''Maytime in Mayfair'' is a 1949 British

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

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

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...

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 ...

Michael Wilding Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding (23 July 1912 – 8 July 1979) was an English stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for a series of films he made with Anna Neagle; he also made two films with Alfred Hitchcock, '' Under Capric ...

Nicholas Phipps William Nicholas Foskett Phipps (23 June 1913 – 11 April 1980) was a British actor and writer who appeared in stage roles between 1932 and 1967 and more than thirty films between 1940 and 1970. He wrote West End plays, songs and sketches for ...

, and

Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...

. It was a follow up to ''

Spring in Park Lane ''Spring in Park Lane'' is a 1948 British romantic comedy film produced and directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding and Tom Walls. It was part of a series of films partnering Neagle and Wilding. It was the top film a ...

''. The film was one of the most popular movies at the British box office in 1949.

Plot

The film begins with a brief history of

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

then shows a man walking into a

florist Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related sup ...

in Shepherd Market. Debonair Michael Gore-Brown inherits a London fashion house: Maison Londres. Knowing nothing about business or fashion, he becomes romantically involved with its beautiful manageress, Eileen Grahame, who he says reminds him of

. He blithely helps himself to the petty cash to buy her lunch and brings in his ex-military cousin Sir Henry as a 'business advisor'. They are interrupted by the foppish D'Arcy Davenport, Eileen's fiance. A nearby rival fashion house learns of Eileen's new secret collection and leaks the story to the papers. It emerges that the cousin accidentally passed the story whilst drunk. Eileen angrily quits the business to work for the rival, who now plans to buy the business at a knock-down price. When she learns that Michael is about to do this, she returns to sort out the mess, and marries him.

Cast

as Eileen Grahame *

as Michael Gore-Brown *

Peter Graves Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Jim Phelps in the CBS television series ''Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series), Mission: Impossible'' from 1967 ...

as D'Arcy Davenport *

as Sir Henry Hazelrigg *

Thora Hird Dame Thora Hird (28 May 1911 – 15 March 2003) was an English actress and comedian, presenter and writer. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 film and television roles, becoming a household name and a Briti ...

as Janet *

Michael Shepley Arthur Michael Shepley-Smith (29 September 1907 – 28 September 1961), known professionally as Michael Shepley, was a British actor, appearing in theatre, film and some television between 1929 and 1961. He was born in Plymouth, Devon. Shepl ...

as Shepherd *

as Inspector Hennessey * Max Kirby as Mr Keats *

Desmond Walter-Ellis Desmond Walter-Ellis (16 September 1914 – 16 September 1994) was an English actor. He was active in a range of genres, from classic drama to cabaret, revue and musicals. He played a major part in the development of BBC Television when it restart ...

as Mr. Shelley * Tom Walls Jr. as Constable * Doris Rogers as Lady Manbury-Logan-Manbury *

Mona Washbourne Mona Lee Washbourne (27 November 1903 – 15 November 1988) was an English actress of stage, film, and television. Her most critically acclaimed role was in the film '' Stevie'' (1978), late in her career, for which she was nominated for a Gold ...

as Lady Leveson

Costume Design

Hardy Amies Sir Edwin Hardy Amies KCVO (17 July 1909 – 5 March 2003) was an English fashion designer, founder of the Hardy Amies label and a Royal Warrant holder as designer to the Queen. Early life Hardy Amies was born Edwin Amies on 17 July 1909 in ...

Charles Creed Charles Southey Creed (25 May 1909 – 17 July 1966) was a British fashion designer. Born into the longstanding tailoring house of Henry Creed & Company in Paris, he launched his eponymous label in London in 1946. The first elected member of ...

Norman Hartnell Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell, KCVO (12 June 1901 – 8 June 1979) was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the royal family. Hartnell gained the Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth in 1940, an ...

Mattli Giuseppe Mattli (1907–1982), usually known as Mattli or Jo Mattli, was a Swiss-born and London-based fashion designer known for his couture designs and, later, his ready-to-wear clothing and couture patterns. A member of the Incorporated S ...

Molyneux Molyneux (; Old French: ''De Molines'' or ''De Moulins'') is a French surname. The surname has been linked primarily to a large French family that settled in Lancashire, England. By the 14th century the Molyneux family had split into three mai ...

Digby Morton Henry Digby Morton (1906–1983) was an Irish fashion designer and among the leading names of British couture in the period from 1930-50. He was also among the pioneers of ready-to-wear fashions in the 1950s. Successful on both sides of the Atlan ...

Bianca Mosca Bianca Mosca, born Bianca Lea Rosa Mottironi,England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 was a London-based fashion designer who rose to prominence during the 1940s and was the only woman member of th ...

* Peter Russell *

Victor Stiebel Victor Frank Stiebel (14 March 1907—6 February 1976) was a South African-born British couturier. A founder member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, he was among the top ten designers in Britain during the war and post-war ...

Production

The film marked the fourth teaming of Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding. After the film started shooting Tom Walls called Wilcox asking for a role. Wilcox put in a part of a policeman for the actor. Filming took place in January through to March 1949. Four lines of clothing were designed specifically for the film.

Soundtrack

*''Maytime in Mayfair'' Music by

Harry Parr Davies Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

Lyrics by

Harold Purcell Harold Purcell (1907–1977) was a British writer and musical lyricist who frequently collaborated with Harry Parr-Davies. They co-wrote the book for the 1952 Anna Neagle musical '' The Glorious Days''.Wearing p.216 Selected works * ''Magyar M ...

*'' Amor'' Written by Gabriel Ruiz and Ricardo Lopez
English Lyrics by Sunny Skylar *''Do I Love You?'' Written by Bruno Bidoli,

David Heneker David William Heneker (31 March 1906 – 30 January 2001) was a writer and composer of British popular music and musicals, best known for creating the music and lyrics for ''Half a Sixpence''. Life and career Heneker was born in Southsea, Engl ...

and Don Pelosi *''I'm Not Going Home'' Written by

Kermit Goell Kermit Goell (1915 – December 4, 1997) was an American songwriter and archaeologist. Biography Born in Brooklyn, Goell received his BSC in agriculture from Cornell University and served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. As an amateur ...

and Fred Prisker *''The Moment I Saw You'' Music by

Manning Sherwin Manning Sherwin (January 4, 1902 – July 26, 1974) was an American composer. Born in Philadelphia, Sherwin attended Columbia University before embarking upon a long career in musical theatre and films. His most enduring composition is the music ...

Lyrics by Harold Purcell

Reception

Box Office

The film was hugely popular in Britain. The ''Motion Picture Herald'' said it was the third most watched film of the year after ''The Third Man'' and ''Johnny Belinda'' and more than ''Scott of the Antarctic'', ''Paleface'', ''Easter Parade'', ''Blue Lagoon'', ''Red River'', ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'' and ''The Hasty Heart''. Neagle and Wilding were voted the most popular stars of the year in Britain. According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'' the 'biggest winner' at the box office in 1949 Britain was ''The Third Man'' with "runners up" being ''Johnny Belinda'', ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'', ''Paleface'', ''Scott of the Antarctic'', ''The Blue Lagoon'', ''Maytime in Mayfair'', ''Easter Parade'', ''Red River'' and ''You Can't Sleep Here''. However even by December 1949 the film had not recouped its cost.

Critical reception

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 ...

'' called the film "nauseously Technicolored flimflam"; while ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' noted "The plot is about as simple as they come, but it's told so nicely that you can't help but be charmed. Wilding and Neagle are a sort of British Astaire and Rogers, playing well off each other in this lighthearted romp. The beautiful fashion designs, as well as glorious set decor, are well captured in the Technicolor photography."

References

External links

*
''Maytime in Mayfair'' at BFI Screenonline
{{Herbert Wilcox 1949 films British musical comedy films 1949 musical comedy films Films directed by Herbert Wilcox Films about fashion in the United Kingdom Films set in London British black-and-white films Films shot at MGM-British Studios 1940s English-language films 1940s British films