The Hills of Donegal (film)

Last updated

The Hills of Donegal
The Hills of Donegal film Theatrical release poster (1948-2).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John F. Argyle
Screenplay byJohn Dryden
Produced byJohn F. Argyle
StarringMargherita Stanley
Dinah Sheridan
James Etherington
Edited byTed Richards
Production
company
Release date
  • 5 January 1948 (1948-01-05)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Hills of Donegal is a 1947 British second feature ('B') [1] drama film directed by John Argyle and starring Dinah Sheridan, James Etherington and Moore Marriott. [2] It was written by John Dryden.

Contents

Plot

A young Irish woman abandons a promising career as singer to get married, only to discover that her husband is not the man she thought he was.

Cast

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The film suffers badly from overcrowding. So may side issues – gipsy revels, murder echoes from the past, jealous housekeeper, comic retainer, stage intrigue – make for disjointedness, whatever they may lend to local colour. There is a generous allowance of music, including the ballads "The Hills of Donegal", "Eily Mavourneen"', "The Harp that Once Thru' Tara's Halls", etc., a scene each from Traviata and The Bartered Bride, and some capable singing from James Etherington (Michael). The rest of the cast, led by Dinah Sheridan, John Bentley and Moore Marriott, cope loyally with what singing, dancing or romancing comes their way." [3]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Naive, yet colourful musical melodrama, suggested by popular ballad. ... The plot is not exactly subtle, but James Etherington's fine singing and a wealth of expertly varied by-play more than atones for its various cliches." [4]

Picture Show wrote: "Competently acted and directed." [5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Musical with all the predicatble Irish songs ... and an overcrowded plot." [6]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Melodramatic tarradiddle." [7]

Chinball and McFarlane, writing in The British 'B' Film, called the film a "dim Irish-set musical". [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Charleys (Big-Hearted) Aunt</i> 1940 British film by Walter Forde

Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde, starring Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch. The screenplay was by J.O.C. Orton, Marriott Edgar and Ralph Smart, adapted from the 1892 Victorian farce Charley's Aunt by Brandon Thomas. Arthur Askey's professional nickname was "Big-Hearted Arthur", which was added to the title to distinguish it from Jack Benny's version Charley's Aunt (1941), for its (limited) American release.

<i>These Dangerous Years</i> 1957 British film by Herbert Wilcox

These Dangerous Years is a 1957 British drama musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring George Baker, Frankie Vaughan, Carole Lesley, Thora Hird, Kenneth Cope, David Lodge and John Le Mesurier. It was written by Jack Trevor Story,

<i>Tread Softly</i> (1952 film) 1952 British film

Tread Softly is a 1952 British second feature ('B') crime film with musical overtones, directed by David MacDonald and starring Frances Day, Patricia Dainton and John Bentley. It was written by Gerald Verner based on his novel The Show Must Go On. A chorus girl investigates a series of mysterious happenings at a derelict theatre.

<i>Torment</i> (1950 British film) 1950 British film by John Guillermin

Torment is a 1950 British second feature thriller film directed and written by John Guillermin and starring Dermot Walsh, Rona Anderson and John Bentley.

<i>The Lost Hours</i> 1952 British film by David MacDonald

The Lost Hours is a 1952 British second feature ('B') film noir directed by David MacDonald and starring Mark Stevens, Jean Kent and John Bentley. It was written by Steve Fisher and John Gilling. It was produced by Tempean Films which specialised in making second features at the time, and marked Kent's first "descent", as Chibnall and McFarlane put it, into B films after her 1940s stardom. It was released in the United States in 1953 by RKO Pictures.

<i>Paul Temples Triumph</i> 1950 British film by Maclean Rogers

Paul Temple's Triumph is a 1950 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Jack Livesey. It was the third in the series of four Paul Temple films made at Nettlefold Studios and was an adaptation by Francis Durbridge and A. R. Rawlinson of Durbridge's radio serial News of Paul Temple (1939). Temple is on the trail of a gang of international criminals trying to steal atomic secrets.

<i>Third Party Risk</i> 1954 British film by Daniel Birt

Third Party Risk is a 1954 second feature British crime drama film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Lloyd Bridges, Simone Silva and Finlay Currie. It was written by Birt and Robert Dunbaris based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Nicholas Bentley. It was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures under the title TheDeadly Game.

<i>No Trace</i> (1950 film) 1950 British film

No Trace is a 1950 British second feature crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Hugh Sinclair, Dinah Sheridan and John Laurie. A crime writer murders a blackmailer, and is then asked to help solve the case by the police.

Five Days is a 1954 British second feature ('B') film noir directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Dane Clark, Paul Carpenter and Thea Gregory. It was written by Paul Tabori and produced by Anthony Hinds for Hammer Film Productions. It was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures.

<i>Talking Feet</i> 1937 film

Talking Feet is a 1937 British musical film directed by John Baxter and starring Hazel Ascot, Enid Stamp-Taylor and Jack Barty.It was written by Geoffrey Orme, Jack Francis and H. Fowler Mear.

<i>Three Sundays to Live</i> 1957 British film by Ernest Morris

Three Sundays to Live is a low budget 1957 second feature ('B')} film noir British film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Kieron Moore and Jane Griffiths. It was written by Brian Clemens and produced by The Danzigers.

<i>Landslide</i> (1937 film) 1937 British film

Landslide is a 1937 British drama film directed by Donovan Pedelty and starring Jimmy Hanley, Dinah Sheridan and Jimmy Mageean. It was written by Pedelty and David Evans.

<i>Blackout</i> (1950 film) 1950 British film by Robert S. Baker

Blackout is a 1950 British second feature ('B') crime drama film directed by Robert S. Baker and starring Maxwell Reed and Dinah Sheridan. The screenplay was by John Gilling from a story by Carl Nystrom.

<i>The Diamond</i> (film) 1954 British film by Montgomery Tully

The Diamond is a 1954 British film noir crime film directed by Montgomery Tully, and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Margaret Sheridan and Philip Friend. The screenplay was by John C. Higgins, based on the 1952 novel Rich Is the Treasure by Maurice Procter. It was released by United Artists in Britain and in America, where it was known as The Diamond Wizard.

<i>Dial 999</i> (1955 film) 1956 film directed by Montgomery Tully

Dial 999 is a 1955 British 'B' movie crime drama film directed and written by Montgomery Tully and starring Gene Nelson, Mona Freeman and John Bentley. It was based on the novel of the same name by Bruce Graeme. Produced by Todon Productions, it was shot at the Merton Park Studios in London. RKO Radio Pictures purchased the rights to distribute it in the United States, where it was released in cut form on 11 April 1956.

<i>Escape Dangerous</i> 1947 British film by Digby Smith

Escape Dangerous is a 1947 British second feature ('B') drama film directed by Digby Smith and starring Beresford Egan and Marianne Stone. It was written by Oswell Blakeston.

<i>Counterspy</i> (film) 1953 British film by Vernon Sewell

Counterspy is a 1953 British second feature comedy thriller film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Dermot Walsh, Hazel Court and Hermione Baddeley. An accountant comes into possession of secret papers sought by both the government and a spy ring.

<i>Double Exposure</i> (1954 film) 1954 British film by John Gilling

Double Exposure is a 1954 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by John Gilling and starring John Bentley, Rona Anderson and Garry Marsh. It was written by Gilling and John Roddick.

<i>Night Comes Too Soon</i> 1948 British film

Night Comes Too Soon is a 1948 British second feature ('B') horror film directed by Denis Kavanagh and starring Valentine Dyall, Anne Howard and Alec Faversham. It was written by Pat Dixon based on the story The Haunters and the Haunted by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and also incorporates the "changing picture" component from The Mezzotint by M. R. James.

<i>Profile</i> (1954 film) 1954 film

Profile is a 1954 British second feature ('B') thriller film directed by Francis Searle and starring John Bentley, Kathleen Byron and Thea Gregory. It was written by John Temple-Smith, Maurice Temple-Smith and John Gilling.

References

  1. 1 2 Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 179. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. "The Hills of Donegal (1947)". Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  3. "The Hills of Donegal" . The Monthly Film Bulletin . 14 (157): 127. 1 January 1947 via ProQuest.
  4. "The Hills of Donegal" . Kine Weekly . 366 (2104): 22. 28 August 1947 via ProQuest.
  5. "The Hills of Donegal" . Picture Show . 52 (1332): 11. 10 January 1948 via ProQuest.
  6. Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 217. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
  7. Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 420. ISBN   9780992936440.