Last Holiday (1950)

When a lonely, unappreciated farm equipment salesman discovers he has only weeks to live, he withdraws his savings for a final holiday at a 'posh' resort.

Director:

Henry Cass

Writer:

J.B. Priestley (screenplay)

Stars:

Alec Guinness, Beatrice Campbell, Kay Walsh

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alec Guinness	...	George Bird
Beatrice Campbell	...	Sheila Rockingham
Kay Walsh	...	Mrs. Poole
Grégoire Aslan	...	Gambini (as Coco Aslan)
Jean Colin	...	Daisy Clarence
Muriel George	...	Lady Oswington
Brian Worth	...	Derek Rockingham
Esma Cannon	...	Miss Fox
Bernard Lee	...	Inspector Wilton
Sid James	...	Joe Clarence
Campbell Cotts	...	Bellinghurst
Moultrie Kelsall	...	Sir Robert Kyle
Madam Kirkwood-Hackett	...	Miss Hatfield
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Chalfont
Eric Maturin	...	Wrexham

Storyline

George Bird's rather lonely anonymous existence as an underappreciated seller of farm machinery is jarred when his physician informs him that he is suffering from the rare malady Lampington's Disease and only has a few weeks to live. Believing he has nothing to lose, Bird resigns his position and withdraws his modest life savings in order to spend his remaining time in a "posh" seaside resort. There he keeps his own counsel about his condition and meets people who live in a world he could never have imagined. Incredibly he finds there are personal and professional opportunities now open to him that he never dreamed would be his, but unfortunately he is no position to take advantage of them... until fate lends a hand.

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Plot Keywords:

salesman | spending spree | unionists | royal flush | ironic ending | 

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Taglines:

Guinness...The Great Lover!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vacances sur ordonnance

Filming Locations:

Luton, Bedfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), Watergate Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

George Bird: How do you keep smiling with a stiff upper lip?

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Connections

Remade as Last Holiday (2006)

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Soundtracks

"The Beggars Theme"
Composed by Francis Chagrin

User Reviews

Quaint and original but WICKEDEST Ending in Cineama History

Absent for years in Europe on both TV and Video, I finally managed to acquire this one on a VHS tape from the US. A man learns he has a short time to live and decides to make the most of it by living it up in a luxury hotel. His life suddenly becomes far more interesting, makes more money than ever before and luck generally smiles him in the face. I remember seeing it about Thirty years ago and wondered how a new viewing would affect me. There were one or two disappointments, I had a memory of the film being rather more romantic than it actually is ( nothing much actually happens on this side ) and parts of the film are rather 'chatty'. This said the overall story is quite original. The film captures that now long-lost atmosphere of a luxury 1950's English hotel in the bright sunshine presumably situated in Devon or Cornwall (as we see palm trees in the garden. There are many well-known actors and the script is quite original to say the least. Another of J.B. Priestley's stories 'An Inspector Calls' was also made on film and is actually very good, even better than 'Last Holiday'. Nevertheless, the haunting theme music (solo fiddle) and thedécors are A1. Picture and sound quality are very good for the time (1950) and I am surprised that the film is not readily available on VHS and DVD everywhere! Of course, Alec Guinness was a great actor and his performance here is totally up to standard. If the romantic side of it all had been pushed just a little further the film would have been perfect for me ! The ending of the film is the Wickedest and most unexpected in the history of cinema !