Tonie MacMillan Movies
- 1964
This film adaptation of Edith Bagnold's play stars Deborah Kerr as Miss Madrigal, the secretive new governess of British "problem child" Laurel (Hayley Mills). Both Madrigal and faithful butler Maitland (John Mills) are aware that Laurel's atrocious behavior stems from her belief that her oft-married mother (Elizabeth Sellars) does not love her. Madrigal determines to straighten out Laurel before she becomes totally unmanageable and hurts someone else. She knows what she's doing; Madrigal has just been released from a long prison term, having been charged with the murder of her stepsister. Dame Edith Evans steals every scene she's in as Laurel's wealthy grandmother, who is pulled away from tending her precious garden only when it appears that she has a murderess in her house (the old lady indicates that she's somewhat thrilled by the prospect). The Chalk Garden represented a "stretch" for Hayley Mills, who previously had been confined to sugary-sweet Disney heroines. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deborah Kerr, Hayley Mills, (more)
- 1955
In this romantic comedy, a womanizing uncle tells the story of his good-hearted but fickle niece, whose tendency to always champion the underdog causes her endless romantic woes. It all begins when she breaks up with her fiance on the eve of their wedding so she can marry and help out a half-starved aspiring playwright. With her moral support and his talent, the playwright makes it big. Unfortunately, her old fiance shows up. He has lost his fortune and must flee the police. The tender-hearted lass, unable to resist a hard-luck story, then falls for her former love until he is proven innocent. It is at that point that the niece chooses her man once and for all. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glynis Johns, Jack Buchanan, (more)
- 1952
In this comedy, a funeral director, thinking himself quite clever, hides his cash in his wife's girdle. Trouble ensues when she gives it away. While the director makes a mad dash to find it, it seems that his wife may be attracted to another. Fortunately peace is restored when he finds his money and his wife comes back. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1950
British actor Robert Donat's one-and-only film directorial effort was Cure for Love. Adapted from a popular stage play by Walter Greenwood, the film stars Donat as Jack, an army sergeant who returns home on leave. Having falling in love, Jack hopes that his hometown girl friend has forgotten his impulsive marriage proposal, but she hasn't. The film's comic complications arise from the fact that Jack, a war hero of conspicuous courage, turns into a quivering mass of jelly whenever dealing with affairs of the heart. The thick Lancashire dialect used by practically everyone in Cure for Love may be a bit difficult to comprehend for American audiences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Donat, Renée Ashershon, (more)
- 1950
In this comedy, a British earl retires after spending most of his life governing a tropical island and decides to return to England. While there he discovers that an island princess has also come to be close to his butler. The earl tries to send the woman back to her island home, but he fails and in the end the butler and the woman remain together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1948
Based on the play by Peter Blackmore, Miranda was the first of two British comedies starring Glynis Johns as a mischievous mermaid. Rescued from a watery grave by the finny-tailed Miranda (Johns), handsome doctor Paul Marten (Griffith Jones) agrees under durress to take his lovely rescuer to London. Hiding her scaly lower extremities with a blanket, Miranda pretends to be a patient in Paul's clinic, much to the discomfort of his jealous spouse Clare (Googie Withers). Along the way, two eligible bachelors (David Tomlinson and John McCallum) fall in love with Miranda-and are they in for a surprise! The irreplaceable Margaret Rutherford is a riot as Miranda's befuddled nurse. Incidentally, David Tomlinson and Glynis Johns were reteamed in 1964 as Mr. and Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glynis Johns, Googie Withers, (more)
- 1948
A Dutch and an English soldier team up to prevent the Nazis from capturing a precious Dutch diamond, the world's largest, in this war drama. Also included is a segment detailing how the giant gem was mined and cut. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
