Great Day (1945 film)
- For the 1921 British short film, see The Great Day. For the unfinished MGM musical, see Great Day (1930 film).
| Great Day | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lance Comfort |
| Written by | John Davenport Lesley Storm (play and screenplay) Wolfgang Wilhelm |
| Produced by | Victor Hanbury |
| Starring | Eric Portman Flora Robson |
| Cinematography | Erwin Hillier |
| Edited by | Sidney Stone |
| Music by | William Alwyn |
| Distributed by | RKO Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 62 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Great Day (1945) is a British drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Eric Portman and Flora Robson.[2] It is based on the play of the same name by Lesley Storm.
It was made at Denham Studios with location filming at various sites including Denham village.
The film recorded a loss of £1,511 [3]
Plot
The small (fictional) English village of Denley is thrown into excitement by the impending 'surprise' visit of Eleanor Roosevelt. However, the family of the impoverished local squire, whose wife is the moving spirit of the local Women's Institute, is faced with several crises.
Margaret 'Meg' Ellis, their daughter, works as a Land Girl on a nearby farm. She is loved by the farm's owner, who is twice her age, but is reluctant to allow him to announce their engagement, as she is still being wooed by her former boyfriend, now an army officer. The farmer's unmarried sister is openly bitter at the prospect of Meg becoming mistress of the property.
Captain John Ellis, her father, a decorated hero of World War 1 and now a frustrated alcoholic, is arrested in a local pub for attempted theft of a ten shilling note to buy drinks.
Released from custody later that evening, he cannot face the humiliation in his small community and wanders into the woods to commit suicide. His wife, realising what has happened, sends Margaret to talk to him. They convince him to face up to his problems and assure him that they love him.
As Mrs Roosevelt arrives, John and his family take their place in the welcoming throng, with John proudly wearing his medal ribbons.
Cast
- Eric Portman - Captain John Ellis
- Flora Robson - Mrs Liz Ellis
- Sheila Sim - Margaret Ellis
- Isabel Jeans - Lady Mott
- Walter Fitzgerald - Bob Tyndale
- Philip Friend - Geoffrey Winthrop
- Marjorie Rhodes - Nora Mumford
- Maire O'Neill - Bridget Walsh
- John Laurie - Scottish officer
- Kathleen Harrison - Pub customer
- Leslie Dwyer - Pub customer
- Margaret Withers - Jane Tyndale
- Beatrice Varley - Miss Tracy
- Irene Handl - Tea stall lady
- Patricia Hayes - Mrs Beadle
References
- ^ a b "Great Day: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ "Great Day".
- ^ Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p212
External links
- Great Day at IMDb
- Great Day at AllMovie
- Review of film at Variety
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