In about 1907 he began work in London as a journalist with the
Evening News. A good reporter, he was soon earning as much as £20 a week, but thought there were more possibilities, and money, in the theatre. He joined forces with London impresario
Sir Edward Moss and staged revues at the
London Hippodrome. In 1914 his revue
Business as Usual featured several patriotic numbers following the outbreak of the
First World War including
"Are we Downhearted?" and ''"
When We've Wound Up the Watch on the Rhine"''. In the 1930s he turned to making films. His two most famous films, both featuring
Jessie Matthews were
There Goes the Bride (1932) and
The Midshipmaid (1932). He also directed
The Wrecker, an adaptation of
Arnold Ridley’s play of the same name, and
Seven Sinners (1936). ==Personal life==