''Young Wives' Tale'', also known as ''Fun for Four'', is a 1951 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 Henry Cass and starring Joan Greenwood,

Nigel Patrick Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman (2 May 1912 – 21 September 1981) was an English actor and stage director born into a theatrical family. During the late 1940s and 1950s, he became known as a debonair leading man in British films, though he ...

, Derek Farr, and

Guy Middleton Guy Middleton Powell (14 December 1907 – 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 tur ...

. The film is based on the 1949 play '' Young Wives' Tale'' by

Ronald Jeans Ronald Jeans (10 May 1887 – 16 May 1973) was a British playwright with a career spanning nearly 50 years. Early life Ronald Jeans was born in Oxton, Merseyside, the younger son of Sir Alexander Grigor Jeans (1849–1924), the founder and ma ...

. It features one of

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

's earliest film roles, albeit a minor one, as Eve Lester.

Plot

During the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

housing shortage, Bruce and Mary are a married couple who both have professional jobs and own their own house, and they let out rooms, including to another married couple, Rodney and Sabina, because Sabina is a friend of Mary. Both couples have an infant child, and the presence of a nanny for the two children exacerbates the problems caused by the crowding. Another young female lodger and Sabina's persistent old beau intensify the tensions.

Cast

* Joan Greenwood as Sabina Pennant *

as Rodney Pennant * Derek Farr as Bruce Banning *

as Victor Manifold * Athene Seyler as Nanny Gallop *

Helen Cherry Helen Mary Cherry (24 November 1915 – 27 September 2001) was an English stage, film and television actress. She was born in Worsley, Lancashire, and brought up in Harrogate, West Riding of Yorkshire. Marriage Whilst working at the Arts Th ...

as Mary Banning *

as Eve Lester * Fabia Drake as Nanny Blott *

Irene Handl Irene Handl () (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films; she also wrote novels. Life Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the younger of two daughters of an Aus ...

as Nanny *

Brian Oulton Brian Oulton (11 February 1908 – 13 April 1992) was an English character actor. Biography Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, Oulton made his acting debut in 1939 as a lead actor. During the Second World War he served in the British Army, and retu ...

as Man in pub *

Joan Sanderson Joan Sanderson (24 November 1912 – 24 May 1992) was an English actress. During a long career on stage and screen, her tall and commanding disposition led to her playing mostly dowagers, spinsters and matrons, as well as intense Shakespearean ...

as Nurse

Critical reception

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 ...

'' noted "Broad humor is the order of the day," and rated the film 3/5 stars.

References

External links

* 1951 films Films shot at Associated British Studios 1950s English-language films Films directed by Henry Cass Films set in London British comedy films 1951 comedy films British black-and-white films British films based on plays 1950s British films English-language comedy films {{1950s-UK-comedy-film-stub