''The Man from Toronto'' is a 1933 British

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by

Sinclair Hill Sinclair Hill (10 June 1896 – 6 March 1945) was a British film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed nearly fifty films between 1920 and 1939. He was born as George Sinclair-Hill in London in 1894. He was awarded an OBE for his ser ...

and starring Jessie Matthews, Ian Hunter and

Frederick Kerr Frederick Kerr (born Frederick Grinham Keen, 11 October 1858 – 3 May 1933) was an English actor who appeared on stage in both London and New York and in British and American films; he also worked as a major theatrical manager in London. Early ...

. After an inheritance is left to them if they marry, an Englishwoman and a Canadian must meet for the first time to investigate the other - with comedic results. Matthews was considered a rising film star at the time of the production, and she quickly became one of

Gainsborough Pictures Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, north London. Gainsborough Studios was active between 1924 and 1951. The com ...

' leading names.

Plot

Lawyer Bunston (Frederick Kerr) informs Englishwoman Leslie Farrar (Jessie Matthews), his niece by marriage, that she will inherit a quarter of a million if she marries Canadian Fergus Wimbush. The trouble is they have never met. Leslie is furious, certain that the deceased made the will to get back at her for not marrying him by pressuring her to wed his nephew. When Leslie refuses to comply with the condition, Bunston lets Mrs. Hubbard's cottage for Leslie, as she must cut down on her expenses. When the man from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

comes to England, Leslie poses as a parlour maid in order to better make his acquaintance, and the two fall in love anyway. When he finally discovers her real identity, he is furious and refuses to marry her, but she persuades him to change his mind.

Cast

* Jessie Matthews as Leslie Farrar * Ian Hunter as Fergus Wimbush *

as Bunston (as Fred Kerr) *

Margaret Yarde Margaret Yarde (2 April 1878 – 11 March 1944) was a British actress. Initially training to be an opera singer, she made her London stage debut in 1907. She often played domestics, landladies and mothers. Filmography * '' A Cigarette-Maker's ...

as Mrs. Hubbard * Percy Parsons as Hogbin *

Kenneth Kove Kenneth Kove (1892–1984) was a British actor. He was a regular member of the Aldwych farce team between 1923 and 1930, often in "silly-ass" roles; appearing in '' It Pays to Advertise'' (1923), '' Thark'' (1927), '' A Cup of Kindness'' (1929), ...

as Vicar *

Ben Field Ben Field (1876–1939) was a British actor. Partial filmography * ''Les cloches de Corneville'' (1917) - Iolo * ''The Face at the Window'' (1920) - Peter Pottlebury * '' The Bachelor's Club'' (1921) - Peter Parker * '' Little Miss Nobody'' ...

as Jonathan *

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a worki ...

as Martha * Bill Shine as Butcher's Delivery Boy (as Billy Shine) * George Turner as Povey * Herbert Lomas as Jake *

Laurence Hanray Laurence Hanray ( Lawrence Henry Jacobs; 16 May 1874 – 28 November 1947), sometimes credited as Lawrence Hanray, was a British film and theatre actor born in London, England. He is also credited as the author of several plays and music hall s ...

as Duncan * Sybil Grove as Vicar's Wife * George Zucco as Squire *

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

as Villager (uncredited) *

Cyril Smith Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a prominent British politician who after his death was revealed to have been a prolific serial sex offender against children. A member of the Liberal Party, he was Member of ...

as Gossiping Villager (uncredited)

Production

Production began in July 1932. The film was shot at

Islington Studios Islington Studios, often known as Gainsborough Studios, were a British film studio located on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, London between 1919 and 1949. The studio ...

and on location at Amberley in Sussex. It was based on a play by Douglas Murray. The film's art direction was by

Alex Vetchinsky Alex Vetchinsky ( Alec Hyman Vetchinsky; 9 November 1904 - 4 March 1980) was a BAFTA nominated British film art director and production designer. He worked on more than a hundred productions during a career that lasted between 1928 and 1974. Vetc ...

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' gave the film two out of five stars, calling it "A little charmer," and concluded that, "Kerr, as the lawyer, does his best to pair the two off and carries the weight of the picture while doing so."

References

Bibliography

*Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Richards, Jeffrey. ''The Age of the Dream Palace: Cinema and Society in 1930s Britain''. I.B Tauris, 2010. *Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927–1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Man from Toronto 1933 films 1933 romantic comedy films British black-and-white films British romantic comedy films Films directed by Sinclair Hill Islington Studios films Films set in England Films set in London Films shot in England Gainsborough Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films