Castle in the Air

The Earl Of Locharne (David Tomlinson) is an impoverished Scottish laird who rents out his castle as a bed and breakfast. He relies on his assistant Bess Trent (Helen Cherry) for practical matters and she, in turn, is in love with him. One of his tenants is Miss Nicholson (Margaret Rutherford) who is a genealogist convinced that the Earl is the true King Of Scotland. The castle is also haunted by a mischevious ghost of Ermyntrude (Patricia Dainton). The action starts went two visitors come to the castle. Rich American divorcee Mrs. Clodfelter Dunne (Barbara Kelly) claims a Scottish heritage and is interested in buying the castle. Meanwhile National Coal Board official Mr. Phillips (Brian Oulton) is interested in requisitioning the castle as a rest home for miners. Assorted character actors (A.E. Matthews as a disgruntled tenant, Ewan Roberts as a butler and Clive Morton as an adjacent landowner) round out the cast. Obviously Mrs. Dunne competes with Miss Trent for the Earl's affection and with Mr. Phillips for the castle. Although this is a relatively modest effort I enjoyed it significantly. The young David Tomlinson plays a more adult character than his usual type as a "silly ass" Englishmen. I wasn't familiar with Helen Cherry, primarily a stage actress who was the real life wife of Trevor Howard, but she is attractive and charming. While I had often seen Brian Oulton over his long film career it was usually in one scene comedic character roles. It was Pleasant to see him in a much larger role with a greater range of emotion. Both Barbara Kelly and Patricia Dainton, like all the players, seemed to be enjoying themselves in the film. A special note on Margaret Rutherford who is single handedly worth the price of admission. The scene where she drags the Earl and Mrs. Dunne off to a meeting of the supporters for the Earl's claim to the throne of Scotland is delightful. Technical credits are good but modest, given the funding limits on British quota quickies of the period. All things considered a very pleasant way to spend time.

I just watched "Castle in the Air" on a DVD I bought from EBay. This 1952 B/W comedy is funny and a delight to watch.

The Earl of Locharne (David Tomlinson) presides over a dilapidated castle and is on the brink of bankruptcy. His loyal castle manager, Boss Trent (Helen Cherry) oversees the staff and helps The Earl fight off the creditors who appear at the castle gates. They give tours and rent out rooms to try to keep their heads above water. Miss Nicholson (the great Margaret Rutherford) is one of the boarders who is determined to prove that The Earl is the rightful king of Scotland. There's also a female ghost looming around the castle that appears every now and then.

Disaster looms when governemtn coal board member Mr. Phillips (Brian Oulton) wants to take over the castle as a hostel for coal miners and pay only a pittance for it. But, then a distant relative from Denver, Colorado, Mrs Dunne (Barbara Kelly) arrives. She is wealthy and is interested in buying the castle. Mrs Dunne also seems to be attracted to The Earl, something that's noticed by Boss.

It's quite funny and the movie works because the actors all make the viewers care about their characters. The audience sticks around to find out what will finally happen to the castle. And, who will the Earl end up with: Mrs. Dunne or Boss?

Watch Castle in the Air (1952) if you ever get the chance. It is a delightful little comedy.

ANY movie with this star is worth the time. The only negative comment I have is that it was only 1 1/2 hours long. If you like this movie, try out Agatha Christie's movies starring Margaret Rutherford.

One of the comic themes of post-War England was the suddenly impoverished nobility trying to deal with their crumbling stately homes -- bad drains was a common trope. In this one, David Tomlinson is the Earl of Locharne, whose house is haunted, not only by a ghost played by Patricia Dainton, but by holidayers dissatisfied by the poor conditions, neighbors who resent his poaching, a bureaucrat from the Coal Board who wants to requisition the place for convalescing miners, an American millionairess (played by Barbara Kelly) who wants to buy the place, and Margaret Rutherford, who insists he is rightful King of Scotland. Can his manager, Helen Cherry, get him out of debt and get him to notice she's been in love with him for years?

It's based on a stage show, and whatever subtext may have existed at some point has been rubbed out. Still, the director is Henry Cass, who directed one of my favorite non-Ealing comedies of the era, LAST HOLIDAY, so he knows how to direct for laughs. If some of the lines come out a trifle fast for emotional weight, this is not the first movie from a stage play I've seen that happen in. The cast handles the comedy very well, even if some of the characterizations are a bit standard. I expect you'll have a good time watching this.

This is one of the few British films I just did not enjoy. Perhaps the humor went over my head? The film is pleasant but dull.

Had Margaret Rutherford had more scenes I would have probably enjoyed it.