''A Date with a Dream'' is a 1948 British musical comedy film directed by Dicky Leeman and starring

Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 19118 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of th ...

Jeannie Carson Jeannie Carson (born Jean Shufflebottom; 23 May 1928) is a British-born retired comedian, actress, singer and dancer. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Early life Born to show business parents, Carson was born as Jean Shufflebott ...

and

Wally Patch Walter Sydney Vinnicombe (26 September 1888 – 27 October 1970) was an English actor and comedian. He worked in film, television and theatre. Biography Vinnicombe was born in Willesden, Middlesex and began working on the music hall stages in ...

. Its plot concerns a wartime group of musical entertainers who meet up a year after being

demobbed Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milita ...

and decide to reform their act. This was one of

's earliest films and is reputedly partly based on his own experiences. Terry-Thomas was yet to develop his cad persona and a then little-known

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...

appears in a very brief, non-speaking role.

Plot

When an Army concert party is disbanded after the war, they plan to meet up in a years time for a reunion. When they do they discover that all the various members aren't coping too well with civilian life. Jean, a singer who is staying in the same house as two of the ex-concert party members, suggests that the various members get back together to perform.

Cast

– Terry *

– Jean * Len Lowe – Len * Bill Lowe – Bill *

– Uncle *

Vic Lewis Victor Lewis MBE (29 July 1919 – 9 February 2009) was a British jazz guitarist and bandleader. He also enjoyed success as an artists' agent and manager. Biography He was born in London, England. Lewis began playing the guitar at the age ...

– Vic * Ida Patlanski – Bedelia * Joey Porter – Max Imshy *

Alfie Dean Collinson and Dean were a British comedy double act popular during the 1920s and 1930s. They were Will Collinson (born William Valentine Malivoire; 14 February 1882 – June 1958) and Alfie Dean (born Alfred Corfield; 7 March 1902 – 22 ...

– Joe * Julia Lang – Madam Docherty * Harry Green – Syd Marlish *

– Shadow Boxer *

Sydney Bromley Sidney Charles Bromley (24 July 1909 – 14 August 1987GRO Register of Deaths: AUG 1987 18 2293 WORTHING - Sydney Charles Bromley DoB = 24 Jul 1909 aged 78), credited as Sydney Bromley, was an English character actor. He appeared in more than si ...

– Stranger in Max's office

Critical reception

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema ...

wrote, "a sparkling performance from the young Terry-Thomas and a bright, sassy attitude saves this dated, rather choppy little filler item from the scrapheap of movie history. Worth a look for nostalgia buffs and curio collectors". ''A Date With A Dream'' was the first production of Tempean Films, a production company founded by

Monty Berman Nestor Montague "Monty" Berman (16 August 1913 in Whitechapel, London, England – 14 June 2006 in London, England) was a British cinematographer and film and television producer. Early career Berman began his film career as a camera assistant a ...

and

Robert S. Baker Robert Sidney Baker (27 October 1916 – 30 September 2009) was a British film and television producer, who at times was also a cinematographer and director. Born in London and serving as an artillery man in the British Army, he was posted to Nor ...

following their war service. Of the film, Baker later commented, "It didn't make us a penny, but it gave us a good introduction to the film business". Tempean would go on to produce many British

B-movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s

References

External links

*
dvd of the film

interview British Entertainment History Project 1948 films British musical comedy films 1948 musical comedy films British black-and-white films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films {{musical-comedy-film-stub