''Madame Louise'' (also titled "The Madame Gambles"), is a 1951 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Maclean Rogers Maclean Rogers (13 July 1899 – 4 January 1962) was a British film director and screenwriter. Selected filmography Director * '' The Third Eye'' (1929) * '' The Mayor's Nest'' (1932) * '' Up for the Derby'' (1933) * ''The Crime at Blossoms'' ...

and produced by

Ernest G. Roy Ernest G. Roy (1892–1977) was a British film producer who was managing director of Kay (West End) Laboratories, Kay Carlton Hill Studios Ltd and Nettlefold Studios. Roy was born in Clerkenwell, London, in 1892, son of Charles (1857–1932) and ...

and starring

Richard Hearne Richard Lewis Hearne (30 January 1908 – 23 August 1979) was an English actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best remembered for his stage and television character Mr Pastry. Career Hearne was born in Norwich, Norfolk, in 1908, the son ...

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

Garry Marsh Garry Marsh (21 June 1902 – 6 March 1981) was an English stage and film actor. Born Leslie Marsh Gerahty in St Margarets, Surrey, his parents were George and Laura. His elder brothers were the author Digby George Gerahty and the journalist ...

and Richard Gale. It is loosely based on the 1945 play '' Madame Louise'' by

Vernon Sylvaine Vernon Sylvaine (1896–1957) was a British playwright and screenwriter. He is known for writing several popular stage farces. He began working in film in 1937 when his stage hit ''Aren't Men Beasts!'' was turned into a film of the same title s ...

, which had featured

Alfred Drayton Alfred Drayton (1 November 1881 – 26 April 1949) was a British stage and film actor. Drayton worked in a brewery when he was 18 but having a good deal of amateur dramatics experience decided to go on stage. His first appearance on stage was ''T ...

and

Robertson Hare John Robertson Hare, OBE (17 December 1891 – 25 January 1979) was an English actor, who came to fame in the Aldwych farces. He is remembered by more recent audiences for his performances as the Archdeacon in the popular BBC sitcom, ''All Ga ...

, but was extensively reworked to suit the different stars of the film production.

Plot summary

In order to settle her debts, the owner of a dress shop transfers control to a

bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...

, Mr Trout. Trout is wanted by a gang of criminals and much mayhem follows, causing the usual stunts by Mr Pastry. He has patented a dress, modelled by the resourceful assistant Miss Penny (Petula Clark), which can be transformed from a day dress to an evening dress and other modes by the removal of the sleeves and part of the skirt. A good deal of slapstick is involved, with Hearne's acrobatic agility being much in evidence. All is well at the end of the film as the dress shop owner recovers her business (due to Mr Pastry's incompetence) and Pastry is rewarded by being made her business partner.

Cast

as Mr Pastry *

as Miss Penny *

as Mr Trout * Richard Gale as Lieutenant Edwards * Doris Rogers as Mrs Trout *

Hilda Bayley Hilda Christabel Bailey (29 June 1888 – 26 May 1971) was a British theatre and film actress. On stage from 1913, she was in both stage and film versions of ''Carnival'' in 1918 and 1921, respectively; and in the controversial crime film ''Coca ...

as Madmoiselle *

Charles Farrell Charles David Farrell (August 9, 1900 – May 6, 1990) was an American film actor of the 1920s silent era and into the 1930s, and later a television actor. Farrell is probably best recalled for his onscreen romances with actress Janet Gaynor ...

as Felling * Robert Adair as Bookmaker * Anita Sharp-Bolster as Cafe Proprietress * Vic Wise as Curly *

Harry Fowler Henry James Fowler, MBE (10 December 1926 – 4 January 2012) was an English character actor in film and television. Over a career lasting more than six decades, he made nearly 200 appearances on screen. Personal life Fowler was born in Lambe ...

as Trout's clerk * John Powe as Dumbo * Pauline Johnson as Pearl * Mavis Greenaway as Mannequin * Pat Raphael as Mannequin * Doorn Van Steyne as Mannequin *

Mackenzie Ward Mackenzie Ward (20 February 1903 – January 1976) was a British stage and film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or ...

as Business Man * Gerald Rex as Messenger

Critical reception

The ''

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with ...

'' wrote: "This is not a particularly good comedy even of its type; it may amuse firm Mr. Pastry fans but Petula Clark is completely wasted in a coy love affair". ''Today's Cinema'' wrote: "The production word, if unpretentious, is competent; and the experienced hand of Maclean Rogers has kept the action moving fast and furiously. A pleasant little film successfully aimed at the vast market for unsophisticated British comedy...Richard Hearne virtually carries the whole film, which owes all its best moments to his unflagging agility."

References

External links

* 1951 films 1951 comedy films British comedy films Films directed by Maclean Rogers Films set in England Films shot at Nettlefold Studios Films produced by Ernest G. Roy British black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{1950s-UK-comedy-film-stub