It Always Rains on Sunday (1947)

An escaped convict tries to hide out at his former lover's house but she has since married and is far from keen on the idea.

Director:

Robert Hamer

Writers:

Arthur La Bern (novel), Angus MacPhail (screenplay),

Stars:

Googie Withers, Edward Chapman, John McCallum

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Googie Withers	...	Rose Sandigate
Edward Chapman	...	George Sandigate
Susan Shaw	...	Vi Sandigate
Patricia Plunkett	...	Doris Sandigate
David Lines	...	Alfie Sandigate
Sydney Tafler	...	Morry Hyams
Betty Ann Davies	...	Sadie - His Wife
John Slater	...	Lou - His Brother
Jane Hylton	...	Bessie - His Sister
Meier Tzelniker	...	Solly - His Father
John McCallum	...	Tommy Swann
Jimmy Hanley	...	Whitey
John Carol	...	Freddie
Alfie Bass	...	Dicey Perkins
Jack Warner	...	Det. Sergt. Fothergill

Storyline

Slice of life drama following the lives of various people in London's East End on a wet Sunday. (Is this film why people think it always rains in England ?) Rose was engaged to local wild boy Tommy Swann but he got imprisoned on Dartmoor. After he was locked up she got married to sedate but dull George. Tommy's now broken out of jail and comes to see Rose to get help to flee the country.

---

Plot Keywords:

escaped convict | police | sunday | english | fugitive | 

---

Taglines:

The secrets of a street you know

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Yiddish

Release Date:

1948 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Die Flucht vor Scotland Yard

Filming Locations:

Broadgate, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$7,176 (USA) (7 March 2008)

Gross:

$7,176 (USA) (7 March 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ealing Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tommy Swann's back is scarred from flogging, a judicial punishment that was taken off Great Britain's statutes in 1948--one year after this film was made.

---

Goofs

At the club, when Sadie (Morry's wife) sits down to talk to Doris, the spotlight shines on the wall behind them, and the shadow of the microphone is briefly visible.

---

Quotes

Joe: We don't cater to the criminal classes.
Detective Sergeant Fothergill: Turned over a new leaf?
Joe: There's such a thing as a law of libel.
Detective Sergeant Fothergill: There's such a thing as ham, but there's none in this sandwich.

---

Connections

Featured in Forever Ealing (2002)

---

Soundtracks

"Boogy Woogy"
(uncredited)
Music by W. Pogson

User Reviews

Bleak, desolate, but heart warming

The film was made and set in the bleak environment of post-war east London and shows Robert Hamer to be an extremely talented and sophisticated film maker. Unlike Dearden and Relph, Hamer does not impose a moral framework on his characters. The film shows two sides of adultery between Googie Withers and the escaped convict and between her daughter and a Jewish shopkeeper. What makes this film stand out is its intentioned 'realism' and complex character portrayals. This little known classic is probably one of Ealing's finest films.