Half Angel (1951 film)

Last updated
Half Angel
Half Angel 1951.jpg
Directed by Richard Sale
Written byGeorge Carleton Brown
Screenplay by Robert Riskin
Produced by Julian Blaustein
Starring Loretta Young
Joseph Cotten
Cecil Kellaway
Cinematography Milton R. Krasner
Edited byRobert Fritch
Music by Cyril J. Mockridge
Distributed by 20th Century-Fox
Release date
  • May 5, 1951 (1951-05-05)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English
Box office$1.5 million [1]

Half Angel is a 1951 Technicolor comedy directed by Richard Sale, starring Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, and Cecil Kellaway. Nora Gilpin (Young), a prim and proper nurse, is engaged to the stuffy Tim (John Ridgely). Unknown to both, Nora is a sleepwalker; during her nocturnal forays, the less-inhibited side of her personality takes over. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

No-nonsense nurse Nora Gilpin (Young) does not care much for John Raymond Jr. (Cotten), a famous, rich lawyer. Her immediate plans are to marry Tim McCarey (Ridgely), a building contractor, and settle down to a nice, normal life.

That night, a sleepwalking Nora slips into a provocative dress and goes to the home of a startled John, behaving seductively. She does not reveal her name and he cannot figure out where they have met. They spend several hours together, but she then gets away before John notices.

John spots her on the street one day and excitedly brings up their evening together, but Nora has no idea what he is talking about and is greatly embarrassed, because this happens in front of Tim. She tells John he has misidentified her, and they rush away, leaving John confused.

Later, as John is leaving by train on a business trip, Nora pops up again, playfully enticing him and then cavorting with him for hours at an amusement park, until the wee hours of the morning.

Dr. Jackson (Basil Ruysdael) is consulted about sleepwalking and thinks Nora's behavior must stem from something in her past. John realizes that he knew her many years ago as the gardener's daughter, but Nora adamantly denies it, continuing to prepare for her wedding day.

She packs a suitcase for her honeymoon, but that night, while John waits outside, sure enough, Nora appears again. He rushes her to a justice of the peace and they are married. She wakes up the next morning (with John in the adjoining bed) in a motel. Surprised, embarrassed, and unnerved, she hurries to her wedding (with Tim), only to have John interrupt the ceremony by claiming she is already married. Nora faints, but comes to and finally realizes whom she truly loves.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>Moonstruck</i> 1987 film by Norman Jewison

Moonstruck is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison and written by John Patrick Shanley. It stars Cher as a widowed Italian American woman who falls in love with her fiancé's hot-tempered, estranged younger brother, played by Nicolas Cage. The supporting cast includes Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia.

<i>Love Letters</i> (1945 film) 1945 film by William Dieterle

Love Letters is a 1945 American romantic film noir directed by William Dieterle from a screenplay by Ayn Rand, based on the novel Pity My Simplicity by Christopher Massie. It stars Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ann Richards, Cecil Kellaway, Gladys Cooper and Anita Louise. The plot tells the story of a man falling in love with an amnesiac woman with two personalities, who is believed to have killed his soldier friend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loretta Young</span> American actress (1913–2000)

Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She received numerous honors including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards as well as two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in film and television.

<i>The Farmers Daughter</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by H. C. Potter

The Farmer's Daughter is a 1947 American comedy film directed by H.C. Potter that tells the story of a farmgirl who ends up working as a maid for a Congressman and his politically powerful mother. It stars Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, and Charles Bickford, and was adapted by Allen Rivkin and Laura Kerr from the 1937 Finnish play Juurakon Hulda by Hella Wuolijoki, using the pen name Juhani Tervapää.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Myerson</span> English author and critic (born 1960)

Julie Myerson is an English author and critic. As well as fiction and non-fiction books, she formerly wrote a column in The Guardian entitled "Living with Teenagers", based on her family experiences. She appeared regularly as a panellist on the arts programme Newsnight Review.

The Luck of the Irish is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Henry Koster, and starring Tyrone Power and Anne Baxter. The film was based on the 1948 novel There Was a Little Man by Guy Pearce Jones and Constance Bridges Jones.

<i>Nora Prentiss</i> 1947 film by Vincent Sherman

Nora Prentiss is a 1947 American film noir directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Ann Sheridan, Kent Smith, Bruce Bennett, and Robert Alda. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The cinematography is by James Wong Howe and the music was composed by Franz Waxman. The film's sets were designed by the art director Anton Grot.

<i>Zotz!</i> 1962 film by William Castle

Zotz! is a 1962 American fantasy comedy film produced and directed by William Castle, and starring Tom Poston, Julia Meade, Jim Backus, Fred Clark, and Cecil Kellaway. It is about a man obtaining magical powers from a god of an ancient civilization. It is based on Walter Karig's 1947 novel.

<i>The Prodigal</i> 1955 film

The Prodigal is a 1955 Eastmancolor biblical epic CinemaScope film made by MGM starring Lana Turner and Edmund Purdom. It was based on the New Testament parable about a selfish son who leaves his family to pursue a life of pleasure. The film also features James Mitchell, Louis Calhern, Joseph Wiseman, Cecil Kellaway, Audrey Dalton, and Walter Hampden. Dancer Taina Elg made her film debut in The Prodigal.

<i>The Postman Always Rings Twice</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Tay Garnett

The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1946 American film noir directed by Tay Garnett and starring Lana Turner, John Garfield, and Cecil Kellaway. It is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by James M. Cain. This adaptation of the novel also features Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames and Audrey Totter. The musical score was written by George Bassman and Erich Zeisl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Kellaway</span> South African actor (1890–1973)

Cecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African character actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, for The Luck of the Irish (1948) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).

<i>And Now Tomorrow</i> 1944 film by Irving Pichel

And Now Tomorrow is a 1944 American drama film based on the best-selling novel, published in 1942 by Rachel Field, directed by Irving Pichel and written by Raymond Chandler. Both center around one doctor's attempt for curing deafness. The film stars Alan Ladd, Loretta Young, and Susan Hayward. Its tagline was Who are you that a man can't make love to you?. It is also known as Prisoners of Hope.

<i>Everybody Does It</i> 1949 film by Edmund Goulding

Everybody Does It is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Paul Douglas, Linda Darnell and Celeste Holm. In the film, a businessman's wife tries to become an opera star, failing miserably due to her lack of talent. When it turns out that her totally untrained husband is found to have a marvelous singing voice and goes on tour under an assumed name, his wife is livid.

<i>Frenchmans Creek</i> (film) 1944 film by Mitchell Leisen

Frenchman's Creek is a 1944 adventure film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1941 novel of the same name, about an aristocratic English woman who falls in love with a French pirate. The film was released by Paramount Pictures and starred Joan Fontaine, Arturo de Córdova, Basil Rathbone, Cecil Kellaway, and Nigel Bruce. Filmed in Technicolor, it was directed by Mitchell Leisen. The musical score was by Victor Young, who incorporated the main theme of French composer Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune as the love theme for the film.

<i>Mourning Becomes Electra</i> (film) 1947 film

Mourning Becomes Electra is a 1947 American drama film by Dudley Nichols adapted from the 1931 Eugene O'Neill play Mourning Becomes Electra, based in turn on the Oresteia. The film stars Rosalind Russell, Michael Redgrave, Raymond Massey, Katina Paxinou, Leo Genn and Kirk Douglas.

<i>Blond Cheat</i> 1938 film by Joseph Santley

Blond Cheat is a 1938 American romantic comedy film directed by Joseph Santley and starring Joan Fontaine, Derrick De Marney, and Cecil Kellaway. The film was produced by William Sistrom, and originally released by RKO Radio Pictures. The original story is by Aladar Lazlo. The screenplay is by Harry Segall, Charles Kaufman, Paul Yawitz, and Viola Brothers Shore. The tagline for the movie was: "A happy blend of blackmail, robbery, treachery, and love!"

<i>Road to Paradise</i> (film) 1930 film

Road to Paradise is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film produced and distributed by First National Pictures, and starring Loretta Young, Jack Mulhall and Raymond Hatton. It was directed by William Beaudine and is based on a 1920 play Dodson Mitchell by Zelda Sears called Cornered. The film was a remake of a 1924 silent version, entitled Cornered, which was also directed by William Beaudine.

<i>Paula</i> (1952 film) 1952 film directed by Rudolph Maté

Paula is a 1952 American film noir drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, and starring Loretta Young, Kent Smith, and Alexander Knox. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures.

"Mom and Dad" is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 194th episode overall.

"The Poker Game" is the fifth episode of the ninth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 189th episode overall.

References

  1. ↑ "The Top Box Office Hits of 1951". Variety. January 2, 1952. p. 70. - Please note figures are for the US and Canada and are rentals not gross
  2. ↑ "Half Angel - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  3. ↑ Basinger, Jeanine (1995). A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women, 1930–1960. Wesleyan University Press. p. 100. ISBN   978-0-8195-6291-3 . Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Bawden, James; Miller, Ron (2016). Conversations with Classic Film Stars: Interviews from Hollywood's Golden Era. University Press of Kentucky. p. 301. ISBN   978-0-8131-6712-1 . Retrieved 7 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.