A Boy, a Girl and a Bike | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ralph Smart |
Screenplay by | Ted Willis |
Story by | Ralph Keene & John Sommerfield |
Produced by | Ralph Keene Alfred Roome |
Starring | John McCallum Honor Blackman Patrick Holt Diana Dors |
Cinematography | Ray Elton Phil Grindrod |
Edited by | James Needs |
Music by | Kenneth Pakeman |
Production company | |
Distributed by | General Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | £61,000 (by 1953) [1] |
A Boy, a Girl and a Bike is a 1949 British romantic comedy film directed by Ralph Smart and starring John McCallum, Honor Blackman and Patrick Holt. [2] The film's art direction was by George Provis. [3] The film concerns the romantic escapades and adventures of a Yorkshire cycling club.
Young couple Sue (Honor Blackman) and Sam (Patrick Holt) are members of a Yorkshire cycling club, the ‘Wakeford Wheelers’. Romantic complications ensue when wealthy David (John McCallum) becomes smitten with Sue, and joins the club to pursue her, much to Sam's dismay.
The film is set in Wakeford and in the Yorkshire Dales. It features cycle sabotage and cycling tactics.
The film was based on an original idea by Sydney Box, who was head of production at Gainsborough. Box came up with the idea while out for a Sunday drive, and gave the job of writing the script to Ted Willis, who had worked for Box on the scripts for Holiday Camp and The Huggett's Abroad. Willis had the reputation of someone who could write for working class characters. The film was originally called Wheels within Wheels [4] [5]
Richard Attenborough was meant to play a key role but was held up making The Guinea Pig; Patrick Holt played his part instead. [6]
In March 1948 Smart was scouting locations in Yorkshire [7] and filming took place in September 1948. It happened on location in Yorkshire at places including Wakefield, Hebden Bridge, Skipton and Malham Cove, and at Gainsborough's Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush, London. [8]
Variety called it "feeble... valueless for the US market." [9]
The Monthly Film Bulletin called it a "simple unpretentious story enlivened by flashes of homely Yorkshire humour." [10]
The Radio Times gave the film two out of five stars, calling it, "A minor, good-natured British comedy romance." [11]
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