Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Vivien Leigh | ... | Victoria Gow | |
Rex Harrison | ... | Frank Burdon | |
Cecil Parker | ... | Provost William Gow | |
Sara Allgood | ... | Honoria Hegarty | |
Ursula Jeans | ... | Lisbet Skirving | |
Gus McNaughton | ... | Horace Skirving | |
Edgar K. Bruce | ... | McKellar (as Edgar Bruce) | |
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Robert Hale | ... | Lord Skerryvore |
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Quinton McPherson | ... | Baillie Callender (as Quinton Macpherson) |
Arthur Wontner | ... | Fiscal | |
Eliot Makeham | ... | Sheriff | |
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George Pughe | ... | Menzies |
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Arthur Seaton | ... | Police Sergeant |
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Cecil Mannering | ... | Police Constable |
Ivor Barnard | ... | Watkins |
Frank Burdon (Sir Rex Harrison) is a new reporter on a small-town Scottish paper. He's told to interview local politician William Gow (Cecil Parker), then left in charge of the paper overnight. He sees Gow being high-handed to a woman who can't afford to license her dog, and decides to run that story instead of the expected puff piece. Both are decent men, but a little too proud to back down, and the battle escalates into a criminal case. But at the same time, Burdon and Gow's daughter Victoria (Vivien Leigh) are falling in love.
I agree with most of the other reviews, but there's lots more brilliance that has not been mentioned. James Bridie take a very funny swipe at American 1930's slang (the new maid and a funny reply by the Lord Judge).
I don't think of this as being at all Capra-like. None of his films has this kind of snappy, clever satirical dialog.
I've come to really consider this film of the best British comedies of the 1930's.
The current (2013) DVD issue is part of "The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection" and is a really great print. Buy it and you'll see!