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))

Anything from Ealing Studios promises a lot from the get go. Their films tend to be funny (hilarious at their best), charming and well made with great actors with a gift for comic timing. Am especially fond of 'The Ladykillers', 'The Man in the White Suit', 'The Lavender Hill Mob' and my favourite 'Kind Hearts and Coronets'. So expected quite a lot from 'A Run for Your Money'.

Part of me couldn't help feeling a little disappointed though watching 'A Run for Your Money', perhaps from somewhat understandably expecting too much (seriously any Ealing Studios film featuring or starring Alec Guinness, evidenced by his tour-De-force acting in 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', sounds like a recipe for greatness). Despite how that sounds, 'A Run for Your Money' was actually still enjoyable with reservations, definitely not a film to avoid. It's just hard not to compare it against Ealing's other films because their best films are so wonderful and considered classics for good reason.

Did find that the Donald Houston/Moira Lister subplot was not always very interesting, tending to test my patience and be on the slow and saccharine side. Lister came over as somewhat anaemic so that further brought it down.

Some of the more farcical humour came over as a little over-played and repetitive, parts coming over as on the cheap side.

However, 'A Run for Your Money' is well made with handsome sets and photography particularly. It's whimiscally and lushly scored and Charles Frend keeps much of the film moving along nicely. The script has a nice playful wit and there is immense charm throughout, being half-Welsh it was hard not to feel nostalgic. Despite not caring for the Houston and Lister subplot, the Meredith Edwards and Hugh Griffith one was more interesting and it was amusing generally.

Lister aside, the performances are fine, comic timing not flagging and there is likeability. Guinness was never less than reliable and he was fun to watch even though he was deserving of more to do.

In summary, nice though considering it was an Ealing Studios film part of me expected more. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A Run For Your Money concerns a trip to London after coal mining brothers win a prize from a newspaper. Donald Houston and Meredith Edwards play the brothers from some long unpronounceable Welsh village and Alec Guinness plays the gardening columnist who is assigned to cover their visit. Guinness who resents being taken away from his beloved flowers manages to botch the assignment as the brothers get separated and never quite get to the rugby match that they wanted to see.

Edwards meets up with an old pal from Wales in the person of Hugh Griffith who gets money from Edwards to get his beloved harp out of a pawnbroker's shop. The funniest gag in this Ealing comedy is Griffith carrying that harp around all over Londong as they search for Houston, while all the time stopping at every pub on the way.

Houston gets himself involved with a known con woman played by Moira Lister and Guinness is frantic to see she doesn't steal the prize money that the newspaper gave the brothers Jones. Houston is one naive country kid, a bit of a spin off from the character he played opposite Jean Simmons in the first Blue Lagoon movie. A certain providence watches over him.

This film would mark the last time Alec Guinness was a supporting player at Ealing. Henceforth he would be starring in these films. Honorable mention should also go to Hugh Griffith one of my favorite British players. Griffith may well have not been acting as his character is called to be soused the entire film and his appetite for the grape was legendary.

A Run For Your Money still holds up well after over 60 years and is still a very funny film. You will be talking about those Jones boys from Wales.

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!

This story is about two Welsh brothers who are miners from an unpronounceable place in Wales who win a contest to go to London to see a rugby match. Part of the winnings are 200 pounds, a considerable sum in those days. The pair arrive, completely miss the otherwise disinterested gardening columnist asked to give them the prize (a great Alec Guiness) and go to the city. They meet up with Jo (the beautiful Moira Lister) and it turns out she is a scam artist and wants the money, so she becomes closer to the naive Dai. The brothers end up losing each other, with Twm meeting up with an old friend from their town. Hee helps him get back his pawned harp. The film goes from there, the brothers trying to find each other, Jo trying to get the 200 pounds and the columnist trying to endure this, being clearly out of his element. This is a very good film, comic, dramatic and even touching. The last half hour is excellent as you see how the story unfolds. If you like British film, especially classic British film, I highly recommend this.