An Alligator Named Daisy

With a cast of stalwart British character actors and pleasing photography of 1950s Britain, I had hoped and expected to be more entertained by this film. Unfortunately I found myself glued to it for the wrong reasons - I couldn't quite believe how awful it was. I must have watched thousands of old films and am always ready to make allowances for them being products of their time, but this was really hard going.

As others have noted, a major problem is that it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be: a gentle romantic comedy, a slapstick comedy or a musical. I was a bit gobsmacked when Jeannie Carson suddenly broke into song about 15 minutes in! It's not believable on any level, either the storyline itself or the fact that Daisy never appears to have an ounce of menace in her at any time. Other aspects which defied credibility included the casting of suave Donald Sinden as a songwriter (a songwriter for God's sake!), the fact he has Diana Dors for a fiancée and doesn't appear to have the slightest interest in her (I mean, Diana Dors! Come on!) and a ludicrous scene in a song publisher's office. The whole thing's silly in the worst possible way.

If I had to pick a favourite scene it would be the one at the very beginning with that wonderful actor Wilfred Lawson - after that everything went downhill in a big way.

I was wondering about the alligators... how did they get so many to be around people and were they really as friendly as they looked? I thought all reptiles, alligators and crocodiles, were a dangerous species and are harmful to humans! Did all those people and alligators swim safely together in the pool towards the end of the movie? Back in the 1950's ,was the film industry careful about harming animals or in this case hurting people? Did "Daisy" really have a lead on a get walked around? They were rather decent sized alligators, one snap and you are seriously bitten... was anyone actually hurt during the filing with these creatures?

With a good supporting cast that includes Margaret Rutherford and James Robertson Justice, this relatively pleasant and light-hearted affair certainly has at least something worth watching for. It becomes more and more silly as it progresses, at certain times Carson is simply annoying, and all the time the plot is fairly predictable. The musical numbers are also a bit flat, and do not fit in very well, but at least the choreography does not lack spirit, and there are some interesting art direction bits throughout. While not a terribly good film, this is not a terrible one either, and it is arguably sort of enjoyable too, despite its shortcomings.

A 1957 (yes, that's the correct date) J. Arthur Rank production with James Robertson Justice, Margaret Rutherford, Wilfred Hyde White; it has to be a smash comedy, right? Oh, it's just awful. It's a one gag film: watching people be shocked at the sight of a little alligator. Music is thrown in, most inappropriately and forgettably. Jeannie Carson is a lively dancer and competent singer. But what was she doing in this film? Diana Dors is here too, providing oh-so-daring shots for use in the previews. Her acting level is not bad, but she's in the film to provide someone to leer at. Well, one must do something beside groan during this film. The movie is being sold on VHS now by people on e-Bay. Spare yourself the expense and the waste of time. A comedy without a laugh. A musical without a memorable song or dance.

A sometimes amusing but ultimately not very essential comedy about Peter, a songwriter, who is left with an alligator. He meets Moira (the fiery red haired Jeannie Carson), who works at a zoo but is engaged to marry Vanessa (platinum blonde Marilyn Monroe like Diana Dors). Basically, Peter takes care of Daisy, who sometimes does not even look real. You get the very obvious reactions to the alligator, but this is a pretty bland comedy. It could have benefited from an increase in slapstick and more face time with Donald Sinden (who plays Peter) and Jeannie Carson. Not horrible, not unwatchable but not as good as many British comedies of the 50's. For lovers of the main actors only, otherwise you can skip it.