Young Wives' Tale (1951)

Director:

Henry Cass

Writers:

Anne Burbnaby (writer)
Ronald Jeans (play)

Release Date:

9 June 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A post-war housing crisis leaves a shy woman to share a house with two couples. Comic situations arise...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play

Cast

Joan Greenwood	...	Sabina Pennant
Nigel Patrick	...	Rodney Pennant
Derek Farr	...	Bruce Banning
Guy Middleton	...	Victor Manifold
Athene Seyler	...	Nanny Gallop
Helen Cherry	...	Mary Banning
Audrey Hepburn	...	Eve Lester
Fabia Drake	...	Nanny Blott
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Selma Vaz Dias	...	Ayah
Irene Handl	...	Nanny
Carole James	...	Elizabeth
Jack McNaughton	...	Cab driver
Brian Oulton	...	Man in pub
Joan Sanderson	...	Nurse

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC)

Enjoyable post war British farce

I bumped up the user rating on this film to 8/10 as I was disappointed to see it rated so low at 5.2/10.This 1951 film is mainly acted out on one set - a suburban house - so I suspect it was again another filmed stage play.The plot concerns the marriage teething problems of two couples who share the same house, Joan Greenwood (Sabina Pennant), Nigel Patrick (Rodney Pennant) and Helen Cherry ((Mary Banning - Sabina's elder career minded sister), Derek Farr (Bruce Banning).

After WWII in Britain many married couples had to live with their parents (or in-laws) as mortgages for owner occupied properties were very difficult to obtain then.Many houses had been blitzed and the Government started a "prefab" scheme to rehouse poorer occupants.I was born in 1946 and was therefore 5 years old when this was filmed but I can empathise with the post war economic problems having lived then as a child.

The main problem for ex-actress Joan Greenwood (mother to a 2 1/2 year old son) is to find a reliable nanny after the first one (Fabia Drake) leaves "in a huff".Likewise career mother, Helen Cherry, is mother to a young 2 year old daughter.As Sabina is getting stressed out coping with all the housework (laundry/food preparation/child care etc.), her sister finds a veritable treasure replacement nanny (Athene Seyler) whom she finds in the park.Due to a silly misunderstanding concerning morality with the nanny, the couples have to pretend to be married to each other.

The farce is further complicated by the addition of two friends who regularly pop into the house, Guy Middleton, (Victor Manifold), who is close to Sabina and a 22 year old Audrey Hepburn (Eve Lester), who is close to Rodney.Of course there are pretend affairs, rows, reconciliations in true farce style.The acting is professional rep. standard.This was the first time I had seen this film and I enjoyed it immensely.