A Run for Your Money

I Purchased the Film about eight years ago from America, unable to obtain a copy in Britain at that time.

A lovely down to earth story about two welsh miners going at that time to the big city (London) after winning a mining competition.

Some great welsh hymns were sung during the film (four part harmony) long gone by today's rugby supporters.

The story was written by Clifford Evans (Actor) who lived in my home town of Llanelli for a number of years.(Llanelli is mentioned by actor Meredith Edwards on the train taking them to London)

The valleys are back green again.(Happy memories of past times))

This is one of the harder reviews I've ever done. In the past, I have loved the Ealing Studios films I have seen. I also love the time I have spent in Wales--it's a charming and wonderful land. So I really expected to love A RUN FOR YOUR MONEY. Oddly, however, I liked it only mildly, though I wasn't totally sure why. So, instead of writing my review right away like I usually do, I decided to think about it for a while...mull it over in my head.

Now that some time has passed, I think the biggest reason I didn't love the film was that my expectations are just too high. Having seen films like PASSPORT TO PIMLICO and THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT (among many others), I expected the same magic. This really isn't 100% fair--as the Ealing people can't be expected to reprise the same level of success in every film. Another reason, and this one I think they could help, was that in many ways you never really get to know the characters that well. Too often, they are running about or having adventures and I felt that I wanted more. Finally, the whole idea of a country person going to the big city and having problems with the fast-paced city dwellers has been done many times before and the idea wasn't 100% original.

Still, there is a lot to like. Just from a historical standpoint, this is a glimpse at Welsh life that simply doesn't exist any more, now that their economy is no longer based on coal and slate mining. Also, while not necessarily a great film, it is very pleasant and worth watching. So, provided you don't set your expectations too high, then it's a very good film.

There's plenty to love about the Ealing Studios comedies of the late 1940s and early 1950s. There's a certain laid-back attitude towards all the stories, rarely falling back upon melodrama and maintaining a solid feeling of everyday realism – the humour is much more akin to the Australian style of comedy rather than the American, and that certainly appeals to me. Charles Frend's 'A Run for Your Money' is an undiscovered gem – a term I suspect I'll be using to describe a lot of the Ealing Studio's films – from 1949. The simple story concerns Tom and David Jones, two mining brothers from the quaint Welsh town of Hafoduwchbenceubwllymarchogcoch, who win a newspaper award, and so travel to London for the first time to claim their $200 prize. Once there, the two enthusiastic young men waste no time in getting separated, and their eventful day consists of numerous coincidences, near-misses, the reacquisition of a harp, a rugby match, the boss' bowler hat, and a cunning female con-artist who tries to relieve David of his money.

This is how I like comedy the best: simple, fun and effective. The two Welsh brothers (Meredith Edwards and Donald Houston playing Tom and David, respectively) are a pair of likable larrikins, though David (called by his nickname, "Dai Number 9") is naive to the point of gullibility, and Tom ("Twm") finds it difficult to say no to a drink at any time of the day. Alec Guinness has a brilliant supporting role as Whimple, the gardening-columnist who is instructed by his newspaper editor (Clive Morton) to escort the men about London. Interestingly, he is a sort of Clouseau-esquire figure, filled with a bloated sense of self-importance that is punctuated by, above all else, his terrible luck. Fittingly, and to our great amusement, the story eventually winds up with Whimple receiving the raw end of the deal, despite his best intentions. Moira Lister is adequate as Jo, the sweet-talking Londoner who tries to scam the credulous David out of the $200 prize money.

I also noticed some solid comparisons between 'A Run for Your Money' and director Frank Capra, and the sub-plot of the female con-artist finding the heart to redeem herself was reminiscent of Jean Arthur in 'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936).' Additionally, Capra always had a talent for celebrating of the "common man," a notable example being the singing on the night bus in 'In Happened One Night (1934).' This film follows a similar sort of path: Tom and David Jones certainly represent this noble "every-man" - they are first sighted hundreds of metres underground, as cheery, hard-working labourers in the mine, with sweaty hands and blackened faces. Director Charles Frend also uses a merry song to emphasise the magnificence of the small-town folk of Wales. On the train to and from London, the hundreds of good-natured Welshmen join each other in a jubilant chant, a symbol of their togetherness as a people. Conversely, the uptight folk of the big city prohibit music in their pubs, and, on one of the London trains, a simple request for directions leads to a heated dispute over the most efficient route to Twickenham.

A lesser-known, lightweight Ealing Comedy which follows the exploits of two Welsh mining brothers Donald Houston and Meredith Edwards who win a newspaper lottery prize of a trip to London, tickets for the big England v Wales rugby international at Twickenham and £100 prize money each. Sent out by the paper to chaperone them on their big day and write up their story is their reluctant, horticultural columnist Alec Guinness but almost immediately they arrive in the big city, the siblings are separated and fall into a separate series of misadventures before they have to make a madcap race for the return train home with a motley entourage in their wake, who've all played a part in their story.

A tale of innocents abroad, the film one suspects is mildly patronising of the Welsh as rather wide-eyed, boozy, over-trusting simpletons who sing their way through life's ups and downs. Houston's Dai and his solo adventure is more interesting than his brother's as he falls under the influence of what Guinness's character neatly calls a pro-con, pretty professional confidence trickster Moira Lister, out to separate Houston both from his money and his girl back in the valleys. I however found other brother Tom's escapade, where he picks up his old hometown harpist accompanist begging on the streets of London, rather tiresome.

The film has some funny moments like when a tannoy announcement is made for a Mr Jones from Wales at Paddington Station when the announcer can't pronounce their Welsh town name to a train full of Welshmen arriving for the match, with predictably chaotic results and a young Joyce Grenfell's turn as a fawning dress shop salesperson but the film suffers from too much slapstick and sentimentality. Houston and Edwards hardly seem like brothers and Hugh Griffiths as the hanger-on harp player soon irritates but Guinness already shows the skills that would make him a mainstay of the studio in years to come.

Lacking the sharp satire and social commentary of other Ealing Comedies, nonetheless I can see how this unassuming film might have cheered the average post-War cinema-goer. Me today, a bit less so.

This is a wonderful early post-war example of what would become staple 1950s comedies - one of the first from Ealing Studios - it has an innocence and freshness, as well as genuine laughs and charm, that hold up well nearly 70 years later.

Two Welsh miners win the Daily Echo's prize for the most productive miners in Britain and head up to London to collect the enormous sum of £200 - as innocents in London they get separated and the one meets a gorgeous girl on the make, and the other a broken-down Welsh harpist. They are all chased by a bemused Alec Guinness as the gardening correspondent out of his métier.

All in all this foreshadows the great comedies of the 1950 - but it is a very lovely example of the genre - full of joy, energy, even some farce, and lots of very beautiful music - this is one to enjoy with a nice cup of tea and a roaring fire!