Girdle of Gold | |
---|---|
Directed by | Montgomery Tully |
Written by | Jack Dawe |
Produced by | Darcy Conyers Audrey Hirst |
Starring | Esmond Knight Maudie Edwards Meredith Edwards |
Cinematography | Jack Asher |
Edited by | James Needs |
Music by | Philip Green |
Production company | London Screenplays |
Distributed by | Eros Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Girdle of Gold is a 1952 British second feature [1] comedy film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Esmond Knight, Maudie Edwards and Meredith Edwards. [2] It was written by Jack Dawe.
In a small Welsh town, Griffiths the Hearse, a crafty undertaker, hides £150 that he has kept from his wife in the lining of her girdle. Unknown to him she is about to elope with Evans the Milk, the local milkman. Shortly before she does, she sells the girdle and buys a new one. The old one is sold on to newlywed Mary Rees who leaves for her honeymoon in London. This results in a frantic effort to recover it both by Griffiths, still after the stashed money, and Evans who wants to clear his name of accusations of theft.
The film was shot at Walton Studios near London with location shooting taking place in the capital. The film's sets were designed by the art director Don Russell.
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Here is an idea which in French hands might be light, gay and funny. As it is, it moves ponderously and sadly, with good lines poorly rendered and situations amateurishly acted, though it is obvious that immense efforts are being made to be slick and polished. Esmond Knight will never make a good 'Milk,' but the 'Hearse' is realistically the unsuccessful undertaker." [3]
Kine Weekly wrote: "Lively, if unpretentious, small-town farcical comedy, with a Welsh accent. ... The majority of the players are equal to story demands, but both the direction and the staging are a trifle rough. Its foolproof central idea should, however, get it over with the industrial and provincial masses. ... The picture has quite a piquant tale and one that lends itself logically to striptease, but the fun is restricted by meagre production. Cheap presentation also makes it a doubtful proposition for first-class halls, but the majority of the gags are certain to raise chuckles in most other situations." [4]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Good comedy idea ploddingly handled." [5]
The Belles of St Trinian's is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Frank Launder, co-written by Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and starring Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, George Cole, Hermione Baddeley. Inspired by British cartoonist Ronald Searle's St Trinian's School comic strips, the film focuses on the lives of the students and teachers of the fictional school, dealing with attempts to shut them down while their headmistress faces issues with financial troubles, which culminates in the students thwarting a scheme involving a racehorse.
Esmond Penington Knight was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half-blind. He had been badly wounded in 1941 while on active service on board HMS Prince of Wales when she fought the Bismarck at the Battle of the Denmark Strait, and remained totally blind for two years, though he later regained some sight in his right eye.
Gwilym Meredith Edwards was a Welsh character actor and writer.
Only Two Can Play is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat starring Peter Sellers, Mai Zetterling and Virginia Maskell. The screenplay was by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1955 novel That Uncertain Feeling by Kingsley Amis.
Elizabeth Maud Edwards, professionally known as Maudie Edwards, was a Welsh actress, radio broadcaster, comedian, dancer and singer, best remembered for having spoken the first line of dialogue in soap opera Coronation Street, and playing Elsie Lappin in the first two episodes. She was previously best known to listeners of the radio programme Welsh Rarebit, which attracted weekly audiences of 10 million.
A Run for Your Money is a 1949 Ealing Studios comedy film starring Donald Houston and Meredith Edwards as two Welshmen visiting London for the first time. The supporting cast includes Alec Guinness, Moira Lister and Hugh Griffith.
Dry Rot is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey, and starring Ronald Shiner, Brian Rix, Peggy Mount, and Sid James. The screenplay is by John Chapman, adapted from his 1954 Whitehall farce of the same name.
Follow That Horse! is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Alan Bromly and starring David Tomlinson, Cecil Parker, Richard Wattis, Mary Peach and Dora Bryan. The screenplay was by Alfred Shaughnessy and William Douglas-Home based on the 1954 novel Photo Finish by Howard Mason.
It's a Great Day is a 1955 British comedy film directed by John Warrington and starring Ruth Dunning, Edward Evans and Sid James. It was written by Roland Pertwee and Michael Pertwee. It is a spin-off from the BBC TV soap The Grove Family.
Saloon Bar is a 1940 British comedy thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Elizabeth Allan and Mervyn Johns. It was made by Ealing Studios and its style has led to comparisons with the later Ealing Comedies, unlike other wartime Ealing films which are different in tone. It is based on the 1939 play of the same name by Frank Harvey in which Harker had also starred. An amateur detective tries to clear an innocent man of a crime before the date of his execution.
The Steel Key is a 1953 British second feature thriller film directed by Robert S. Baker and starring Terence Morgan, Joan Rice and Raymond Lovell.
A Touch of the Sun is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Frankie Howerd, Ruby Murray and Dennis Price.
The Traitor is a 1957 British drama film directed by Michael McCarthy and starring Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray, Jane Griffiths and Anton Diffring.
Hammer the Toff is a 1952 British second feature crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley and Patricia Dainton. The film was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by John Creasey, the 17th in the series featuring upper-class sleuth Richard Rollinson, also known as "The Toff".
Burnt Evidence is a 1954 British second feature thriller film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Jane Hylton, Duncan Lamont and Donald Gray. It was produced by Ronald Kinnoch for ACT Films.
School for Randle is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Dan Young and Alec Pleon. It was written by Randle, Harry Jackson and John E. Blakeley. It was made at the Manchester Studios, and was one of a string of cheaply made and profitable films starring Randle during the era. The title is a reference to the Richard Brinsley Sheridan play The School for Scandal.
Valley of Song is a 1953 British comedy drama film directed by Gilbert Gunn and starring Mervyn Johns, Clifford Evans, Maureen Swanson and the London Welsh Association Choral Society. It marked the film debut of actress Rachel Roberts. It was released in the U.S. as Men Are Children Twice.
Over the Garden Wall is a 1950 British "B" comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Norman Evans, Jimmy James and Dan Young. Although made on a low budget, the film often topped double bills at cinemas in the North of England because of the popularity of the performers.
The Scarlet Web is a 1954 British second feature crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Griffith Jones, Hazel Court and Zena Marshall.
I'll Turn to You is a 1946 British drama film directed by Geoffrey Faithfull and starring Terry Randall, Don Stannard and Harry Welchman. A returning serviceman faces problems with his wife and his job. Although not a musical, the film has a lengthy concert segment at the end that allows the title song to wrap up the narrative.