A man poses as a footman in the Joshua Howard household and becomes increasingly romantically involved with Judy. He has a secret, however which could threaten their happiness.

viewer's comments:

Charming and witty romance

This is a lighthearted, very British romance with a fine cast. The story revolves around a merchant's daughter, Anna Neagle as Judy, who falls in love with their new servant, Richard, played by Michael Wilding, who is actually a nobleman fallen on hard times temporarily. As dancing partners they are sublime in the gentle romantic interludes which create lovely highlights to the movie. Don't miss it. The script moves along well with witty dialogue and interesting interaction among the characters. Excellent British fare with lots of charm.


It's full of the ironic self-referential kind of humor that's fashionable in cinema today. Especially surprising considering it was made in 1947. The way the 'actor' attempting to woo our heroine mentions that the leading man (played by Michael Wilding) looks rather like the actor Michael Wilding reminded me of Carrie Fisher's cameo in Scream 3. Except, of course, that this movie is far funnier.

The same 'actor' also mentioned how much he disliked current film director's habit of filming everything in long shots, which of course was exactly what he was being filmed in at the time he said it. Kevin Williamson might seem original and incredibly ironic, but movies like this beat him to it by about half a century.

The chemistry between the 2 leads is undeniable and added greatly to the charm of this very British film. And the dialogue is wonderfully witty. The only flaw I could find was that it ended rather abruptly, and I felt a little cheated because there could have been a good half-hour of extra plot tacked onto the end. Still, it was good while it lasted and an entertaining way to waste 90 minutes of your life. Recommended, especially if you're a fan of classic British romantic comedies.

cast:
Anna Neagle .... Judy Howard
Michael Wilding .... Richard
Tom Walls (I) .... Uncle Joshua Howard
Peter Graves (II) .... Basil Maitland
Marjorie Fielding .... Mildred Howard
Nigel Patrick .... Mr. Bacon
G.H. Mulcaster .... Perkins
Josephine Fitzgerald .... Kate O'Malley
Lana Morris .... Rosie
Nicholas Phipps .... Marquis of Borechester
Catherine Paul .... Lady Borechester


Runtime: 100 min
Country: UK
Language: English
Color: Black and White / Color (Technicolor)