Laughter in Paradise (1951)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Mario Zampi

Writers:

Jack Davies (writer)
Michael Pertwee (writer)

Release Date:

11 November 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

When a millionaire practical joker dies, he divides his fortune among four heirs who must carry out his zany instructions to cash in.

Plot Keywords:

Millionaire | Inheritance

Cast

Alastair Sim	...	Deniston Russell
Fay Compton	...	Agnes Russell
Guy Middleton	...	Simon Russell
George Cole	...	Herbert Russell
Hugh Griffith	...	Henry Russell
Ernest Thesiger	...	Endicott
Beatrice Campbell	...	Lucille Grayson
Mackenzie Ward	...	Benson
A.E. Matthews	...	Sir Charles Robson
Joyce Grenfell	...	Elizabeth Robson
Eleanor Summerfield	...	Sheila Wilcott
John Laurie	...	Gordon Webb
Veronica Hurst	...	Joan Webb
Anthony Steel	...	Roger Godfrey
Charlotte Mitchell	...	Ethel

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | UK:U | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Swan & Edgar, Regent Street, London, England, UK

Company:

Mario Zampi Productions

Trivia:

Ronald Adam replaced Ronald Ward.

Quotes:

Simon Russell: [Looking at the photo of Elizabeth in Deniston's wallet as they share a drink at the bar] What on earth's that?
Deniston Russell: That - is Elizabeth.
Simon Russell: You're dead right, old boy, not my cup of tea at all.
Deniston Russell: I should hope not. Look I must telephone her now.
Simon Russell: The box is over there.
Deniston Russell: Thank you. With all this on my mind I just cannot face her tonight.
Simon Russell: Couldn't face her any night.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Some Will, Some Won't (1970)

an overview of the title, plot, and cast

One would be hard-pressed not to laugh along with the Russell family in the final scene of this, my most favorite of British post-war comedies. It is a comedy in every sense, albeit one which points up several life lessons as it unfolds. Alistair Sim - whose roles have run the gamut from Headmistress of a girls' public school (the St. Trinian's series)to benign assassin (The Green Man) to the dramatic (the quintessential Scrooge in A Christmas Carol) once again proves here that he is without doubt the best of many comic actors in the English cinema. Surrounded by a cast of equal talents (Fay Compton, George Cole, Guy Middleton, A.E. Matthews, John Laurie, and the irrepressible Joyce Grenfell) Sim leads a Light Cavalry charge through a wonderfully woven plot. There are wonderful morals to be learned here also. If you haven't seen this gem, by all means get the video and fill that gaping void in your filmic experiences.