Saturday, July 11, 2020

Movie review - "Miss Tulip Stays the Night" (1955) **

I think Leslie Arliss was one of those people who were found out once the studio apparatus wasn't there to help him - or maybe he just lacked mongrel. This was his last feature and its very uninspired. He's not half as lively as Maurice Elvey, who did similarly dim stage adaptations around this time.

The basic idea isn't bad - a couple go to a house, a woman rocks up, dies, the man (a mystery writer) is blamed.

Diana Dors is the man's wife and she's terrific - lively, keen, easily the best thing about the movie. Unfortunately more screen time is given to Patrick Holt, some bland charm school graduate who seems to old and doesn't have much comic touch. I read Ron Randell was considered - he would've been able to do it.

or they should've bitten the bullet and cast Cicely Courtnidge and Jack Hulbert, who have support roles, in the leads... and had Dors as Miss Tulip. I like Dors. Everyone else in the film seems 105. I guess they try.

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