Love on the Dole (1941)

During the depression in England, a young lady from Lancashire decides to be a rich bookmaker's mistress, just to help the rest of her family who are unemployed.

Director:

John Baxter

Writers:

Walter Greenwood (novel), Ronald Gow (play),

Stars:

Deborah Kerr, Clifford Evans, George Carney

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Deborah Kerr	...	Sally
Clifford Evans	...	Larry
George Carney	...	Mr. Hardcastle
Mary Merrall	...	Mrs. Hardcastle
Geoffrey Hibbert	...	Harry
Joyce Howard	...	Helen
Frank Cellier	...	Sam Grundy
Martin Walker	...	Ned Narkey
Maire O'Neill	...	Mrs. Dorbell
Iris Vandeleur	...	Mrs. Nattle
Marie Ault	...	Mrs. Jike
Marjorie Rhodes	...	Mrs. Bull

Storyline

During the depression in England, a young lady from Lancashire decides to be a rich bookmaker's mistress, just to help the rest of her family who are unemployed.

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Plot Keywords:

1930s | labor union | dole | pawnbroker | bookie | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

De stängda portarna

Filming Locations:

Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British National Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Ultra Violet Recording)

Color:

Black and White (Sepia)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film of Yvonne Mitchell.

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Quotes

Sally: I thought I'd have been married by now.
Mrs. Bull: Huh! You've not missed much by missing that. Yer marry for love an' find you've let yourself in for a seven day a week job with no pay. An' yer don't find it out 'till it's too late.

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Connections

Remade as ITV Play of the Week: Love on the Dole (1967)

User Reviews

Love on the Dole, on the Dole

This is a typical BBC2 or Channel 4 afternoon offering: British, black and white, at least 40 years old and just what you'd watch if you are indeed on the dole.

It reminds me of This Happy Breed (1944), featuring working class people and their daily struggle for survival in a class-ridden society, only this time it's the Great Depression in the Welsh valleys. They face temptations, peer hostility if they do not conform to the norm, and total frustration (though in this case alleviated by a seaside visit to Blackpool, that epitome of Englishness).

It is actually a very political film, containing a violent clash between the unemployed demonstrators and the stubborn, violent police. Presumably the prime minister of the day - Winston Churchill - would have loved this film as he battered the workers himself a few times.

John Baxter, the director, was never a household name, probably because of his strange, expressionist editing which is unusual for any British film, let alone this offering from the war years. However, there are some advanced - for 1941 - special effects.

The film could have benefited from some outside, location shooting down in south Wales, too. Somewhere like Ferndale, perhaps.