The Courtneys of Curzon Street
The Courtneys of Curzon Street (also titled The Courtney Affair or Kathy's Love Affair, in the U.S.) is a 1947 British drama film starring Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding.
| The Courtneys of Curzon Street | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Italian poster ad | |
| Directed by | Herbert Wilcox |
| Produced by | George Maynard Herbert Wilcox |
| Written by | Florence Tranter (story) Nicholas Phipps |
| Starring | Anna Neagle Michael Wilding |
| Music by | Anthony Collins |
| Cinematography | Mutz Greenbaum |
| Edited by | Vera Campbell Flora Newton |
Production company | Herbert Wilcox Productions (as Imperadio) |
| Distributed by | British Lion Films(UK) |
Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes (UK) 112 minutes (US) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | ₤317,836 (UK)[1] |
The film is one of the most seen British films of all time, with 15.9 million tickets sold at the cinema.[2]
Plot
The son of a baronet shocks class-conscious 1900 British society by marrying an Irish servant. The film chronicles 45 years in their lives together and apart, through the Boer War and World War I and World War II.
Cast
- Anna Neagle as Kate O'Halloran
- Michael Wilding as Sir Edward Courtney
- Gladys Young as Lady Courtney
- Daphne Slater as Cynthia Carmody
- Jack Watling as Teddy Courtney
- Michael Medwin as Teddy Courtney
- Edgar Norfolk as Mr. W.
- Edward Rigby as Mr R.
- G. H. Mulcaster as Sir Edward Courtney Sr.
- Coral Browne as Valerie
- Alice Gachet as Louise
- Helen Cherry as Mary Courtney
- Ethel O'Shea as Mrs. O'Halloran
- Terry Randall as Pam
- Thora Hird as Maud
- Nicholas Phipps as Phipps
- Bernard Lee as Colonel Gascoyne
- Max Kirby as Algy Longworth
- Percy Walsh as Sir Frank Murchison
Production
It was originally known as Scarlet and Pure Gold.[3] The film was produced at the Shepperton Film Studios in Surrey. The title was changed when the film was released in the U.S. and in other countries', having been screened in many European countries and Scandinavia.
Reception
Box Office
It was the most popular film at the British box office for 1947.[4][5][6] According to Kinematograph Weekly the 'biggest winner' at the box office in 1947 Britain was The Courtneys of Curzon Street, with "runners up" being The Jolson Story, Great Expectations, Odd Man Out, Frieda, Holiday Camp and Duel in the Sun.[7]
Critical reception
- Film4.com called it an "entertaining romantic saga spanning three generations." [8]
- The New York Times wrote, "the romantic drama creaks soggily through three generations." [9]
References
- Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000
- Channel 4, top 100 film audiences (17th)
- C.A. LEJEUNE (25 August 1946). "BUSY DAYS IN LONDON: Film Studios Move Into High Gear, With Full Schedule of Pictures Under Way Films Coming Up In Father's Footsteps Notes in Brief". New York Times. p. 51.
- "Anna Neagle Most Popular Actress". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 January 1948. p. 3. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- "JAMES MASON 1947 FILM FAVOURITE". The Irish Times. 2 January 1948. p. 7.
- Thumim, Janet. "The popular cash and culture in the postwar British cinema industry". Screen. Vol. 32 no. 3. p. 258.
- Lant, Antonia (1991). Blackout : reinventing women for wartime British cinema. Princeton University Press. p. 232.
- "Courtneys of Curzon Street, The". Film4. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- H. H. T. (3 July 1952). "Movie Review – The Courtney Affair – THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; Two British Imports, Combined in Double Bill, Open at Beacon and Midtown Theatres". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 28 July 2014.