Always a Bride

Film does not get big reviews in most film books, but that doesn't mean it's not a good movie. The movie is a fun romantic comedy. Taxman (Morgan) goes on holidays only to fall into the middle of a bunch of conmen (and woman), who he falls in love with. Cast, camera and director all became workers for ITC television shows of the 50's. Should you see the movie for sale- buy it! If it shows up on the late-show, tape it!

In many ways, this romantic comedy is like the earlier Hollywood film, "The Lady Eve". So, if you like one, you'll likely enjoy the other as well.

When the story begins, an old man checks into a swank hotel on the Riviera with a very, very young wife. What the folks in the hotel don't know is that they are NOT married...they are father and daughter and they are hucksters. The plan is for the 'husband' to disappear their first night together and for the poor wronged 'wife' (Peggy Cummins) on her wedding night to stand back and see what happens next. Well, the residents of the hotel were touched by their story and donate a lot of money to her to help her out in her time of need. The problem is that she meets Terence, a particularly nice guy who tries to help her...because she starts falling in love with the guy! What's next for this huckster and his daughter?

While the film is never hilarious, it is enjoyable and worth seeing. My only reservation is that movies like these tend to make sociopaths seem cute or likable...and they are, in reality, quite evil.

With boring actors and a dull script, this movie doesn't even pass the basic test of credibility. We are asked to believe that a con man has made a lot of money over a great many years with a scheme that looks very unlikely to bring in any money at all. (And if it did, surely gossip in the hotel trade or newspaper reports would soon put an end to it.) The film is full of details that accentuate the sloppiness of the idea. The crook at one point has a handful of false passports. He could not possibly afford these with the money he makes. At another point, the crook and his henchman meet another crook and take him into their scheme, even though he is very poor at what he does AND it would mean less money for each of them AND they don't need another man to pull the scheme off! He is only around so we can (presumably) be amused by his (presumably) funny face and accent. Though this film tries to belong to the genteel- but-naughty tradition of English comedy, it is neither, just clumsy and prissy.

"Always A Bride" is one of those little-known but delightful comedies from what I have always thought of as the Golden Age of British Comedy (late 40s into the 60s). The entire cast is ingratiating, with that wonderful British character actor Ronald Squire a standout. Terence Morgan, an actor I am not always fond of, has never been more likeable, and Peggy Cummins does her usual efficient job in the role of leading lady. The humour tends towards the subtle and wry rather than the broad, and co-scripter Peter Jones can be seen briefly making the best of a supposed foreign lingo in an early scene. Also appearing briefly as a cab driver is Sebastian Cabot.

This is a hidden gem, as someone else commented, and deserves watching. It's a spry comedy about a father and daughter (RONALD SQUIRE and PEGGY CUMMINS) who bilk hotel people out of money with a simple swindle that works every time--with Squire posing as the husband who deserts his wife.

Along comes an honest man (TERENCE MORGAN) who knows nothing about Cummins' background before he falls in love with her. Even when she tells him she's not really the girl he should be chasing, he won't be dissuaded. The plot goes on to include an overly amorous hotel manager, a double cross that's repeated several times and finally, a double double cross that one suspects is coming all along involving a wealthy man who keeps a closet full of currency.

It's highly amusing without resorting to the sort of over-the-top British humor that was more fashionable during the '60s. Here the approach is more subtle and manages to be just as entertaining, due to some charming performances from the cast.

Summing up: Nice to see Cummins having a good time in a comedy and looking so beautiful. Terence Morgan does equally well as the light comedy romantic lead. RONALD SQUIRE is amusing in a role vastly different from the kind he usually played in films like MY COUSIN RACHEL, where he assumed a more serious and sober side of his nature.