All Over the Town

Last updated

All Over the Town
All Over the Town FilmPoster.jpeg
Original film poster
Directed by Derek N. Twist
Screenplay by Michael Gordon
Derek N. Twist
Based onAll Over the Town
by R. F. Delderfield
Produced by Ian Dalrymple
Michael Gordon
Starring Norman Wooland
Sarah Churchill
Cyril Cusack
Ronald Adam
Cinematography C. M. Pennington-Richards
Edited bySidney Stone
Music byTemple Abady
Production
companies
Wessex Film Productions
Pinewood Films
Release date
  • 2 March 1949 (1949-03-02)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

All Over the Town is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Derek N. Twist and starring Norman Wooland, Sarah Churchill and Cyril Cusack. It was based on the 1947 novel by R. F. Delderfield.

Contents

Plot

After serving in the RAF during the Second World War, Nat Hearn returns to his prewar job as a reporter on the Tormouth Clarion. He meets and is attracted to Sally Thorpe, who had replaced him when he enlisted and has been given notice now he has returned. He arranges for her to be kept on and they spend time together and become engaged to marry. Later, Nat becomes a co-owner and editor of the paper, but the other co-owner disagrees with Nat's new editorial policy which often involves upsetting people who provide the paper with much of its advertising revenue. So he arranges for most of the staff to take holiday time-off simultaneously to prevent Nat's opposition to Tormouth council's proposed redevelopment scheme from which some councillors plan to profit personally. Despite this, at a public meeting called by the council, Nat and his small band of supporters manage to convince the locals to support Nat in the dispute.

Cast

Production

All Over the Town was the fourth of five films produced by Wessex Film Productions, a production company founded in 1947 by Ian Dalrymple and Jack Lee, both formerly of the Crown Film Unit. [1] The film was shot in Lyme Regis. [2]

Reception

The New York Times described it as a "slow, dogmatic little picture" with a "dog-eared" plot. [3] In The Times , the film's plot was seen as unoriginal, executed "without inspiration or any originality of thought". [4]

Later history

By the beginning of the 21st century, the only known surviving copy of the film was the negative at the BFI National Film and Television Archive. In 2005, the Lyme Regis Film Society commissioned the production of a new print from the negative. This copy of the film is housed in Lyme Regis Museum and was shown at the local Regent Cinema on a few occasions before it burnt down in 2016. [2] Since 2018, the film has been shown on the UK television channel Talking Pictures TV .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyme Regis</span> Coastal town in Dorset, England

Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, 25 miles (40 km) west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site and heritage coast. The harbour wall, known as The Cobb, appears in Jane Austen's novel Persuasion, the John Fowles novel The French Lieutenant's Woman and the 1981 film of that name, partly shot in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyril Cusack</span> Irish actor (1910–1993)

Cyril James Cusack was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland’s finest thespians, and was renowned for his interpretations of both classical and contemporary theatre, including Shakespearean roles as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and over 60 productions for the Abbey Theatre, of which he was a lifelong member. In 2020, Cusack was ranked at number 14 on The Irish Times' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

<i>Carry On Cleo</i> 1964 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas

Carry On Cleo is a 1964 British historical comedy film, the tenth in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, and Jim Dale are present and Connor made his last appearance until his return in Carry On Up the Jungle six years later. Joan Sims returned to the series for the first time since Carry On Regardless three years earlier. Sims would now appear in every Carry On up to Carry On Emmannuelle in 1978, making her the most prolific actress in the series. Jon Pertwee makes the first of his four appearances in the series. The title role is played by Amanda Barrie in her second and last Carry On. Along with Carry On Sergeant and Carry On Screaming!, its original posters were reproduced by the Royal Mail on stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Carry On series in June 2008. The film was followed by Carry On Cowboy 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Shelley</span> British actor

Norman Shelley was a British actor, best known for his work in radio, in particular for the BBC's Children's Hour. He also had a recurring role as Colonel Danby in the long-running radio soap opera The Archers.

<i>Gone to Earth</i> (film) 1950 film by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Gone to Earth is a 1950 British Technicolor film created by the director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Jennifer Jones, David Farrar, Cyril Cusack and Esmond Knight. The film was significantly changed for the American market by David O. Selznick and retitled The Wild Heart in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Oulton</span> English actor (1908–1992)

Brian Oulton was an English character actor.

<i>Carry On Nurse</i> 1959 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas

Carry On Nurse is a 1959 British comedy film, the second in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). Of the regular team, it featured Joan Sims, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawtrey, with Hattie Jacques and Leslie Phillips. The film was written by Norman Hudis based on the play Ring for Catty by Patrick Cargill and Jack Beale. It was the top-grossing film of 1959 in the United Kingdom and, with an audience of 10.4 million, had the highest cinema viewing of any of the "Carry On" films. Perhaps surprisingly, it was also highly successful in the United States, where it was reported that it played at some cinemas for three years. The film was followed by Carry On Teacher 1959.

<i>Carry On Girls</i> 1973 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas

Carry On Girls is a 1973 British comedy film, the 25th release in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). The film features regulars Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth. This Carry On featured neither Kenneth Williams nor Charles Hawtrey; Williams was unavailable because of stage commitments and Hawtrey had been dropped from the series.

<i>Carry On Constable</i> 1960 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas

Carry On Constable is a 1960 British comedy film, the fourth in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). It was released in February 1960. Of the regular team, it featured Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, and Hattie Jacques. Sid James makes his debut in the series here, while early regulars Leslie Phillips, Eric Barker, and Shirley Eaton also turn up, although Phillips did not appear again in the series for 32 years. It was the first "Carry On..." film to include some nudity with Connor, Hawtrey, Williams, and Phillips baring their behinds during a shower scene. The film was followed by Carry On Regardless 1961.

<i>Carry On Cowboy</i> 1965 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas

Carry On Cowboy is a 1965 British comedy Western film, the eleventh in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). It was the first film to feature series regulars Peter Butterworth and Bernard Bresslaw. Series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey and Joan Sims all feature, and Angela Douglas makes the first of her four appearances in the series. Kenneth Williams, usually highly critical of all the Carry on films he appeared in, called the film "a success on every level" in his diary, taking pride in its humour and pathos. The film was followed by Carry On Screaming! 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Wooland</span> British character actor (1910–1989)

Norman Wooland was an English character actor who appeared in many major films, including several Shakespearean adaptations.

<i>Trouble in Store</i> 1953 film

Trouble in Store is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his cinema debut. The film also featured Moira Lister, Margaret Rutherford, Jerry Desmonde and Lana Morris. For his performance, Wisdom won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Although it was shown at a West End venue, the film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios with sets designed by the art director Alex Vetchinsky. It was released by Rank's General Film Distributors and was later released in America by Republic Pictures. The film's success led to Wisdom appearing in a string of films for Rank beginning with One Good Turn.

<i>Crossroads to Crime</i> 1960 film

Crossroads to Crime is a 1960 British crime film produced and directed by Gerry Anderson and distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated (AA). Starring Anthony Oliver, George Murcell, Miriam Karlin, David Graham and Ferdy Mayne, Crossroads to Crime is about a police constable who works undercover to bring down a gang of lorry hi-jackers. Made as a B movie by Anderson's production company AP Films (APF), which made children's puppet television series, it was APF's first film production as well as its first production with live actors. It was also the only film that Anderson directed.

Summerfield is a 1977 Australian film, directed by Ken Hannam, written by Cliff Green and produced by Patricia Lovell. It stars Nick Tate, Elizabeth Alexander, John Waters, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Max Fairchild and Geraldine Turner, and was filmed on location on Phillip Island and Churchill Island in Victoria.

Honeymoon Deferred is a 1951 British-Italian comedy film directed by Mario Camerini and starring Sally Ann Howes, Griffith Jones, and Kieron Moore.

<i>Obsession</i> (1949 film) 1949 film

Obsession, released in the United States as The Hidden Room, is a 1949 British crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk. It is based on the 1947 novel A Man About a Dog by Alec Coppel, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. Obsession was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Rawlinson</span> British actor (1931–2000)

Brian Rawlinson was an English actor and writer for films and TV from the 1950s.

<i>My Teenage Daughter</i> 1956 film

My Teenage Daughter, later Teenage Bad Girl, is a 1956 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Sylvia Syms and Norman Wooland. The screenplay concerns a mother who tries to deal with her teenage daughter's descent into delinquency. It was intended as a British response to Rebel Without a Cause. It was the last commercially successful film made by Wilcox.

<i>The Master Plan</i> (1954 film) 1954 British film by Cy Endfield

The Master Plan is a 1954 British second feature film noir drama film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Norman Wooland, Tilda Thamar and Wayne Morris. It was based on the teleplay Operation North Star by Harald Bratt.

Two Sinners is a 1935 film directed by Arthur Lubin.

References

  1. Murphy, Robert (2004). Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48. Taylor and Francis. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-203-39265-2.
  2. 1 2 Maslan, Adrianne (21 May 2011). "Blast from the past is set for new screening". Bridport News.
  3. "All over the Town (1949) at the Embassy". The New York Times . 26 May 1949.
  4. "New films in London". The Times . 7 March 1949.