''The Gay Dog'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring

Wilfred Pickles Wilfred Pickles, OBE (13 October 1904 – 27 March 1978) was an English actor and radio presenter. Early life and personal life Pickles was born in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He moved to Southport, Lancashire, with his family i ...

, Petula Clark and Megs Jenkins. It was filmed at

Southall Studios Southall Studios was a film studio located in Southall, Middlesex (now west London) which operated between 1924 and 1958. The studio was constructed on the site of a former aircraft hangar by the silent film director and producer G.B. Samuelson. ...

, and features Petula Clark singing "A Long Way to Go", written by

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

and Leslie Clark (Petula's father). The film was based on a play by Joseph Colton; also starring Pickles and Jenkins, it had run at London's Piccadilly Theatre for 276 performances from June 1952 to February 1953. The film was shot at the Riverside Studios in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

with sets designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Cedric Dawe.

Plot

A miner, Jim Gay, owns a greyhound, "Raving Beauty", which has been very successful in races at the local stadium called Rodney Park. His bets on the dog are not winning him much money, so Gay hits upon a plan to improve its starting odds so as to win more money. His friend Peter (a fellow miner) and he initially pretend that Raving Beauty is ill, and the rumours soon spread around the local community. Upon visiting the vicar, however, Jim and Peter find out that the vicar is looking after his brother's greyhound, called Prince of Erin, which is due to compete in the same race as Raving Beauty on the Saturday. Peter attempts to find out more about Prince of Erin and forms a relationship with the vicar's daughter Peggy. He eventually finds out that Prince of Erin has good form from

Shelbourne Park Shelbourne Park is a greyhound racing stadium in the south Dublin inner city suburb of Ringsend. Greyhound Racing Opening The plans to open a greyhound track in Dublin were drawn up by Paddy O’Donoghue, Jerry Collins, Patsy McAlinden and Jim ...

and his breeding bloodlines relate to Mick the Miller. Jim and Peter then tell the local community that Raving Beauty is fit and well because they know Prince of Erin is most likely to win and want a better starting price. Meanwhile, Jim's daughter Sally ( Petula Clark) is attending the Women's Institute to avoid Peter, who is also her unwanted suitor. There, she meets and falls in love with a final-year medical student who is lecturing the group on first aid. On race day, Jim and Peter bet Prince of Erin at odds of 7-1, whilst the local community (who would normally bet on Raving Beauty) bet on Raving Beauty where the odds are still 1-1. Both greyhounds perform well, but Prince of Erin wins. The local community realise that Jim and Peter knew more, which results in Jim getting a black eye. Jim has won enough money from the bookmakers, though, to take a taxi home, give the vicar a donation for his charities, and pay back four family members their stake money. Meanwhile, Peter offers to be the best man at Sally's wedding and goes off with Peggy. The film ends with a Jim and Maggie going on holiday to

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

in a new motor car with Jim sitting in the back with Raving Beauty. A subplot has Jim's daughter (Sally) and the vicar's son (Leslie) get engaged to be married.

Cast

as Jim Gay * Petula Clark as Sally Gay * Megs Jenkins as Maggie Gay, Jim's wife * Harold Goodwin as Bert Gay * Nuna Duvey as Minnie Gay * John Blythe as Peter Nightingale * Margaret Barton as Peggy Gowland (vicar's daughter) * Russell Enoch as Leslie Gowland (vicar's son) *

Cyril Raymond Cyril William North Raymond MBE (13 February 1899 – 20 March 1973) was a British character actor. He maintained a stage and screen career from his teens until his retirement, caused by ill health, in the 1960s. His many stage, film and tele ...

as Rev Gowland the Vicar * Peter Butterworth as Betting Man *

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...

as Betting Man

Critical reception

*' TV Guide' wrote, "comic situations abound but fall far short in the execution, which is surprising coming from eminently competent director Elvey." *' Monthly Film Bulletin' wrote in 1954, "this unimaginative film version of Wilfred Pickles' stage success has gained little from the transference, apart from the use of authentic locations which give an impression of realism. Wilfred Pickles presents an interesting character study of a hard-working miner, whilst retaining his customary mannerisms. Petula Clark gives a sensitive performance." *'Today's Cinema' also wrote in 1954, "Pretty Petula Clark is as fresh as ever and gives a well-ironed performance. In Russell Enouch (who later changed his name to William Russell) she has a romantic partner with good looks, modest charm and considerable ability."

Scenes

The

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...

scenes were shot mainly at

Belmont Stadium Belmont Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium in Broomside Lane, Belmont, County Durham. Origins The track was constructed on the south side of Broomside Lane and east of the cemetery in 1940. Opening Greyhound racing started on Saturday 13 ...

in Durham, an independent track (unaffiliated to a governing body). However the final race actually shows the greyhounds racing around two different tracks, Belmont and a much larger unidentified stadium (possibly New Cross). The portrayal of 1950s independent greyhound racing is reasonably accurate.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gay Dog, The 1954 films 1954 comedy films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Maurice Elvey British comedy films Films with screenplays by Peter Rogers Films and television featuring Greyhound racing Films shot in London Films shot in County Durham Films shot at Riverside Studios Eros Films films British films based on plays Greyhound racing films British black-and-white films 1950s British films