A Girl in a Million
| A Girl in a Million | |
|---|---|
 Original trade ad | |
| Directed by | Francis Searle |
| Written by | Muriel Box Sydney Box |
| Produced by | Sydney Box |
| Starring | Hugh Williams Joan Greenwood Basil Radford Naunton Wayne |
| Cinematography | Reginald H. Wyer |
| Music by | Benjamin Frankel |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Associated British-Pathé |
Release date | 28 October 1946 (UK) |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £138,510[1] |
A Girl in a Million is a 1946 British comedy film.[2] It is notable for featuring Joan Greenwood in an early starring role;[3] and Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne in their comedy double act as two cricket-obsessed Englishmen, this time called Fotheringham and Prendergast.[4]
Plot
Tony is an inventor who divorces a shrewish, nagging wife, and desiring to avoid all women, finds employment in a remote all-male department of the War Office. However, a woman soon arrives in the form of U.S. colonel's daughter, Gay, who is shell-shocked, and has lost the power of speech. Charmed by her and by the contrast with his former talkative wife, Tony soon falls in love and marries her. However, once wed, Gay suffers a further shock and recovers her speech, proving quite the match for Tony's first wife.
Cast
- Hugh Williams as Tony
- Joan Greenwood as Gay
- Basil Radford as Prendergast
- Naunton Wayne as Fotheringham
- Wylie Watson as Peabody
- Yvonne Owen as Molly
- Hartley Power as Colonel Sultzman
- Edward Lexy as Policeman
- James Knight as Pavilion Manager
- Charles Rolfe as Attendant
- Gwen Clark as Nurse
- Millicent Wolf as Sister
- Aubrey Mallalieu as Judge
- Garry Marsh as General
- Michael Hordern as Divorce Counsel
- Julian D'Albie as Dr Peters
- John Salew as Jenkins
- John Olson as Concert Stage Manager
- Muir Mathieson as Conductor
- Eileen Joyce as Solo Pianist
Reception
Box Office
It was the 24th most popular film at the British box office in 1946 after The Wicked Lady, The Bells of St Marys, Piccadilly Incident, The Captive Heart, Road to Utopia, Caravan, Anchors Away, The Corn is Green, Gilda, The House on 92nd Street, The Overlanders, Appointment with Crime, The Bandit of Sherwood Forest, Kitty, Spellbound, Scarlet Street, Men of Two Worlds, Courage of Lassie, Mildred Pierce, The Spiral Staircase' and Brief Encounter, The Years Between and The Dolly Sisters.[5]
Critical reception
Sandra Brennan wrote in Allmovie, "feminists beware! This blatantly sexist comedy may definitely raise a few hackles" ;[6] while David Parkinson in the Radio Times called it "an object lesson in how tastes change, this chauvinistic comedy was co-scripted (with producer-husband Sydney) by Muriel Box, who was one of the few female creatives with clout in postwar British cinema. Moreover, it made a star of Joan Greenwood in a role that basically dismisses women as blethering nuisances who should be seen and not heard...Talk about not standing the test of time."[7]
References
- ^ Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000
- ^ "A Girl in a Million (1946)". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012.
- ^ "A Girl In A Million". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "Other Films". Charters and Caldicott. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015.
- ^ "Hollywood Sneaks In 15 Films on '25 Best' List of Arty Britain". The Washington Post. 15 January 1947. p. 2.
- ^ Sandra Brennan. "A Girl in a Million (1946) - Francis Searle - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ David Parkinson. "A Girl in a Million". RadioTimes.