Upstairs and Downstairs

Upstairs and Downstairs is a 1959 British comedy drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Anne Heywood, Mylène Demongeot, Claudia Cardinale, James Robertson Justice, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson and Sid James.[1] It should not be confused with the popular British BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning hit television series Upstairs, Downstairs.

This article is about the 1959 British film. For other uses, see Upstairs Downstairs. For the 1925 German film, see Upstairs and Downstairs (1925 film).

Upstairs and Downstairs
Directed byRalph Thomas
Produced byBetty E. Box
Written byFrank Harvey
Based onnovel by Ronald Scott Thorn
StarringMichael Craig
Anne Heywood
Mylène Demongeot
Claudia Cardinale
Music byPhilip Green
CinematographyErnest Steward
Edited byAlfred Roome
Production
company
Ralph Thomas-Betty E Box Productions
Distributed byThe Rank Organisation
Release date
27 August 1959
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

It features the first English-language performance of Claudia Cardinale.

Plot

Richard Barry marries Kate, daughter of his boss, Mansfield. Mansfield tells Richard he needs to take over the entertaining for their film so Richard decides to hire a servant.

Their first hire, the Italian Maria, ends disastrously when she keeps inviting sailors over to their house to party.

They eventually hire Ingrid.

Cast

Production

Ralph Thomas and Betty Box made the film after a series of more expensive adventure films. "I'm glad we're back in comedy", said Box. "I like to make people laugh. I think they get enough crying in daily life. Also the results in comedy are more tangible. You hear where you succeed."[2]

Ralph Thomas later called the film "a light comedy which I liked very much... I had a great cast in that one... For its period it was a very effective, very small little comedy, which I think was really very funny."[3]

Release

Upstairs and Downstairs was one of seven Rank films bought for release in the US by 20th Century Fox.[4]

References
  1. Upstairs and Downstairs on IMDb
  2. Melita Knowles (19 May 1959). "Producer Betty Box Prefers Comedies: Good Collaboration". The Christian Science Monitor. p. 4.
  3. Collected Interviews: Voices from Twentieth-century Cinema by Wheeler W. Dixon, SIU Press, 2001 p112
  4. "Of Local Origin". New York Times. 7 January 1960. p. 25.


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