Our Girl Friday

Our Girl Friday
Directed by Noel Langley
Produced by George Minter
Written by Noel Langley
Based on The Cautious Amorist by Norman Lindsay
Starring Joan Collins
George Cole
Kenneth More
Robertson Hare
Cinematography Wilkie Cooper
Edited by John Seabourne
Production
company
Langley-Minter Productions
Renown
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • 1 December 1953 (1953-12-01)
Running time
 88 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

Our Girl Friday (U.S. title The Adventures of Sadie) is a 1953 British comedy film starring Joan Collins, George Cole, Kenneth More and Robertson Hare. It is about a woman who is shipwrecked with three men on a deserted island.[1]

The film was based on the Australian writer Norman Lindsay's 1934 novel The Cautious Amorist.[2]

Plot

A ship collision results in four survivors from an ocean liner winding up on a desert island: spoiled heiress Sadie, lecturer Professor Gimble, journalist Jimmy Carrol and ship's stoker Pat Plunket.

Carrol falls in love with Sadie and she kisses him. Gibble falls in love with Sadie. This causes conflict between Carrol and Gibble that results in Sadie wanting to move to the other side of the island to live alone.

Gibble gets the wrong impression that Pat and Sadie are intimate. Pat finds a bottle of rum and gets drunk.

Sadie takes over as leader on the island. When the men threaten to strike, she declares that the group will never function until she marries one of the men. They draw straws and Gibble gets the short straw, but tries to back out in favour of Pat. Then a ship appears and the group are rescued.

Safe on the ship, Gibble falls in love with Sadie again and asks her to marry him. So does Carrol. However, Sadie is in love with Pat, but he refuses her marriage proposal, saying they are too different. But Sadie persuades the ship's captain that Pat is obliged to marry her, but before it can happen that ship goes down.

Sadie wades ashore at the same island where Pat has already arrived.

Cast

Production

Norman Lindsay's novel The Cautious Amorist was published in 1931. It was banned in parts of Australia.[3]

Film rights were purchased in 1948. It was to be written and directed by Noel Langley and Robertson Hare was attached as a star. The original producer was John Sutro and the working title was Sadie was a Lady.[4] Lucille Ball was going to be the female star.[5] Then Jane Russell was going to play it.[6] By now George Minter was producer and the title was The Girl on the Island.[7] The film ended up not being made until several years later.

Joan Collins was borrowed from J. Arthur Rank to appear in the film. The movie was mostly shot on location in Majorca, Spain. More's fee was £4,500.[8]

"I wore a bikini and no make up", said Collins later. "It was quite restful and more like a holiday than work."[9]

Collins later claimed she was the first actress to appear in a bikini on screen in this film. Her character tears up a shirt into a makeshift one.[10]

Reception

Although the film was released after Genevieve (1953), which made More a star, it performed disappointingly at the box office.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "BRITISH COMEDY". The Australian Women's Weekly. 5 October 1955. p. 61. Retrieved 6 May 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "THEY'VE BEEN TO THE MOON". The Argus. Melbourne. 6 August 1955. p. 39. Retrieved 25 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "BANNED NOVEL". The Sydney Morning Herald (30, 079). 30 May 1934. p. 17. Retrieved 25 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "LATEST FILM NEWS FROM ABROAD". The Sun (11, 877). New South Wales, Australia. 19 February 1948. p. 19 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 25 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "LOVELY REDHEAD LEAVING FOR U.K." The Mirror. 25 (1363). Western Australia. 3 July 1948. p. 15. Retrieved 25 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Lindsay Novel To Be Filmed". The Sydney Morning Herald (34, 843). 24 August 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 25 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Says Richard Kisch Americans Invade English Countryside". Sunday Times (2688). Perth. 4 September 1949. p. 10. Retrieved 25 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. 1 2 Kenneth More, More or Less, Hodder & Staughton, 1978 p 160
  9. ↑ JOAN COLLINS--with a BRAIN BEAUTY: Newest British Film Import Brings Looks and Talent to First Hollywood Assignment Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923–1963); Chicago, Ill. [Chicago, Ill]01 May 1955: o42.
  10. ↑ Review: Agenda: The List: The 10 Best Cinema Swimwear scenes: As chosen by Jason Solomons, Observer Film Writer Solomons, Jason. The Observer; London (UK) [London (UK)]05 June 2011: 6.


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