Cecil Parker is an upper officer of the Treasury, a natural fussbudget who views his remit as stopping government waste and sparing the overtaxed taxpayer. His salary is adequate, but little more, affording him two luxuries: his nitwit wife, Hermione Baddeley, whom he loves dearly, and his club, which he loves almost as much. Then he inherits a quarter of a million pounds, and discovers that it's enough money to be miserable on.
If the part was not written for Parker, they must have thought of him immediately when they bought the movie rights. It's the very model of his comic persona, fussy, yet endearing, set in his ways, yet very much a fish out of water. Other performers who are favorites of mine include Glynis Johns, Dirk Bogarde as his surly son, Sheila Sims as his arty daughter, and Ian Carmichael as a hat salesman. It's all in service of Parker's performance, offering a tour de force.
If the part was not written for Parker, they must have thought of him immediately when they bought the movie rights. It's the very model of his comic persona, fussy, yet endearing, set in his ways, yet very much a fish out of water. Other performers who are favorites of mine include Glynis Johns, Dirk Bogarde as his surly son, Sheila Sims as his arty daughter, and Ian Carmichael as a hat salesman. It's all in service of Parker's performance, offering a tour de force.