Holy Matrimony

Director: John M. Stahl John M. Stahl

Overview

In this British comedy, a shy artist has spent the last 20 years living on a tiny Pacific island with only his butler for company. However, the artist is summoned back to England. When the artist's butler dies en route, the artist takes over his identity to preserve his privacy.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/16/2012
UPC:	0024543848714
Original Release:	1943
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Presentation:	[B&W, Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:27:00
Sales rank:	39,003

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Monty Woolley	Priam Farll
Gracie Fields	Alice Challice
Laird Cregar	Clive Oxford
Una O'Connor	Mrs. Leek
Alan Mowbray	Mr. Pennington
Melville Cooper	Dr. Caswell
Franklin Pangborn	Duncan Farli
Ethel Griffies	Lady Vale
Eric Blore	Henry Leek
Montagu Love	Judge
Richard Fraser	John Leek
Edwin Maxwell	King Edward VII
Ian Wolfe	Strawley
Alec Craig	Aylmer
Milton Parsons	Clerk
Thomas Louden	Court Clerk
Geoffrey Steele	Matthew Leek
Lumsden Hare	Lady Vale's Footman
Whit Bissell	Harry Leek
Leyland Hodgson	Solicitor
Fritz Feld	Critia
George Zucco	Mr. Crepitude
William Austin	Critic

Technical Credits

Nunnally Johnson

Nunnally Johnson	Producer,Screenwriter
Fred Sersen	Special Effects
John M. Stahl	Director
Roger Heman	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Although it eventually runs out of juice and starts to sputter a bit, Holy Matrimony is by and large a nice little entertainment. It's kept from being more than a genial, breezy comedy by a sense of predictability that it sometimes finds itself mired in, when what is required is a sense of surprising inevitability. This latter quality is terribly hard to pull off, and many farces fall prey to this problem, allowing the mechanics to show through a little too much and the viewer to find his credulity becoming a bit strained. Though such is the case here, Matrimony is still a good deal of fun, thanks largely to the wonderfully irascible Monty Woolley. Woolley is always a treat, the kind of oddball curmudgeon who's all bluff and bluster; very few had such a way with an insult, and very few were so cuddly underneath the gruff exterior. Matrimony also boasts a typically spirited turn from the no-nonsense Gracie Fields that is quite delightful, and fine support from Laird Cregar, Una O'Connor, and Alan Mowbray. Matrimony is not exactly bliss, but it's amiable fun.