Meet Me Tonight
Meet Me Tonight is a 1952 omnibus British comedy film adapted from three one act plays by Noël Coward: Red Peppers, Fumed Oak and Ways and Means; which are part of his Tonight at 8.30 play cycle.[1] The film was released as Tonight at 8:30 in the U.S.[2] It was directed by Anthony Pelissier and starred Valerie Hobson, Nigel Patrick, Stanley Holloway, Ted Ray and Jack Warner.[3]
| Meet Me Tonight | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Anthony Pelissier |
| Produced by | Anthony Havelock-Allan |
| Written by | Noël Coward |
| Based on | three plays from Tonight at 8.30 by Noël Coward |
| Starring | Valerie Hobson Stanley Holloway Nigel Patrick Ted Ray Kay Walsh Jack Warner. |
| Music by | Noël Coward Eric Rogers (orchestrated and conducted) |
| Cinematography | Desmond Dickinson |
| Edited by | Clive Donner |
Production company | British Film-Makers Ltd. |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors (U.K.) |
Release date | 9 September 1952 (London) (UK) |
Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
It earned billings of £97,000.[4]
Plot
In "The Red Peppers", a husband and wife song and dance team (Kay Walsh, Ted Ray) bicker with each other, another performer (Martita Hunt), and the theatre manager (Frank Pettingell). In "Fumed Oak", a middle-aged man (Stanley Holloway) finally has enough of his wife, daughter, and mother-in-law (Betty Ann Davies, Dorothy Gordon, and Mary Merrall respectively). Having saved enough money secretly, he announces to his stunned family that he is leaving, never to see them again. In the final segment, "Ways and Means", a husband (Nigel Patrick) and his wife (Valerie Hobson) wonder what they will do now that he has gambled away their money, leaving little to pay their debts, especially to Olive (Jessie Royce Landis). They pawn their last few valuable possessions, hoping to win enough in the casino. However, Olive takes the seat the husband was waiting for and proceeds to win a great deal of money. When she gets up, he takes his rightful place and loses all he has. That night, the couple awake to find Olive's chauffeur, Murdoch (Jack Warner), trying to steal from them. After laughing at him (since they have nothing worth the effort), the wife proposes he rob from his employer and split the money with them. Murdoch takes Olive's winnings, but double crosses the couple, only to end up caught by the police.
Cast
- Lily Pepper - Kay Walsh
- George Pepper - Ted Ray
- Mabel Grace - Martita Hunt
- Mr. Edwards - Frank Pettingell
- Bert Bentley - Bill Fraser
- Stage Manager - Toke Townley
- Call-Boy - Ian Wilson
- Performing Dog Act - Frank's Fox Terriers
- Chinese Jugglers - The Young China Troupe
- Henry Gow - Stanley Holloway
- Doris Gow - Betty Ann Davies
- Mrs. Rocket (Grandma) - Mary Merrall
- Elsie - Dorothy Gordon
- Stella Cartwright - Valerie Hobson
- Toby Cartwright - Nigel Patrick
- Murdoch - Jack Warner
- Olive - Jessie Royce Landis
- Chaps - Michael Trubshawe
- Nanny - Mary Jerrold
- Elena - Yvonne Furneaux
- The Fence - Jacques Cey
Critical reception
The New York Times wrote, "Tonight at 8:30 is, in short, a varied entertainment, short on excitement but funny and trenchant enough for many tastes."[5]
References
- "Meet Me Tonight – review | cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times.
- "Tonight at 8:30 (1952) - Anthony Pelissier | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- "Meet Me Tonight". BFI.
- Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (16 February 2003). British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198159346 – via Google Books.
- "Movie Reviews". 14 February 2020 – via NYTimes.com.