''Smith's Wives'' is a 1935 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

H. Manning Haynes Horace Manning Haynes (born: Lyminster, Sussex – died 3 March 1957, Epsom, England) (often credited as H. Manning Haynes) was a British-born film director and actor. He was married to the screenwriter Lydia Hayward, with whom he frequen ...

and starring Ernie Lotinga, Beryl de Querton and

Tyrell Davis Tyrell Davis (1902–1970) was a British film actor, Cambridge educated, who appeared on the West End and Broadway stage, as well as in British and American films. Filmography * '' Lucky in Love'' (1929) * ''Mother's Boy'' (1929) * ''His Glor ...

. A farcical situation occurs when a

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

and 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 Bookma ...

with the same surname are mistaken for each other. It was based on the play ''Facing the Music'' by James Darnley. It was Lotinga's only film in which he didn't play his trademark character Jimmy Josser.Sutton p.109-112

Cast

* Ernie Lotinga as Jimmy Smith * Beryl de Querton as Norah Smith *

as Dick Desmond * Richard Ritchie as Reverend James Smith *

Kay Walsh Kathleen "Kay" Walsh (15 November 1911 – 16 April 2005) was an English actress, dancer, and screenwriter. Her film career prospered after she met her future husband film director David Lean, with whom she worked on prestige productions such a ...

as Mabel Smith *

Jean Gillie A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

as Anne * Vashti Taylor as Dierdre Fotheringay

References

Bibliography

* Sutton, David R. ''A chorus of raspberries: British film comedy 1929-1939''. University of Exeter Press, 2000.

External links

* 1935 films 1935 comedy films British comedy films Films directed by H. Manning Haynes British black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-comedy-film-stub