There Was a Young Lady

Wherever Michael Denison was, Duclie Gray was never far away - and together they are again in this light-hearted comedy thriller. He is the boss of a diamond brokers; she ("Elizabeth") his secretary/fiancée who after a bit of a row, storms out and into the middle of a heist. The criminals take her along so she cannot identify them, but not before she manages to leave a clue for her husband-to-be "David". Certain that he will understand and pursue with the police, she starts to ingratiate herself with this not very menacing bunch of crooks and, well you can easily guess the rest. The story is a bit thin, and the script flows a bit like glue at times but there are some fun contributions from Bill Owen, Charles Farrell (no, not the silent one) and an early outing for an instantly recognisable Geraldine McEwan (looking not unlike Maggie Smith!). It's a fine example of the simplicity that made us Brits laugh in the early 1950s and taken in that spirit it doesn't disappoint.

Unfortunately it's surprisingly long and rather dull journey for nearly all the way.

It is difficult to work out how something with most of the (very familiar) elements of a British crime comedy: a fair bit of caper/capable supporting cast of usual suspects in familiar roles/comprehensible story, hardly raises a smile, until the mildly amusing plot twist in the last 5 minutes. The dialogue is flat footed and lacking in wit, and has what is the give-away: lines with no purpose whatsoever - not advancing the plot nor illuminating a character, purely superfluous. Michael Dennison was not a comedic actor and not capable of, and nor seeing the need, to make silk purses out of a sow's ears. (In "The Importance of Being Ernest", he was well suited to Wilde's throw-away witticisms).

The "young lady" in the title refers to MD's would-be fiancé, rather improbably the 39 year old Dulcie Gray, whose manner is distinctly wifely and bossy, and seems decades older, not unfortunately a vivacious Geraldine McKewan in her first film appearance, aged 19 in a distinctly under-written part. I can only assume that fans wanted to see MD and DG as a couple (in real life married for nearly sixty years until his death). To have swapped the two ladies would have been sacrilege for the fans but would have perhaps saved the film by energising script, cast and director.

You didn't see Michael Dennison and Dulcie Grey in many comedies.This film shows that they could do it.Dennison is a jeweller who is not very good in business.So girlfriend Dulcie has to sort out the messes he gets himself into.She is walking out of the office and walks straight into a smash and grab robbery.The gang abduct her and take her to their hideout.The gang is bosses by Sydney Tafler and includes Bill Owen and Charles Farrell.They too are a pretty incompetent lot.Whilst they keep her she starts to get them properly organised.She manages to get a note of her whereabouts to Dennison who finds the hideout and leads to a knockout finale.I thought that it was quite amusing at times.

Super-efficient Dulcie Gray has walked out on her boss and would-be fiance, diamond merchant Michael Denison. She immediately walks into a smash-and-grab jewelry heist, and is taken along because she can identify the criminals. While she waits for Denison to pay attention to a clue she has set, Miss Gray goes about making the gang of thieves better human beings.

It's a mixed bag so far as being a well-run comedy goes, with some nice bits of humor, some forced nastiness on the part of Miss Gray, and a budget so cheap that some badly needed retakes were not shot; Bill Owens' character is addressed as "Joe" and "Jim" at various times. The director, Lawrence Huntington, throughout his career, showed talent and ambition, but being stuck in the quota quickies clearly hampered him. Still, it's a pleasant enough affair, with some fair comic stereotypes by Sidney Tafler, Charles Farrell (the British one), and Geraldine McEwan.

Husband and wife team and a collection of old hands and familiar faces makes this a film for a rainy afternoon or even sheltering from a hot one just grab a drink and dont expect Shakespeare just a chuckle and anything with Sydney Tafler in worth a gamble