My Wife's Lodger is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Dominic Roche, Olive Sloane and Leslie Dwyer.[1] The screenplay concerns a soldier who returns home after the Second World War only to find a spiv lodger has established himself in his place.[2][3] It was based on the play My Wife's Lodger written by Roche.[4]
| My Wife's Lodger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Maurice Elvey |
| Written by | Stafford Dickens Dominic Roche (play) |
| Produced by | David Dent |
| Starring | Dominic Roche Olive Sloane Leslie Dwyer Diana Dors |
| Cinematography | Phil Grindrod Les Harris |
| Edited by | Lito Carruthers |
| Music by | Francis Essex |
Production company | Advance Films |
| Distributed by | Adelphi Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Cast
edit- Dominic Roche as Willie Higginbotham
- Olive Sloane as Maggie Higginbotham
- Leslie Dwyer as Roger the Lodger
- Diana Dors as Eunice Higginbotham
- Alan Sedgwick as Tex
- Vincent Dowling as Norman Higginbotham
- Vi Kaley as Mother-in-Law
- Martin Wyldeck as Policeman
- David Hannaford as Vernon
- Ilena Sylva as Vernon's Mother
- Ronald Adam as Doctor
- Wally Patch as Sergeant
- Derek Tansley as Deserter
- Alastair Hunter as Lance Corporal
- Toke Townley as Soldier
- Fred Griffiths as Driver
- Harry Locke as Passer-by
Production
editThe film was based on a 1951 play.[5]
Filming took place in May 1952. Dors was appearing in a revue Rendezvous at night[6] It was one of a series of low budget comedies Dors made around this time.[7]
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin said "this comedy runs through a repertoire of farcical situations of the most ancient variety. The playing does not lack energy but the music-hall style jokes - domestic bickering, mothers-in-law and so on - become very exhausting."[8]
TV Guide wrote, "the energy of the ensemble partly makes up for the film's lack of coherence and taste."[9] The 'Daily Film Renter' (quoted in BFI Screenonline) wrote, "the acting is of the 'Ee-bai-goom' school and the dialogue is the ripe, uninhibited language of the music hall... as briny as jellied eels on Southend Pier."[4] In 'CathodeRayTube.co.uk', Frank Collins writes, "there are some genuinely laugh out loud moments here and the humour derived from the antics of such a dysfunctional family reflect many of the tropes that would find their way into British sitcoms of the late 1960s and 1970s where other ideological wars would be fought - based on gender, class, race and religion."[2]
References
edit- ^ "My Wife's Lodger (1952)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017.
- ^ a b Frank Collins. "June 2010". Cathode Ray Tube. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "My Wife's Lodger (1953) - Maurice Elvey - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ a b "BFI Screenonline: My Wife's Lodger (1952)". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "My Wife's Lodger." By Dominic Roche (Book Review) Hamilton, Iain. The Spectator; London Vol. 187, Iss. 6422, (Jul 27, 1951): 124.
- ^ Pin Money Date: Wednesday, May 14, 1952 Publication: Daily Mail (London, England) Issue: 17464
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (7 September 2020). "A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee". Filmink.
- ^ MY WIFE'S LODGER Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 19, Iss. 216, (Jan 1, 1952): 158.
- ^ "My Wife's Lodger - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
External links
edit- My Wife's Lodger at IMDb
- My Wife's Lodger at BFI Screenonline
- My Wife's Lodger at Letterbox DVD
- My Wife's Lodger at Reel Streets
- My Wife's Lodger at BFI
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