Old Mother Riley's New Venture

Old Mother Riley's New Venture
Directed by	John Harlow
Written by	Jack Marks Con West John Harlow (additional scenes)
Produced by	Harry Reynolds
Starring	Arthur Lucan Kitty McShane Chili Bouchier
Cinematography	James Wilson
Edited by	Adam Alexander Dawson
Music by	George Melachrino
Production company	Harry Reynolds Productions
Distributed by	Renown Pictures
Release date	July 1949 (1949-07) (UK)
Running time	79 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Old Mother Riley's New Venture is a low-budget black-and-white 1949 British comedy film, starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and Chili Bouchier. ^[1] It is the twelfth in the long-running Old Mother Riley films, and was the first of the series to play in London's West End. In addition, it was the first to be released in the US, where it opened in 1952, as Old Mother Riley, (and was re-released there as A Wild Irish Night). ^[2]

Plot summary

The owner of a five star London hotel leaves for a holiday, and to everyone's surprise promotes Old Mother Riley from kitchen dishwasher to manageress. Chaos ensues, and Mother Riley and Kitty are suddenly suspects in the theft of the Royal Hula Diamond, but somehow along the way also manage a trip to a beauty parlour, a banquet with Arab royalty, some Saint Patrick's Day celebrations, and a climactic custard pie fight. ^[3]

Cast

• Arthur Lucan as Old Mother Riley
• Kitty McShane as Kitty Riley
• Chili Bouchier as Cora Gayne
• Willer Neal as David Thompson
• Sebastian Cabot as Potentate
• Wilfred Babbage as Major Gayne
• Maureen Riscoe as Mabel
• Fred Groves as John Grigsby
• C. Denier Warren as Matthew Hillick
• Paul Sheridan as Saunders
• Arthur Gomez as Chef
• John Le Mesurier as Karl
• Amando Guinle as Jules
• Grace Arnold as Prison Governor
• Howard Douglas as Dr Collins
• Hugh Dempster as Drunk
• Gordon Littman as 1st Aide
• Robert Moore as Allan
• George Street as Walters
• James Knight as Police Superintendent
• Blanche Fothergill as Mrs Ginochie
• Brian Royceton as Commissionaire
• Pamela Skiff as Beauty Parlour Attendant
• Joy Frankau as Beauty Parlour Attendant

Critical reception

• The Digital Fix wrote, "New Venture is essentially unwatchable...Old routines, a bare minimum of laughs and a comic pairing who are, quite frankly, way beyond their best." ^[4]
• At the time of the film's release, Monthly Film Bulletin called the film, "a vivacious slapsick comedy." ^[2]
• On its U.S. release, Variety wrote of the film, "offers little appeal for most situations...Film's best market appears to lie in "Irish Night" shows or in neighbourhoods where there's a sizable Irish population. Cast is unknown to American audiences... Arthur Lucan has a thespian field day in the title role." ^[2]

References

1. "Old Mother Riley's New Venture". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
2. Slide, Anthony (1998). Eccentrics of Comedy. ISBN   978-0810835344.
3. "OLD MOTHER RILEY'S NEW VENTURE 1949 DVD". Armand Movies. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
4. Nield, Anthony (4 January 2006). "Old Mother Riley's New Venture / Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure | DVD Video Review | Film @ The Digital Fix". Film.thedigitalfix.com. Retrieved 7 March 2014.

External links

• Old Mother Riley's New Venture at IMDb