A Piece of Cake is a 1948 British fantasy comedy film directed by John Irwin and starring Cyril Fletcher, Betty Astell, Laurence Naismith and Jon Pertwee.[1][2] It was written by Bernard McNabb and Lyn Lockwood from an original story by Betty Astell and John Croydon.
| A Piece of Cake | |
|---|---|
 Opening titles | |
| Directed by | John Irwin |
| Produced by | John Croydon |
| Starring | Cyril Fletcher Betty Astell Laurence Naismith Jon Pertwee |
| Cinematography | Walter J. Harvey |
| Music by | Arthur Wilkinson |
Production company | Highbury Productions |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 55 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editSet in the austere post–World War II British world of rationing, Cyril dreams up an ode to an imaginary character named Merlin Mound who can provide anything one can wish. Merlin becomes real and grants his host's wishes; not by conjuring the items out of thin air, but obtaining them from other people's ownership, which leads to trouble.
Cast
edit- Cyril Fletcher as Cyril Clarke
- Betty Astell as Betty Clarke
- Laurence Naismith as Merlin Mound
- Jon Pertwee as Mr Short
- Sam Costa as Les Millins
- Miki Hood as Mrs Short
- Tamara Lees as dinner guest
- Audrey White as dinner guest
- Philip Saville as dinner guest
- Ethel Coleridge as Mrs Fiddle
- Johnnie Schofield as window cleaner
- Richard Gilbert as head waiter
- Harry Fowler as spiv
- Arthur Laurence as police inspector
- Sam Kydd as soldier
Production
editIt was made at Highbury Studios as a second feature for release by the Rank Organisation.
Reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This slight story soon becomes involved, and is funny in very few parts. The film is slow-moving and the actors could have possibly made more progress with better material. The photography is good and so is a castle sequence; but the film, in short, is not entertaining, and the inclusion of a sadly modernised version of "Cherry Ripe" does not help."[3]
References
edit- ^ "A Piece of Cake". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ BFI.org
- ^ "A Piece of Cake". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 15 (169): 155. 1 January 1948 – via ProQuest.
External links
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