''The Little Damozel'' is a 1933 British

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 ...

directed by

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best known for the films he made with his third wif ...

and starring

Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in the British cinema ...

, James Rennie and

Benita Hume Benita Hume (14 October 1907 – 1 November 1967) was an English theatre and film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1925 and 1955. Life and career She was married to film actor Ronald Colman from 1938 to his death in 1958 ...

. It is based on the 1908 play by

Monckton Hoffe Monckton Hoffe (1880–1951) was an Irish playwright and screenwriter. Early life On 26 December 1880, Hoffe was born in Connemara, Ireland. His full name was Reaney Monckton Hoffe-Miles. Career Hoffe was known for his romantic comedies a ...

, previously filmed in 1916. The screenplay concerns a captain who pays one of his sailors to marry a woman who works in a nightclub. Dresses for the film were designed by Doris Zinkeisen.

Plot

Gambler Recky Poole (James Rennie) accepts a bet to marry Julie Alardy (Anna Neagle), a night club danseuse. After the wedding, Recky unexpectedly fall in love with her, but Julia decides to divorce him and go back to dancing. A despairing Recky contemplates suicide, contriving to make it look like an accident so that Julia will be able to collect the insurance. Luckily, she returns to him before it is too late, and they live a life of wedded bliss.

Cast

as Julie Alardy * James Rennie as Recky Poole *

as Sybil Craven * Athole Stewart as Captain Partington *

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 ...

as Walter Angel *

Clifford Heatherley Clifford Heatherley Lamb (8 October 1888 in Preston, Lancashire – 15 September 1937 in London) was an English stage and film actor. Filmography * ''Henry VIII'' (1911) * ''Bleak House'' (1920) * '' The Tavern Knight'' (1920) * '' The Mys ...

as Papa Bertholdy * Peter Northcote as Abraham *

Franklyn Bellamy Franklyn Bellamy (7 March 1886 in Kuala Lumpur – 15 February 1961 in Bodmin) was an English stage and film actor. In 1924 he appeared in Frederick Lonsdale's melodrama '' The Fake'' in the West End. Partial filmography * '' For Her People'' ...

as Franz * Aubrey Fitzgerald as Fritz

Critical reception

In 1933,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

's ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, '' The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuous ...

'' wrote, "The next of the popular all-British Dominions programmes at the Theatre Royal will be headed by Anna Neagle's latest film, ''The Little Damozel'' in which she advances to further screen fame. ''The Little Damozel'', from the play by Monckton Hoffe, concerns the affairs of a little cabaret girl, sophisticated and alluring, but whose character reveals greater depths of sweetness when she marries Reeky (James Rennie), a good-looking wastrel, unaware that he had been paid a considerable sum of money to make her his wife. The role of the cabaret girl calls for an actress with the ability to convince the onlooker of her change of character and also requires an artist, who can both sing and dance. This was no easy role to fill, but Herbert Wilcox, determined to back his faith in Miss Neagle and gave her this important part. This charming actress gives a really splendid performance, and the opening of the film, showing Miss Neagle as the cabaret artiste, gives her the opportunity to sing some delightful numbers. ''The Little Damozel'' played to absolute capacity during its London season, despite the strong opposition of ''

Cavalcade A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass trail ride by a company of riders. The focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display. Often, the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. Often, a cava ...

''. At

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

it broke all records by drawing an attendance of 42.000 in one week. '' Hotel Splendide'' will be the supporting feature, and the programme will include ''About Turns'' and ''Australia's Jolly Jack Tars''."

References

External links

* 1933 films 1930s romance films 1930s English-language films Films based on works by Monckton Hoffe Films directed by Herbert Wilcox British black-and-white films British and Dominions Studios films Films shot at Imperial Studios, Elstree British romance films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-film-stub