For other uses, see Yes, Madam (disambiguation).
| Yes, Madam? | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Norman Lee |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Walter C. Mycroft |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Walter J. Harvey |
| Edited by | Walter Stokvis |
| Music by | Harry Acres |
| Production company | Associated British Picture Corporation |
| Distributed by | Associated British Film Distributors |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £39,784 |
Yes, Madam? is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Bobby Howes, Diana Churchill and Wylie Watson.
Background
The film was adapted from a play by K. R. G. Browne, itself based on a novel by the same author. The film was shot at Elstree Studios, with sets designed by the art director Cedric Dawe.
Plot
Two cousins, Billy Quinton and Sally Gaunt, have to spend a month in service to qualify for an inheritance from an eccentric uncle. They find themselves in the same household, as valet/chauffeur and as maid, where they are tracked down by their arch-enemy Tony Tolliver, who will get the money should either of the cousins fail in their task by getting the sack. Tony therefore tries various schemes to get them sacked – succeeding, but still failing to get the legacy.
Cast
- Bobby Howes as Bill Quinton
- Diana Churchill as Sally Gault
- Wylie Watson as Albert Peabody, a retired button manufacturer
- Bertha Belmore as Emily Peabody, his unmarried sister
- Vera Pearce as Pansy Beresford, an actress
- Billy Milton as Tony Tolliver
- Fred Emney as Sir Charles Drake-Drake
- Cameron Hall as Catlett, former burglar, now manservant to Tolliver
- Geoffrey Sumner as Scoffin
- Arthur Hambling as a police constable
Music and dance sequences
Set pieces taken from the stage production included a scene with a 'sloshed Emney', Czecho-Slovakian Love - "Here beneath the white lights gleaming above" (Pansy and Bill) and 'Yes, Madam' - "I'm in love, I confess" (Bill and Sally).
References
- Chapman, Llewella. "'The highest salary ever paid to a human being': Creating a Database of Film Costs from the Bank of England". Journal of British cinema and television, 2022-10. Vol. 19, no. 4. Edinburgh University Press. p. 470-494 at 480.
- "BFI | Film & TV Database | YES, MADAM? (1938)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ^ Excerpt from Kine Weekly, 10 November 1938, quoted in "The Museum of London and The National Film Archive present Made in London" programme notes, 20th season, September to December 1990.
- Wood p. 99
- Excerpt from Film-making in 1930s Britain by Rachael Low, quoted in 'The Museum of London and The National Film Archive present Made in London' programme notes, 20th season, September to December 1990.
- Script of 'Yes, Madam' accompanying Network on Air DVD release 'British Musicals of the 1930s: Volume 4' 7954378 (2015).
Bibliography
- Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.
External links
- Yes, Madam? at IMDb
| Films directed by Norman Lee | |
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