Spring in Park Lane (1948)

Director:

Herbert Wilcox

Writers:

Alice Duer Miller (book)
Nicholas Phipps (writer)

Release Date:

13 September 1948 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Based On Book | Based On Play

Cast

Anna Neagle	...	Judy Howard
Michael Wilding	...	Richard
Tom Walls	...	Uncle Joshua Howard
Peter Graves	...	Basil Maitland
Marjorie Fielding	...	Mildred Howard
Nigel Patrick	...	Mr. Bacon
G.H. Mulcaster	...	Perkins
Josephine Fitzgerald	...	Kate O'Malley
Lana Morris	...	Rosie
Nicholas Phipps	...	Marquis of Borechester
Catherine Paul	...	Lady Borechester

Runtime:

100 min | West Germany:92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:U | West Germany:12 | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Herbert Wilcox Productions

Trivia:

Came fifth in the UK's Ultimate Film, in which films were placed in order of how many seats they sold at cinemas

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Ultimate Film (2004) (TV)

Another Thoroughbred from the Neagle/Wilding Stable

What an accomplished team Anna Neagle and Michael Widing were.They must have known each others acting styles intimately.I have them on DVD/video in "The Courtneys of Curzon Street", "Piccadilly Incident" and the subject film.The mode is light romantic comedy a style at which they both excelled so I have rated it 7/10.

An aristocrat, (Michael Wilding), falls out with his dim family and obtains the position of a footman with a posh family who live in Park Lane, an exclusive area of London.Only the butler knows Michael's real identity which he keeps secret but addresses him as "milord" whenever they are alone together.The result is that the Park Lane family are astonished by Michael's savoir-faire and knowledge of the finer things of life.Michael can play the piano well and spot an art forger at 100 paces as well as being charming and witty to the family.Soon he has become irreplaceable as an employee and Anna Neagle (who is the secretary of wealthy Tom Walls) begins to look to Michael for advice on non footman activities.

As time elapses Anna begins to suspect Michael is not all he pretends to be and they arrange a date together on The Serpentine so she can learn more about his background.There is an echo of the scene in "The Merchant of Venice" when Portia has to choose between three suitors.Suitor 1 is a vain self-obsessed actor.Suitor 2 is Michael's dim, boring aristocratic brother (cue comedy of Michael trying to avoid "blowing his cover").Suitor 3, Michael, appears as the poorest suitor but Anna instinctively feels he is the one.I feel sure script writers sometimes borrow and get inspiration from the classics when writing their screenplays.Another of the footman's accomplishments is dancing and the two have a very romantic dreamlike dance together.That's all of the plot I will reveal.This film is readily available so I urge all Wilding/Neagle fans to go out and buy this for their collection.