Old Mother Riley in Paris

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Old Mother Riley in Paris
"Old Mother Riley in Paris" (1938).jpg
Directed by Oswald Mitchell
Written byCon West
Produced by Oswald Mitchell
Starring Arthur Lucan
Kitty McShane
Jerry Verno
Cinematography Geoffrey Faithfull
Edited by Cecil H. Williamson
Music by Percival Mackey
Production
company
Distributed byButcher's Film Service
Release date
  • 1938 (1938)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£12,279 [1]

Old Mother Riley in Paris is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane, Magda Kun and C. Denier Warren. [2] It is the second in the Old Mother Riley series of films, and is also known by its re-release title, Old Mother Riley Catches a Quisling. [3]

Contents

Synopsis

Old Mother Riley is sacked from her job as a step cleaner at the office where her daughter Kitty works. She goes home to make steak and kidney pudding for their lodger, Joe, who is vaguely engaged to Kitty, but distractedly pours castor oil into the gravy, with amusing results. Jo is not sure he wants to be tied down to Kitty (or her impossible mother) and arranges for his travel agency employers to post him to Paris for six months, much to Kitty's discomfiture. While changing a light bulb, Old Mother Riley has a fall from a stepladder, resulting in her hospitalisation: keen to claim the maximum amount on her insurance she alters her medical records for the worse, only to be carried off for an emergency operation when the doctors see how much appears to be "wrong" with her. However, the ruse works: just as bailiffs are arriving to remove all Old Mother Riley's furniture, her insurance agent arrives with £250 in cash, which she uses to pay off her rental arrears and treat Kitty and herself to an air flight to Paris, in order to check up on Joe, who has meanwhile become involved with a suspicious young Parisian lady (really a spy with code name "Madame Zero", who believes he is an English agent).

Old Mother Riley, terrified by the air flight, parachutes out of the plane and on landing is taken to a Paris police station, where the Commissioner locks her up as the suspected spy "Madame Zero". She escapes and joins Kitty in their luxurious Paris hotel, where they cause chaos (and a custard pie fight) in the restaurant, by mistakenly ordering a trolley-ful of trifles. Checking up on Joe, they find him dancing in a café with "Madame Zero". Kitty is heartbroken, and Old Mother Riley drags her rival to the police station, demanding the woman should be locked up for alienating Joe's affections. When it emerges that the girl is in fact the mysterious "Madame Zero", Old Mother Riley is awarded a medal by the French authorities. She and Kitty return to England (by boat) and are joined by the repentant Joe, finally welcomed into the household by Old Mother Riley, who toasts the couple with champagne which she has smuggled through customs.

Cast

Critical reception

TV Guide called it, "one of the most far fetched and yet most entertaining of the OLD MOTHER RILEY series...Daring deeds and Lucan's sharp characterization make for an irresistible romp." [4] Britmovie called it, "probably (the) most amusing of the long-running Mother Riley series...This irresistible espionage romp in pre-war France has plenty of tired cooking and mother-in-law jokes but there are entertaining moments of energetic slapstick humour." [5] DVD Times bemoaned that the film has "too much reliance on Kitty and no great set pieces (instead we get a series on individual gags which never build to anything)." [6] Sky movies comments that it is "probably the funniest of all the Mother Riley comedies, this set up the long-running series, after a rather moderate opener, 'Old Mother Riley', had appeared the previous year...Made in the days when Lucan's real-life wife Kitty McShane still looked young enough to play his daughter." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Mother Riley</span> Fictional character

Old Mother Riley is a fictional character portrayed from about 1934 to 1954 by Arthur Lucan and from 1954 to the 1980s by Roy Rolland as part of a British music hall act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Lucan</span> English actor (1885–1954)

Arthur Lucan was an English actor who performed the drag act Old Mother Riley on stage, radio and screen, with a series of comedy films from the late 1930s to the early 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitty McShane</span> Irish actress

Kathleen "Kitty" McShane was an Irish actress, best known as the wife and acting partner of Arthur Lucan, with whom she appeared in a series of Old Mother Riley stage shows and films from the 1930s to the 1950s.

<i>Old Mother Riley</i> (film) 1937 British film

Old Mother Riley is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan in the lead, with Kitty McShane, Barbara Everest, Patrick Ludlow and Hubert Leslie. Mother Riley and her daughter stop the plans of some disinherited relatives to overturn the terms of a will.

Kathleen Mavourneen is a 1937 British-Irish musical drama film directed by Norman Lee and starring Sally O'Neil, Tom Burke and Jack Daly. The story had been filmed several times previously, including a silent version (1919), starring Theda Bara and a 1930 Tiffany talkie also starring Sally O'Neil. This version, also known as "Kathleen", was filmed in Ireland, and features the character of Old Mother Riley who appeared in her own film series. It was shot at Welwyn Studios.

<i>Old Mother Rileys Ghosts</i> 1941 British film

Old Mother Riley's Ghosts is a 1941 British comedy film directed by John Baxter and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and John Stuart. It was the 8th in the long-running Old Mother Riley series. Old Mother Riley inherits a castle in Scotland, but it appears to be haunted.

<i>Old Mother Riley Overseas</i> British film

Old Mother Riley Overseas is a 1943 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and Anthony Holles. In the screenplay, Old Mother Riley relocates to Portugal.

<i>Old Mother Riley in Business</i> 1941 British film

Old Mother Riley in Business is a 1941 British comedy film directed by John Baxter and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and Cyril Chamberlain. It was the sixth in the long-running Old Mother Riley series of films. Old Mother Riley's pub faces competition from a large chain store nearby, causing her to declare war on it.

<i>Old Mother Rileys Circus</i> 1941 film

Old Mother Riley's Circus is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and John Longden. Old Mother Riley takes over a struggling circus and makes a huge success of it. The trade ad poster proclaims, "A LAUGH - A YELL - A ROAR - A LUCANQUAKE!" The film was made at the Rock Studios in Elstree by British National Films. It was the final film by Bentley, who had been a leading British director during the silent era and early sound era.

<i>Old Mother Riley Joins Up</i> 1940 British film by Maclean Rogers

Old Mother Riley Joins Up is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane, Martita Hunt, Bruce Seton and Garry Marsh. It was part of the long-running Old Mother Riley series.

<i>Old Mother Riley Detective</i> 1943 British film

Old Mother Riley Detective is a 1943 British comedy film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and Hal Gordon. It was part of the long running Old Mother Riley series. Old Mother Riley investigates the disappearance of food during the war, a serious crime because of rationing.

<i>Old Mother Riley at Home</i> 1945 British film by Oswald Mitchell

Old Mother Riley at Home is a 1945 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and Freddie Forbes. It is the 11th film in the long-running Old Mother Riley series.

<i>Old Mother Riley, MP</i> 1939 British film

Old Mother Riley, MP is a 1939 British comedy film starring Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane, which forms part of the Old Mother Riley series of films. The film's plot centres on Old Mother Riley standing for election to the House of Commons.

<i>On Your Way, Riley</i> 1982 play by Alan Plater

On Your Way, Riley is a 1982 play by Alan Plater and a 1985 Yorkshire Television drama of the same name about the private and theatrical partnership of husband and wife 'Old Mother Riley' music hall performers Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane.

<i>Mother Riley Meets the Vampire</i> 1952 British film by John Gilling

Mother Riley Meets the Vampire is a 1952 British horror comedy film directed by John Gilling, starring Arthur Lucan and Bela Lugosi. It was filmed at Nettlefold Studios.

<i>Old Mother Rileys Jungle Treasure</i> 1951 British film by Maclean Rogers

Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure is a low budget 1951 British comedy film, the penultimate in the long running Old Mother Riley series starring Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane. It features an early appearance by future Carry On regular Peter Butterworth.

<i>Old Mother Riley Headmistress</i> 1950 British film

Old Mother Riley, Headmistress is a low-budget black-and-white 1950 British comedy film, starring Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane. The 13th film in the Old Mother Riley series, it features the Luton Girls Choir playing many of Mother Riley's pupils.

<i>Old Mother Riley in Society</i> 1940 British film

Old Mother Riley in Society is a low budget 1940 black and white British comedy film, directed by John Baxter, and starring Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane. It is the fifth in the long running Old Mother Riley series, and features the screen debut of Jimmy Clitheroe as the boot boy in a high society household.

<i>Old Mother Rileys New Venture</i> 1949 British film

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. 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,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Rolland</span> English comedian and stage actor

Roy Rolland was an English comedian and stage actor who was the understudy for Arthur Lucan as Old Mother Riley and who took over the role following the death of Lucan in 1954, playing it until about 1977.

References

  1. ↑ Chapman, Llewella. "'The highest salary ever paid to a human being': Creating a Database of Film Costs from the Bank of England". Journal of British cinema and television, 2022-10. Vol. 19, no. 4. Edinburgh University Press. p. 470-494 at 479.
  2. ↑ "BFI | Film & TV Database | OLD MOTHER RILEY IN PARIS (1938)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Ginibre, Jean-Louis (2005). Ladies Or Gentlemen: A Pictorial History of Male Cross-dressing in the Movies - Jean-Louis Ginibre - Google Boeken. ISBN   9781933231044 . Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "Old Mother Riley In Paris Trailer, Reviews and Schedule for Old Mother Riley In Paris | TVGuide.com". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "Old Mother Riley in Paris 1938 | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Nield, Anthony (1 January 2006). "Old Mother Riley in Paris / Old Mother Riley M.P. | DVD Video Review | Film @ The Digital Fix". Film.thedigitalfix.com. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Old Mother Riley in Paris - Sky Movies HD". Skymovies.sky.com. 23 May 2002. Retrieved 1 March 2014.

Old Mother Riley in Paris at IMDb

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