Summary
29 Acacia Avenue is a play by Denis and Mabel Constanduros.[4] Its 1945 British comedy-drama film adaptation, directed by Henry Cass,[5] was released in the U.S. as The Facts of Love.[6]
| 29 Acacia Avenue | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Henry Cass |
| Written by | Denis and Mabel Constanduros (play) Muriel and Sydney Box (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Sydney Box |
| Starring | Gordon Harker Betty Balfour Jimmy Hanley Hubert Gregg Jill Evans Henry Kendall Dinah Sheridan Megs Jenkins Noele Gordon Guy Middleton |
| Cinematography | Ernest Palmer Robert Huke |
| Edited by | Julian Wintle |
| Music by | Muir Mathieson (musical director) |
Production companies | Columbia British Productions Boca Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures Corporation (United Kingdom) Oxford Films (United States) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £30,000[1] or £45,000[2][3] |
Premise edit
Peter Robinson falls in love with the naïve country girl Fay and the worldly, wealthy and already-married Joan, and lives with them both (and Joan's husband) at his parents' house. However, one day Peter's parents unexpectedly return from holiday, and all hell breaks loose.
Cast edit
- Gordon Harker as Mr. Robinson
- Betty Balfour as Mrs. Robinson
- Jimmy Hanley as Peter Robinson
- Carla Lehmann as Fay
- Hubert Gregg as Michael
- Jill Evans as Joan
- Henry Kendall as Mr. Wilson
- Dinah Sheridan as Pepper
- Megs Jenkins as Shirley
- Noele Gordon as Mrs. Wilson
- Guy Middleton as Gerald
- Aubrey Mallalieu as Martin
Critical reception edit
Allmovie wrote, "one of the few low-budget British programmers to enjoy a reasonably widespread American release...The film weaves three separate romantic subplots into an entertaining unified whole";[7] though Sky Movies called the film "one wartime West End success that didn't transfer too well to screen, ending up embarrassingly stagey";[8] but the Radio Times thought that although the film "fails to fully disguise its theatrical origins...it nevertheless makes for pleasant period entertainment, with particularly likeable performances from British veterans Gordon Harker and Betty Balfour as the parents."[9]
References edit
- ^ Geoffrey Macnab, J. Arthur Rank and the British Film Industry, London, Routledge (1993), p119
- ^ Andrew Spicer, The Lion That Lost Its Way and Other Cautionary Tales of the Show Business Jungle: the autobiography of Sydney Box
- ^ MacQuitty, William (1994). A Life to Remember. Quartet books. p. 296. ISBN 9780704327894.
- ^ Constanduros, Mabel; Constanduros, Denis (1944). Acacia Avenue: A Comedy in Three Acts (French's acting ed.). London: French.
- ^ Drazin, Charles (1998). The Finest Years: British Cinema of the 1940s. London: Andre Deutsch. p. 206. ISBN 9780233989853.
- ^ "29, Acacia Avenue". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
- ^ "Facts of Love (1945) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "29 Acacia Avenue". Find and Watch.
- ^ Tony Sloman. "29 Acacia Avenue". RadioTimes.
External links edit
