The Reluctant Debutante (1958)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

William Douglas-Home (play)
William Douglas-Home (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 March 1959 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

MGM presents the Comedy-Romance in luscious COLOR!

Plot:

Jimmy and Sheila Broadbent (Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall), welcome to London Jimmy's 17-year-old daughter...

Plot Keywords:

Debutante | Drummer | Ball | Male Female Relationship | Guard

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Rex Harrison	...	Jimmy Broadbent
Kay Kendall	...	Sheila Broadbent
John Saxon	...	David Parkson
Sandra Dee	...	Jane Broadbent
Angela Lansbury	...	Mabel Claremont
Peter Myers	...	David Fenner
Diane Clare	...	Clarissa Claremont

Runtime:

94 min | 96 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #19004)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Avon Productions (II)

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "The Reluctant Debutante" by William Douglas-Home opened on October 10, 1956 at Henry Miller's Theatre, ran for 134 performances and was nominated for two 1957 Tony Awards for acting. William Douglas Home also wrote the screenplay on which the movie version was produced.

Quotes:

Sheila Broadbent: What! David Fenner? Let me speak to him again. David, this is Sheila. About your mother, darling...
David Fenner: Well, I'm afraid she's dead, actually.
Sheila Broadbent: Yes, I know, darling, that's why I'm so sorry about asking you to give her my love.
David Fenner: I'm afraid I can't, because she's dead.
Sheila Broadbent: I know, darling, that's why I'm so sorry. It was such a silly mistake to make.
David Fenner: Well, she couldn't help it, actually.

Movie Connections:

Remade as What a Girl Wants (2003)

Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall in the comedy of the Year!

This is my favorite comedy. Rex Harrison plays a man in London remarried to a strikingly lovely Kay Kendall. His daughter comes to live with them from America, played by Sandra Dee. She is just the right age for a "Coming Out Party", so her step-mom Kay Kendall sets about to get her ready and invite all the eligible bachelors.John Saxons plays a young man named David. Sandra meets John Saxon and likes him immediately. But a friend of Kay Kendall's Angela Lansbury who also has a daughter coming out, tells her what a terrible person John Saxon is. Angela Lansbury's own daughter likes the palace guard David.Sandra cannot stand him. John Saxon is as always the handsomest man in the movie with his smoldering good looks. He is a drummer who plays at these coming out parties.Sandra likes David ( John Saxon ) but there is another David who is one of the Palace guards.This other David looks like and acts like Edgar Bergen's dummy Mortimer Snerd. He is the classic bore. With two young men with the same name you can just imagine all the fun of mistaken identity and misunderstandings. Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall are so hilarious as they go from party to party night after night, till they are not quite sure who's party they are at or why they are there. A laugh a minute. It all makes for loads of fun and laughs. Between going to all the parties Rex and Kay have to keep their eye on Sandra, which makes for more fun then I can relate. Sandra likes Saxon and sneaks out to see him. A wonderfully hilarious comedy~ Don't miss this movie. You will be glad you saw it. Go buy it because you are going to want to see it over and over again. I think I will slip my copy in the VCR now and enjoy this movie too. Enjoy!