Cinema: Britain’s Best

The most ambitious of British cinema’s popularity polls, sponsored by the Daily Mail, drew ballots from 547,767 of Britain’s 30,000,000 cinemaddicts. Eligible for prizes: anything & anybody British appearing on the screen during the six war years. Prizes were “Silver Stars”—a slim silver figure on a globe, holding aloft a star. Winners & also-rans best known to the U.S.:

Best actor: James Mason (said he: “My thanks and good wishes to all . . . who voted for me. . . . I can’t commend their judgment”). Laurence Olivier was fourth, Robert Donat fifth, the late Leslie Howard seventh, David Niven tenth.

Best actress: Margaret Lockwood, by a nose. Phyllis (The Man in Grey) Calvert was second, Anna Neagle eighth.

Most popular films: The Way to the Stars (U.S. title: Johnny in the Clouds); The Man in Grey. Henry V was fifth, In Which We Serve eighth, Colonel Blimp 15th; Caesar and Cleopatra was not mentioned. Most of the nine leaders were made under the J. Arthur Rank banner.