Kurt at 20:13, 20 February 2023

2023-02-20T20:13:42Z

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	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=May 2016}}~~
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	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	~~\| name = Penny Princess~~
	\| image_size =		\| image_size =
	\| image = Penny Princess ~~FilmPoster~~.~~jpeg~~		\| image = Penny Princess Film Poster.jpg
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| director = [[Val Guest]]		\| director = [[Val Guest]]

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en>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: /* External links */add Category:1950s British films

2022-09-03T18:04:29Z

External links: add Category:1950s British films

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Penny Princess
| image_size =
| image = Penny Princess FilmPoster.jpeg
| caption =
| director = [[Val Guest]]
| producer = {{ubl|[[Earl St. John]]|[[Frank Godwin (film producer)|Frank Godwin]]}}
| writer = Val Guest
| narrator =
| starring = {{ubl|[[Dirk Bogarde]]|[[Yolande Donlan]]|[[Reginald Beckwith]]}}
| music = [[Ronald Hanmer]]
| cinematography = [[Geoffrey Unsworth]]
| editing = [[Alfred Roome]]
| studio = Conquest Productions
| distributor = [[General Film Distributors]]
| released = 25 August 1952
| runtime = 91 minutes
| country = {{ubl|United Kingdom}}
| language = English
| budget =
}}
'''''Penny Princess''''' is a 1952 British [[Technicolor]] [[comedy film]] written and directed by [[Val Guest]] and starring [[Yolande Donlan]], [[Dirk Bogarde]] and [[A. E. Matthews]]. It was made by Guest for his own production company, Conquest Productions. The film stars his future wife Donlan, who was Guest's production company partner, and features [[Reginald Beckwith]], the other partner in Conquest Productions. It was released by [[General Film Distributors]]. It was distributed in America the following year by [[Universal Pictures]].

It was made at [[Pinewood Studios]] near [[London]]. [[Location shooting]] took place in [[Montseny]], [[Catalonia]], the first British production to be filmed in Spain.<ref>p.90 Mitchell, John ''Flickering Shadows: A Lifetime in Film'' 1997 Harold Martin & Redman</ref> The film's sets were designed by the [[art director]] [[Maurice Carter (film designer)|Maurice Carter]].

==Plot==
The fictional European [[microstate]] of Lampidorra has "no taxes, no quotas, no tariffs, no forms to fill in". Its two thousand residents make their money from the national (and legal) profession of [[smuggling]] to and from its neighbors: France, Italy, and Switzerland. However, the country falls on hard times and becomes bankrupt.

The small state seeks the financial support of the United States in the guise of a rich American who buys the whole country for $100,000. When he dies shortly afterward, Lampidorra is inherited by his distant relative, Lindy Smith (Yolande Donlan), a [[Macy's]] shopgirl.

On the way to her new realm, Lindy meets Tony Craig (Dirk Bogarde), an inexperienced British salesman trying to sell cheese to the Swiss. When she arrives in Lampidorra, Lindy is met by the ruling [[triumvirate]]: the [[Chancellor]] (Erwin Styles), who is a [[shoemaking|cobbler]], the [[Burgomeister]] ([[Kynaston Reeves]]), who is a policeman, and the Minister of Finance ([[Reginald Beckwith]]), who is a [[blacksmith]]. As her first royal decree, she outlaws smuggling. However, this exacerbates the financial crisis, as her inheritance will be tied up for at least six months by legalities.

By chance, [[Teetotalism|teetotaler]] Lindy gets a bit tipsy when she samples Lampidorran "schneese", a cheese made with [[Schnapps]]. She decides it would make a terrific export and has Tony brought to her to help market it. The alcoholic cheese is a sensation, but the other European nations soon respond to the threat to their own cheese industries by imposing [[tariff]]s. Lampidorra turns to its traditional smuggling expertise to avoid paying them.

Tony falls in love with Lindy and proposes, but an intercepted telegram from his employer leads Lindy to wrongly suspect he is just after the secret recipe for schneese. The misunderstanding is eventually cleared up. In the end, Lindy finally receives her full inheritance, allowing her to bail out her subjects and depart with Tony.

==Cast==
*[[Yolande Donlan]] as Lindy Smith
*[[Dirk Bogarde]] as Tony Craig
*[[A. E. Matthews]] as Selby, Tony's employer
*[[Reginald Beckwith]] as Minister of Finance / Blacksmith
*[[Mary Clare]] as Maria
*[[Edwin Styles]] as Chancellor / Cobbler
*[[Kynaston Reeves]] as Burgomaster / Policeman
*[[Desmond Walter-Ellis]] as Alberto, Captain of the guard
*[[Peter Butterworth]] as Julien / Postman / Farmer
* [[Alexander Gauge]] as MacNabb the Lawyer
* [[Laurence Naismith]] as Louis the Jailkeeper
* [[Eric Pohlmann]] as Monsieur Paul
* [[Tom Macaulay]] as Grieves
* [[MacDonald Parke]] as Schuyster the Lawyer
* Fletcher Lightfoot as Grand Duke Johnson the First
*[[Raf De La Torre]] as Italian Attaché
* [[Anthony Oliver]] as Selby's Valet
* [[Arthur Hill (Canadian actor)|Arthur Hill]] as Representative of Johnson K. Johnson
* [[Robert Henderson (actor)|Robert Henderson]] as Macy's Staff Manager
* [[Richard Wattis]] as Hotel Desk Clerk

==Production==
Val Guest attempted to obtain [[Montgomery Clift]], [[Cary Grant]], [[Robert Cummings]] and [[William Holden]] for the male cheese salesman lead, but they all turned him down.<ref>p.27 Dixon, Wheeler M. ''Film Talk: Directors at Work'' 2007 Rutgers University Press</ref><ref name="tcm">{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/?cid=157007 |title=Penny Princess |last=Arnold |first=Jeremy |publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies|TCM]]}}</ref> Eager for comedy after his performance in ''[[Hunted (1952 film)|Hunted]]'', [[Dirk Bogarde]] accepted his first light comedy role, though he thought the film "as funny as a baby's coffin".<ref name="tcm"/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

{{Val Guest}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0045020}}
*{{rotten-tomatoes|penny_princess_1953}}

[[Category:1952 films]]
[[Category:1952 comedy films]]
[[Category:British comedy films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about princesses]]
[[Category:Films set in a fictional country]]
[[Category:Films set in Europe]]
[[Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios]]
[[Category:Films shot in Spain]]
[[Category:Films scored by Ronald Hanmer]]
[[Category:1950s British films]]

Penny Princess - Revision history

Kurt at 20:13, 20 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: /* External links */add Category:1950s British films