Hobson's Choice (1954)

Director:

David Lean

Writers:

Harold Brighouse (play)
Wynyard Browne (writer)

Release Date:

19 April 1954 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Masterpiece of Lusty, Gusty, Rowdy Entertainment

Plot:

Henry Hobson runs a successful bootmaker's shop in nineteenth-century Salford. A widower with a weakness for the pub opposite...

Plot Keywords:

Father Daughter Relationship | Prejudice | Pride | Remake | Sense

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. May 19

8:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Charles Laughton	...	Henry Horatio Hobson
John Mills	...	Willie Mossop
Brenda De Banzie	...	Maggie Hobson
Daphne Anderson	...	Alice Hobson
Prunella Scales	...	Vicky Hobson
Richard Wattis	...	Albert Prosser
Derek Blomfield	...	Freddy Beenstock
Helen Haye	...	Mrs. Hepworth
Joseph Tomelty	...	Jim Heeler
Julien Mitchell	...	Sam Minns
Gibb McLaughlin	...	Tudsbury
Philip Stainton	...	Denton
Dorothy Gordon	...	Ada Figgins
Madge Brindley	...	Mrs. Figgins
John Laurie	...	Dr. MacFarlane

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Salford, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company:

London Film Productions

Trivia:

John Mills was an 11th hour casting decision.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Maggie and Will are standing outside the church before their wedding, a cooling tower can be seen to the left of Maggie. It would not have existed in 1800's Salford.

Movie Connections:

Version of Hobson's Choice (1920)

superb Northern comedy

Hobson's Choice starts with dopey Will Mossop being awakened into dreams of moving from the Salford cobblers' shop where he works, to a great shop in St Ann's Square, Manchester, by feisty spinster Maggie Hobson, daughter of the hard-drinking, tight-fisted Hobson, citizen of the community and Will's boss.

John Mills plays Will with the right amount of bewilderment and determination, at turns touching and hilarious; while Brenda de Banzie gives Maggie a sense of desperation throughout her scheme to make 'her man' a success. The great Yorkshire actor Charles Laughton is superb as Hobson.

Keen tv fans will spot Prunella Scales as little sister Vicky, Jack 'Albert Tatlock from Coronation Street' Howarth as Tubby, and John Laurie (Dad's Army's Fraser) as the brusque Scots doctor. Also in evidence in the cast is the reliable Richard Wattis as the pompous lawyer.

Hobson's Choice is a delightful play, a credit to David Lean and his cast, and a flag for the charms of old North-West England. It's a pleasure to be in the company of such a talented cast and a joy to watch this many, many times.

Best scenes include the moon in the puddles, Will's 'it's Oldfield Road for us', and Maggie's 'well, you'd better kiss me then'. And never has a man gone to his doom with more feeling than John Mills' Will on his wedding night!