Marry Me! (1949 Film)
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''Marry Me!'' (alternative title: ''I Want to Get Married'') is a 1949 British
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Terence Fisher Terence Fisher (23 February 1904 – 18 June 1980) was a British film director best known for his work for Hammer Film Productions, Hammer Films. He was the first to bring gothic horror alive in full colour, and the sexual overtones and explic ...
, and starring Derek Bond, Susan Shaw, Patrick Holt, Carol Marsh and David Tomlinson. The film was formerly known as ''I Want to Get Married''.


Plot

Newspaper journalist David Haig is assigned by his
Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...
editor to go undercover and write about the people behind the ads in the ''Marriage Chronicle'', a weekly newspaper published by the H & E Marriage Bureau. During his initial interview with owners Hester and Emily Parsons, he tells them he is an Australian sheepman and steals some of their files. Dancehall hostess Pat Cooper is fed up with her life. She is paired with self-described "country bumpkin" Martin Roberts. He makes a good first impression; then she learns he is a clergyman and backs out. However, he persists and wins her over. He is on the point of asking for her hand in marriage when Brenda Delamere, her flatmate, inadvertently reveals her true occupation. After digesting the news, he decides he still wants her, but she pretends she was only toying with him and sends him away. Frenchwoman Marcelle Duclos' permit is expiring, so she seeks a husband to remain in Britain, offering £500 as further inducement. Andrew Scott needs some capital to purchase a partnership. They are honest with each other about their reasons for marriage. After they fall in love, she informs him that she was the girlfriend of a charming, handsome man who turned out to be a thief and murderer named Louis Renier. When she learned he had escaped from prison, she fled to England. She is horrified to spot him. She confesses to Scott that she is actually Renier's wife. He refuses to leave her, despite the danger. Renier finds her and waits for Scott with a pistol. The two men struggle, and Renier falls over the balcony to his death. Saunders, Sir Gordon Scott's valet, is retiring and buying a farm. The cynical Scott disapproves of marriage and women in general. Scott impersonates Saunders on the spur of the moment when Saunders' match, schoolteacher Enid Lawson, telephones. Upon meeting the woman, Scott deliberately behaves obnoxiously, but is impressed by her spirited rejection. When she starts to leave, he tries to explain his behaviour, but she slaps him. She returns, having forgotten her gloves, and all becomes clear to her when the real Saunders appears. She stays for dinner, served by Saunders. Afterwards, she is astonished to learn that not only has Saunders quickly deduced her identity, he also believes that she is not good enough for him. She departs posthaste. Scott cannot get her out of her mind and goes to the marriage bureau to try to obtain her address. Lawson has just left, but returns for her gloves, and all is eventually forgiven. Miss Beamish is selected for Haig. He is unimpressed and leaves after a brief conversation. On the street, he bumps into Doris Pearson, the second choice of the bureau. They get along, but are each lying to the other. She claims she is from the upper class, whereas she is constantly making up fantasies about herself. When Haig's article is published, complete with a photograph, she sees it and breaks up with him, stating that she hates liars. He cannot find her, until he goes to the restaurant where she works as a waitress. He manages to persuade her to agree to marry him.


Cast

* Derek Bond as Andrew * Susan Shaw as Pat * Patrick Holt as Martin * Carol Marsh as Doris * David Tomlinson as David * Zena Marshall as Marcelle * Guy Middleton as Sir Gordon * Nora Swinburne as Enid *
Brenda Bruce Brenda Bruce OBE (7 July 1919Some sources cite 17 July 1919. – 19 February 1996) was an English actress. She was focused on the theatre, radio, film, and television. Career Bruce was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, in 1919, and started ...
as Brenda * Jean Cadell as Hester Parsons * Mary Jerrold as Emily Parsons * Denis O'Dea as Saunders * Yvonne Owen as Sue Carson *
Alison Leggatt Alison Joy Leggatt (7 February 1904 – 15 July 1990) was an English character actor, character actress. Career Born in the Kensington district of London, Leggatt trained under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based ...
as Miss Beamish * Beatrice Varley as Mrs. Perrins * Cyril Chamberlain as PC Jackson * Hal Osmond as Man in Restaurant * Russell Waters as Mr. Pearson *
Joan Hickson Joan Bogle Hickson (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series '' Miss Marple''. She also narrated a number of ...
as Mrs. Pearson * Marianne Stone as Elsie * J. H. Roberts as Old Gent in Train * Lyn Evans as Railway Official * Anthony Steel as Jack Harris (in one of his first appearances on screen) *
Albert Lieven Albert Lieven (born Albert Fritz Liévin; 22 June 1906 – 22 December 1971) was a German actor. Early life Lieven was born in Olsztynek, Hohenstein, German Empire. His father was the head physician of the Tuberculosis sanatorium Hohenstein, ...
as Louis Renier (uncredited) * George Merritt as ''Gazette'' editor (uncredited) *
Eric Pohlmann Eric Pohlmann (; born Erich Pollak; 18 July 1913 – 25 July 1979) was an Austrian theatre, film and television character actor who worked mostly in the United Kingdom. He is known for voicing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the primary antagonist of t ...
as Mr. Cinelli (uncredited) * John Salew as Charlie (uncredited) * Anne Valery as Girl in David's office (uncredited)


Reception

The film was a box office flop, recording a loss of £67,600. Producer's receipts were £38,200 in the UK and £12,100 overseas.
Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...
in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' found the first third of the film "a delight to watch," but, despite convincing dialogue and an "excellent cast", "the film as a whole is a disappointingly contrived package job". Crowther thought that the best story, with Guy Middleton, "rates inclusion in one of the Somerset Maugham showcases", but he concluded that the writers "have blunted their ingenious stories with some melodramatic and whimsical resolutions. Terrence Fisher's direction is strictly assembly-line." 


References


External links

*
''Marry Me!''
at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
{{Terence Fisher 1949 films 1949 romantic comedy films 1940s British films British black-and-white films British romantic comedy films Films about journalists Films directed by Terence Fisher Films scored by Clifton Parker Films set in London Gainsborough Pictures films 1940s English-language films English-language romantic comedy films