''Adam and Evelyne'', released in the U.S. as ''Adam and Evalyn'', is a 1949

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

starring

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

and

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...

. According to

Robert Osborne Robert Jolin Osborne (; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017) was an American film historian, television presenter, author, actor and the primary host for more than 20 years of the cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Prior to hosting at TCM, Os ...

, host of

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

, this suited the stars, as they were romantically involved at the time, despite their age difference. They married the next year.

Plot

When jockey Chris Kirby (Fred Johnson) is fatally injured in a horse race, he gets his best friend, gambler Adam Black (Stewart Granger), to promise to take care of his teenage daughter, Evelyne (Jean Simmons), who has been raised apart from her father. Unbeknownst to Adam, Evelyne had been led to believe that Adam is her father in correspondence between parent and child. Adam is unable to tell her the truth; his butler and friend Bill Murray (Edwin Styles) tries and fails as well. Finally, Adam's sometime girlfriend Moira (

Helen Cherry Helen Mary Cherry (24 November 1915 – 27 September 2001) was an English stage, film and television actress. She was born in Worsley, Lancashire, and brought up in Harrogate, West Riding of Yorkshire. Marriage Whilst working at the Arts Thea ...

) breaks the news to the girl. Adam sends Evelyne to an exclusive boarding school. When she has grown up, she reappears unexpectedly in his life. Because of the hatred she has for gambling, Adam does not reveal that he stages illegal gambling sessions; instead he tells her that he makes his money on the stock exchange. She begins casually dating Adam's no-good brother Roddy (Raymond Young). When Adam tells Moira that he is getting out of the business, she accuses him of being in love with his "ward". Roddy has his own grudge against his brother – Adam refuses to finance a shady deal – and the two of them tip off the police about Adam's last operation. Roddy also brings Evelyne to see what Adam really does for a living. Shocked, she quarrels with Adam and leaves. A kindly gambler, Colonel Bradley (

Wilfred Hyde-White Wilfrid Hyde-White (12 May 1903 – 6 May 1991) was a British character actor of stage, film and television. He achieved international recognition for his role as Colonel Pickering in the film version of the musical ''My Fair Lady'' (1964). Ear ...

), gives her some sage advice and persuades her to reconcile with Adam.

Cast

as Adam Black *

as Evelyne Kirby * Edwin Styles as Bill Murray * Raymond Young as Roddy Black *

as Moira * Beatrice Varley as Mrs. Parker, a gambler * Joan Swinstead as Molly *

as Colonel Bradley * Fred Johnson as Chris Kirby * Geoffrey Denton as Police Inspector Collins * Peter Reynolds as David * Mona Washbourne as Mrs Salop

Production

Stewart Granger says the storyline of the film was his, based on the old silent film ''

Daddy Long Legs A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

'', He contacted the writer Noel Langley and they wrote it as a vehicle for Jean Simmons. "It was a very good vehicle for her", he said. "It was a sweet film, a charming light comedy."Brian MacFarlane, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', Methuen 1997 p 231 Director Harold French also said he "really liked" the film.

At that stage I could pick and choose and I really liked that one. I became producer because Paul Soskin, who was to have produced it, didn’t like the fact that I had employed an actor called Edwin Styles for the part of the valet; I thought he was quite good and he got on well with Jimmy tewartGranger in his first comedy role. Paul said he wanted to go back to America, and would I take over as producer? I didn’t mind... I did enjoy that film and I adored working with Jean Simmons, a lovely actress.

This was the first adult role of Jean Simmons, who had become a star in ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

''. Simmons and Granger were rumoured to be romantically involved during filming although they denied it to the press. Production of the film was interrupted by a strike from crew members at Denham Studios in protest over recent sackings of film workers. (Others which ceased production were '' The Cardboard Cavalier'' and '' Tottie True''.)

Reception

The film was voted best comedy of the year at the International Film Festival in Locarno Switzerland.

Box office

It was successful at the box office in Britain.

Critical

Critic Leonard Maltin called it a "Pleasant but ordinary tale"; and ''Rank and File'' wrote, "The audience isn't certain whether they are watching a drama or a not particularly funny screwball comedy...Despite these shortcoming the film has a certain charm and remains watchable."

References

External links

*
Review of film
at Variety {{DEFAULTSORT:Adam And Evelyne 1949 films British black-and-white films Films directed by Harold French Films about gambling 1949 romantic drama films Two Cities Films films British romantic drama films Films with screenplays by Noel Langley 1940s British films 1940s English-language films