Displaying items by tag: Josephine and Men movie

JOSEPHINE AND MEN

UK, 1955, 95 minutes, Colour.

Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Jack Buchanan, Peter Finch, Heather Thatcher, Ronald Squire, William Hartnell, Gerald Sim, Victor Maddern, Thorley Walters, Laurence Naismith, John Le Mesurier, Lisa Gastoni.

Directed by Roy Boulting.

This is an all-stops-out comedy drama of the mid-1950s. It has a strong leading cast but it is also a film with many well-known British character actors in supporting roles.

The Josephine of the title is played by Glynis Johns, busy, organised, intervening, engaged to Donnell Sinden, an upcoming businessman. Also around is her playboy uncle who narrates the story into a bartender, played by veteran Jack Buchanan, in films since 1917, Broadway since 1924, very well known for his starring role in The Bandwagon. And, then there is the emerging Peter Finch as a playwright.

The film should have worked better than it does. Perhaps Nigel Balchn, creator of thriller novels and screenplays is not the best choice for writing this kind of comedy drama. And, Roy Boulting had great success with films like Brighton Rock.

The actors give their all but the treatment seems, at least in retrospect, somewhat laboured. Josephine with a compulsion to help needy men, encountering the disorganised playwright, breaking the engagement to the businessman, marrying the playwright and, over the years, supporting him, urging him, and his having great success. On the other hand, the businessman has resigned, successful but suddenly turning up on their doorstep with the police after him because of allegations of fraud.

And, at the same time, the wandering, uncle also turns up.

So, Josephine with her compulsion needs to be helping the businessman on the run and so neglecting her husband. All kinds of complications, misunderstandings, the police in pursuit and interrogations, some amusing supporting characters with their roles.

But, many decades later, does not have the impact it may have had in its day.