A Yank in London (1945)

The WW II romance set in Grosvenor square aka Eisenhower's home wherethe GIs stayed in London. Neagle loves Harrison. There arrives patriot GI Dean Jagger to rouse things up in the square. ... See full summary »

Director:

Herbert Wilcox

Writers:

Maurice Cowan (by), Nicholas Phipps (Anglo-American scenario) (as Nicholas Phipps { Great Britain })

Stars:

Anna Neagle, Rex Harrison, Dean Jagger

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Neagle	...	Lady Patricia Fairfax
Rex Harrison	...	Major David Bruce
Dean Jagger	...	Sgt. John Patterson
Robert Morley	...	Duke of Exmoor
Nancy Price	...	Mrs. Wilson
Irene Vanbrugh	...	Mrs. Catchpole (as Dame Irene Vanbrugh)
Jane Darwell	...	Mrs. Patterson
Elliot Arluck	...	Sgt. Benjie Greenburg (as P.F.C. Eliott Arluck U.S.Army)
Walter Hudd	...	Vicar
Edward Rigby	...	Innkeeper
Cecil Ramage	...	Trewhewy
Irene Manning	...	Herself - U.S.O. Singer - Courtesy Appearance
Francis Pierlot	...	Postman
Aubrey Mallalieu	...	Bates
Michael Shepley	...	Lt. Lutyens

Storyline

The WW II romance set in Grosvenor square aka Eisenhower's home wherethe GIs stayed in London. Neagle loves Harrison. There arrives patriot GI Dean Jagger to rouse things up in the square. Snotty British Neagle and Jagger clash and fall for each other. What will Harrison have to say or do about these? What will the consequences be? Will the three finally become two and which two in this extremely patriotic love and war story.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Yank in London

Filming Locations:

St Mary's Church, Totnes, Devon, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), Herbert Wilcox Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When David goes to console Pat, in one shot she has her hands down with a cigarette in her right hand. In the next shot, her arms are resting on her elbows with her hands clasped in front of her face.

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Quotes

2nd Girl in Guard's Van: Who gave you those?
Girl in Guard's Van: This Top Sergeant I was telling you about.
2nd Girl in Guard's Van: Coo... He must be a proper sport.
Girl in Guard's Van: He's a sport alright but I dunno about proper...

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Crazy Credits

Closing credits epilogue: 'Two together' Winds blow south, or winds blow north, Day come white,or night come black, Home, or rivers and mountains from home, Singing all time, minding no time, While we two keep together."

Walt Whitman.

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Connections

Featured in The Ultimate Film (2004)

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Soundtracks

Red River Valley
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by the paratroopers with modified lyrics

User Reviews

we are allies, we are in this together, we must get along

The most interesting part of the movie was that you couldn't predict how it would come out. It has less of the dislike of American military men (overpaid, oversexed, and over here) than was actually felt by British men in uniform, as well as those on the homefront who weren't just out for fun with the soldiers, and I suspect it was written to ease tensions that were almost to the breaking point. When this was made there was no way of knowing how long the war would continue so I don't think it was written with postwar relations in mind. I do know that a great many Brits even today are very hostile to the American notion that America won the war and saved the free world. Compared to their contribution, we were "johnny come lately"s to both wars. This movie tells us it was a cooperative effort and we should appreciate each other's contributions.

A touching aspect is the tie between the American who lost his father in WWI and the housekeeper who lost her husband in the same war.

I enjoyed the election when the woman suggested maybe they should have tried having a woman stand for that position instead of a man. Here, here!

There were short scenes of the worrying going on in the American homefront, to show families suffered in both countries. There was an American whose ancestor had come from that little town. To heavily underline that idea that we are very similar and can all get along was the American, flying a plane with a Brit, who married a Brit intending to bring her to the US and wished there were a bridge between the two countries--and the reaction wasn't that the fellow was a vile interloper stealing British women while their men were overseas. And finally a quotation on the screen if you hadn't gotten the drift from the rest of the movie. This should be titled Why Can't We Be Friends?

I might have given this a 10 but I got tired of the hammering home of the point. The fact that they felt they had to do that is an indication of how much Americans were resented in Britain, not just for their manners and culture, and romancing women with gifts of luxury goods they hadn't seen in a very long time (getting many pg) but also for being wasteful with food and supplies that British sailors were dying from U boat attacks to bring to Britain.