A Yank in Ermine

I'm writing a review as I feel a bit sorry for this little film as it's probably been consigned to history. Made in 1955, it's mildly amusing if, like me, you love watching those old British character actors, long gone now, but who pop up consistently in this type of comedy from that period. I'm talking about actors like Reginald Beckwith, Richard Wattis, Edward Chapman, Guy Middleton and the legend that is Sid James. For the ladies, it has Noelle Middleton who I don't remember, and Diana Decker who I do remember vaguely. Diana Decker is very good, lively and personable and contributes quite a lot to the film. It tells the story of and American airman who inherits a British title of a Lord. He flies over here with two of his sidekicks and the inevitable occurs, he can't decide whether to stay or go back to the States until he falls in love with another landowners daughter. A series of comical encounters take place before the happy ending. Jon Pertwee with an atrocious American accent is one of the hero's (Peter Thompson) sidekicks. Quite fun as long as you know and love these great character actors I've mentioned above.

Just a nice bit of Sunday afternoon film fun, as it's easy watching and listening with attractive leads and amusing co-stars. Nothing taxing on the brain so let it just wash over you!

The premise is just to get a supposedly 'box-office' American or two into a film to get the finance. An American in uniform inherits a village. Lots of raucous 'jazz' music drowns any sort of emotional empathy, along with a woman who 'dances' in gold lamé, wearing what appear to be a pair of marigold washing-up gloves. It deteriorates from then on, with the likes of Wattis, Pertwee and Beckwith playing English characters, Sid James playing the Afrikaaner version of a comic and a whole string of Ealing studio clichés. Puts bums on seats- in the pub next door! The polo game with the brightly coloured balls, the Rolls that would have been ancient even then and the chauffeur in a luminous scarlet uniform seem to be quintessentially English to the directors of this mash-up. The straight actors seem to be delivering the lame script with sincerity, but I'm guessing they didn't carry clips from this time waster in their casting portfolios.

They used to call these British movies 'Mid-Atlantic' as they thought they might attract American film-goers if they included a few has-been American actors. This type of movie eventually brought the UK film industry to its knees. The premise is so dull: a Yank comes to little old England with its quaint customs and people . Yawn yawn of course he gets to like it and finds true love. One awful bit is when the hero is supposedly riding a winning horse and he is so obviously in a studio set on some kind of rocking bench.

A brief cameo from Sid James. The village used is Turville Buckinghamshire and for once they used the real name of the pub the 'Bull and Butcher'

Here we have that old chestnut as to how would an American act if he inherited an English title.I recall a rather better effort in the late thirties from HMM starring Robert Montgomery in Earl of Chicago.Here the beneficiary is a serviceman who comes to claim his title with two friends,Jon Pertwee,with a truly awful accent,and Harold Lloyd June,who sadly makes little impression.The real stars of this film are the supporting actors such as Guy Middleton,Reginald Beckwith and Richard WattisPeter Thompson plays the serviceman trying to get out of marrying Diana Decker so that he can marry Noelle Middleton.It is filmed in colour but it can't pep up a lifeless film.