''The Butler's Dilemma'' is a 1943

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Richard Hearne,

Ronald Shiner Ronald Alfred Shiner (8 June 1903 – 29 June 1966) was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall. Early life and career When he was seventeen, Shiner joined the Royal North-Wes ...

as Ernie,

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

, Francis L. Sullivan,

Judy Kelly Julie Aileen Kelly (1 November 1913 – 22 October 1991), known professionally as Judy Kelly, was an Australian-born British actress. She arrived in Britain in 1932 after winning a competition organised by the Australian British Empire Films, ...

and

Hermione Gingold Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold (; 9 December 189724 May 1987) was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric character. Her signature drawling, deep voice was a result of nodules on her vocal cords she developed in the 1920s and ea ...

.BFI.org
/ref> It was produced by Elisabeth Hiscott and

Graham Cutts John Henry Graham Cutts (1884 – 7 February 1958), known as Graham Cutts, was a British film director, one of the leading British directors in the 1920s. His fellow director A. V. Bramble believed that Gainsborough Pictures had been built ...

for

Shaftesbury Films Shaftesbury Films is a film, television and digital media production company founded by Christina Jennings in 1987. It is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background Shaftesbury is a creator and producer of original content for television and ...

, and filmed at British National Studios.

Plot

A group of friends undertakes a number of deceptions in order to stage an illicit gambling party. Wimpish Rodney Playfair is persuaded, by a promise to erase his gambling debts, to impersonate an old manservant named Chapman for a few weeks in order to unwittingly provide an alibi for an accomplished thief.

Cast

* Richard Hearne as Rodney Playfair / Chapman the butler * Francis L. Sullivan as Leo Carrington *

as Ann *

as Aunt Sophie * Henry Kendall as Carmichael *

André Randall André Randall (9 December 1892 – 4 July 1974) was a French screen actor. He was born André Ayaïs in Bordeaux and died at Sainte-Foy-la-Grande. Filmography *1919: ''The Odds Against Her'' (directed by Alexander Butler) *1931: '' Mistigri' ...

as Vitello *

as Sir Hubert Playfair *

Ralph Truman Ralph du Vergier Truman (7 May 1900 – 15 October 1977) was an English actor, usually cast as either a villain or an authority figure. He possessed a distinguished speaking voice. He was born in London, England. Truman originally studied at ...

as Bishop *

Wally Patch Walter Sydney Vinnicombe (26 September 1888 – 27 October 1970), known as Wally Patch, was an English actor and comedian. He worked in film, television and theatre. Biography Vinnicombe was born in Willesden, Middlesex and began working on th ...

as Tom *

as Ernie *

Marjorie Rhodes Marjorie Rhodes (9 April 1897 – 4 July 1979) was a British actress. She was born Millicent Wise in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. Career One of her better-known roles was as Lucy Fitton, the mother in Bill Naughton's pl ...

as Mrs Plumb * Arthur Denton as detective * Alf Goddard as policeman

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "At least one viewer found it difficult to make head or tail of the story at all, even with the wide licence extended to farce, and came away with the conviction that he had seen one of the silliest films ever made." ''

Kine Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. Etymology The word Kinematograph was derived from the Greek ' Kinumai ', (to move, to be in motion, to ...

'' wrote: "Richard Hearne has some excellent chances to Indulge his own particular brand of acrobatic humour, Judy Kelly sings, Hermione Gingold puts over the sophisticated brand of wisecracking that has made her famous." ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' gave the film two out of five stars, calling it, "Terribly tepid."

References

External links

''The Butler's Dilemma''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* 1943 films 1943 comedy films British black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Leslie S. Hiscott British comedy films Films shot at British National Studios 1940s British films English-language comedy films {{1940s-UK-comedy-film-stub