Mister Cinders

Mister Cinders (1934) is a delightful British musical starring Clifford Mollison and Zelma O'Neal in a take-off of the Cinderella story. Mollison is a poor relation living and working in the mansion of a cousin. The household is dominated by a a social-climbing wife. An American millionaire is saved from drowning by Mollison but the old lady steers the credit toward her bizarre sons. When O'Neal is called to collect daddy, she almost runs over a cop so she exchanges identities with a woman going to the mansion to work as a maid. O'Neal poses as a maid but gets the real story on the old lady and her worthless sons. They all end up at a ball hosted by the millionaire and the story plays out. Mollison is good as Mr. Cinders and it's interesting to see O'Neal in a starring role. She's quite good. Several good songs. Co-stars include Esme Church as the old battleaxe, the odd Western Brothers as her sons, Finlay Currie as the American, W.H. Berry as the dimwitted cop, Edmund Breon as the husband, and Lorna Storm as Minerva. Watching this, it's hard to figure why Zelma O'Neal was basically a bust in films.

Cliff Mollinson stars in this musical-comedy sex-change version of Cinderella. He's an orphan and the poor relation in a household dominated by his battle-ax aunt, who naturally favors her weak-chinned and brainless sons. When Mollinson rescues visiting American millionaire Finlay Currie from drowning, the credit go to his cousins, and they get invited to Currie's daughter's birthday bash. While Mollinson is home polishing the silver, he's advised by Zelma O'Neal to head to the ball. She's Currie's daughter masquerading as a housemaid for her own purposes.

Finlay Currie sports an American accent that sounds like a hillbilly twng toned down almost to indistinguishability, while maintaining its ugliness: just the sort of accent that pleased the London audiences of an era when every stage American millionaire seemed to be named Hiram. On the other hand, the Western Brothers -- actually cousins -- play to a T the sort of chinless British aristo that made one wish for another war.

Miss O'Neal is charming in the lead and Clifford Mollinson offers a good deal of energy. Along with a few good lines and some decent songs, that makes this a superior example of the British musical of the period.

I last saw this film in the early 80s at the NFT introduced by one of its stars ,Clifford Mollison.I had fond memories and today i had a chance to see it again.Alas it was a bit of a letdown.One of the main problems is the casting of the leads.Firstly they cant sing and secondly they are just not strong enough.I do no know why the producers decided not to cast the stage leads Bobby Howes and Binnie Hale.The real classic from the score,Spread A Little Happiness,was weakly delivered.One of the supporting roles was split in two so we had The Western Brothers in the role with material written by them.It has to be said that their numbers were the weakest and most dated and rather an intrusion into an otherwise melodious score.the plot was fairly standard for its time.Country houses the aristocracy,a ball, a theft and a capture and lots of misunderstandings.Clifford Mollison is fine in Give Her A Ring,which can be seen at the BFI Mediatheque on the South Bank.however as Mr Cinders he is not up to it.A shame it could have been so much better.