes	18	15 Jun 1935	12 Mar 1961	25	2		2
Wimple	Horace Percival	Yes	68	1886	9 Nov 1961	75	2		2
With	Arthur Mullard	No	43	19 Sep 1910	11 Dec 1995	85	1	3	4

Original Poster

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Footnotes

The Lyons family were immensely popular with radio audiences in their heyday and the success of this film led to a sequel, The Lyons in Paris (1955), also from Hammer.

This was the first film for Hammer directed by Val Guest, whose later work for them includes The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), Quatermass 2 (1957), The Abominable Snowman (1957) and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1969).

Actress Belinda Lee was killed in a road accident at the age of 25.

Musician Arthur Wilkinson died of a heart attack at the age of 48.

1954 BBFC Cert. “U”

Production Details

Stills from film

Cast & Crew

Original Poster

Footnotes

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