''Laughter in Paradise'' is a 1951 British comedy film, starring

Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

Fay Compton Virginia Lilian Emmeline Compton-Mackenzie, (; 18 September 1894 – 12 December 1978), known professionally as Fay Compton, was an English actress. She appeared in several films, and made many broadcasts, but was best known for her stage per ...

, George Cole, and

Guy Middleton Guy Middleton Powell (14 December 1906 – 30 July 1973), better known as Guy Middleton, was an English film character actor. Biography Guy Middleton was born in Hove, Sussex, and originally worked in the London Stock Exchange, before tu ...

. The film was remade as ''

Some Will, Some Won't ''Some Will, Some Won't'' is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Duncan Wood, a remake of '' Laughter in Paradise'' (1951). It starred an ensemble British cast which included Michael Hordern, Ronnie Corbett, Dennis Price, Leslie Phillips and ...

'' (1970).

Plot

In his will, notorious practical joker Henry Russell leaves £50,000 to each of his four surviving relatives, provided they first perform prescribed tasks that are completely contrary to their natures. Law-abiding retired army officer Deniston Russell, who writes lurid crime novels under several pen names, has a week to get himself arrested and jailed for exactly 28 days. Difficult, snobbish Agnes Russell has to find employment as a domestic servant in a middle-class home, again within a week, and keep her position for a month. Simon Russell, a penniless womanising con man, has to marry the first single woman he speaks to. Timid Herbert Russell has to hold up the bank manager he works for in his office, using a mask and a toy pistol, and obtain the bank keys for two minutes. Deniston is thwarted repeatedly in his attempts, but finally manages to complete his task by smashing a shop window and assaulting a policeman. It costs him his fiancée Elizabeth when he is brought up before the magistrate, Elizabeth's father, but his secretary Sheila reveals her love for him and promises to stand by him. Agnes finds work with the irascible, demanding Gordon Webb. When Gordon sacks her, she begs to stay for a month, finally offering to pay him £1000. He does change his mind, if only for the enjoyment of tormenting her further. He also hires a private detective, Roger Godfrey, to find out what she is up to. Roger falls in love with Gordon's long-suffering daughter Joan, who is unwilling to marry him as her father depends on her. After Agnes persuades the girl to seize the chance of happiness, Gordon first sacks her and then calls round to take her out to dinner. Though the first single woman Simon speaks to is Frieda, a cigarette girl in a club he frequents, being in search of richer prey he breaks his promise. An attractive but suspiciously available young woman called Lucille scoops him up and, once they are married, reveals that she is the penniless niece of his butler, in whom he unwisely confided. When Herbert finally gathers the nerve to go through with his assignment, he inadvertently foils an actual robbery and becomes a hero, plastered across the front pages of the press. He is rewarded with a branch managership. Susan, a fellow bank employee, is proud and happy to be his girl. Then the executor gathers the four heirs together and informs them that there is in fact no money left. The whole exercise was Henry's last practical joke. Agnes, Deniston and Herbert burst into laughter. Simon is annoyed at first, until he looks out of the window at his conniving and equally unscrupulous wife, who is waiting for him with a bottle of champagne. Then he too joins in the merriment.

Cast

as Deniston Russell *

as Agnes Russell *

as Simon Russell * George Cole as Herbert Russell *

Hugh Griffith Hugh Emrys Griffith (30 May 1912 – 14 May 1980) was a Welsh film, stage, and television actor. He is best remembered for his role in the film '' Ben-Hur'' (1959), which earned him critical acclaim and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Acto ...

as Henry Russell *

Ernest Thesiger Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger, CBE (15 January 1879 – 14 January 1961) was an English stage and film actor. He is noted for his performance as Doctor Septimus Pretorius in James Whale's film ''Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935). Biography ...

as Endicott, Henry's executor * Beatrice Campbell as Lucille Grayson * Mackenzie Ward as Benson, Simon's butler *

Joyce Grenfell Joyce Irene Grenfell OBE (''née'' Phipps; 10 February 1910 – 30 November 1979) was an English diseuse, singer, actress and writer. She was known for the songs and monologues she wrote and performed, at first in revues and later in her solo s ...

as Elizabeth Robson * A. E. Matthews as Sir Charles Robson *

John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish actor. In the course of his career, Laurie performed on the stage and in films as well as television. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the sitcom '' Dad's Army'' (19 ...

as Gordon Webb *

Veronica Hurst Veronica Patricia Hurst (born Patricia Wilmshurst; 11 November 1931 – 15 November 2022) was a British film, stage and television actress. Hurst was born in Malta and brought up in Tooting, London. Early career Hurst was awarded the Leverhul ...

as Joan Webb * Anthony Steel as Roger Godfrey * Eleanor Summerfield as Sheila Wilcott *

Charlotte Mitchell Charlotte Mitchell (born Edna Winifred Mitchell; 23 July 1926 – 2 May 2012) was an English actress and poet. Biography In the 1950s she provided lyrics, sketches, and occasionally acted in revues on London's West End. She was especiall ...

as Ethel, Agnes's maid * Leslie Dwyer as Police station sergeant *

Colin Gordon Colin Gordon (27 April 1911 – 4 October 1972) was a British actor born in Ceylon. Biography He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a ...

as Police station constable *

Ronald Adam General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, 2nd Baronet, (30 October 1885 – 26 December 1982) was a senior British Army officer. He had an important influence on the conduct of the British Army during the Second World War as a result of his long tenure ...

as Wagstaffe, the bank manager *

Michael Pertwee Michael Henry Pertwee (24 April 1916, Kensington, London – 17 April 1991, Camden, London) was an English playwright and screenwriter. Among his credits were episodes of '' The Saint'', ''Danger Man'', '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', '' B-A ...

as Stewart, a bank employee * Mary Germaine as Susan Heath * Audrey Hepburn as Frieda, a cigarette girl *

Noel Howlett Noel Howlett (22 December 1902 – 26 October 1984) was an English actor, principally remembered as the incompetent headmaster, Morris Cromwell, in the ITV 1970s cult television programme ''Please Sir!'' He was the subject of infatuation by De ...

as Clerk of the Court *

Martin Boddey Albert Martin Boddey (16 April 1907 – 24 October 1975) was a British film and television actor. He was a founder member of the Lord's Taverners charity. Boddey started acting when he was nearly 40, often portraying irritable authority fig ...

as Store detective *

Arthur Howard Arthur Howard (born Arthur John Steiner; 18 January 1910 – 18 June 1995) was an English stage, film and television actor. Life and career Born in Camberwell, London, Howard was the younger son of Lilian (née Blumberg) and Ferdinand "Frank" ...

as passenger in train with Herbert (uncredited) Eleanor Summerfield and Noel Howlett both appeared, although in different roles, in the 1970 remake ''

''.

Production

This was Hepburn's first professional appearance on film (save for a brief role in a 1948 Dutch film entitled '' Dutch in Seven Lessons'' and a bit part in 1951's '' One Wild Oat''), with her two scenes as a cigarette girl totalling 43 seconds. They were recreated by Jennifer Love Hewitt in the 2000 biopic '' The Audrey Hepburn Story''. Anthony Steel also has a small role. The film editor Giulio Zampi would go on to produce the 1970 remake ''

''.

Reception

''Laughter in Paradise'' was the fourth most popular film at the British box-office in 1951. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' in November 1951 called the film a "merely pleasant, not especially surprising, comedy". In modern reviews, the '' Radio Times'', David Parkinson gave the film four out of five stars, and praised the "fantastic performance of Alastair Sim as the henpecked thriller writer", adding, "the scene in which he tries to shoplift is one of the funniest in a career overladen with choice comic moments," while ''Britmovie'' called the film "a sure-fire British comedy that's sprightly execution doesn’t leave many dull moments."

References

External links

*
Modern Review
(Undated) at

screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute and funded by a £1.2 million grant from the National Lo ...

Contemporaneous Review
(June, 1951) at screenonline {{Mario Zampi 1951 films 1951 comedy films British comedy films British black-and-white films Films shot at Associated British Studios Films directed by Mario Zampi Films set in England Films set in London 1950s English-language films 1950s British films