''London Belongs to Me'' (also known as ''Dulcimer Street'') is a British film released in 1948, directed by

Sidney Gilliat Sidney Gilliat (15 February 1908 – 31 May 1994) was an English film director, producer and writer. He was the son of George Gilliat, editor of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1928 to 1933. Sidney was born in the district of Edgeley in Sto ...

, and starring Richard Attenborough and Alastair Sim. It was based on the novel ''London Belongs to Me'' by Norman Collins, which was also the basis for a seven-part series made by Thames Television shown in 1977.

Plot

The film concerns the residents of a large terraced house in London between Christmas 1938 and September 1939. Among them are the landlady, Mrs Vizzard (played by Joyce Carey), who is a widow and a believer in

spiritualism Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase ...

; Mr and Mrs Josser ( Wylie Watson and Fay Compton), and their teenage daughter Doris ( Susan Shaw); the eccentric spiritualist medium Mr Squales (Sim); the colourful Connie Coke ( Ivy St. Helier), the young motor mechanic Percy Boon (Attenborough) and his mother ( Gladys Henson). Percy is in love with the Jossers' daughter and turns to crime to raise money to impress her with, but he bungles a car theft and finds himself accused of murder. Mr Josser digs into his retirement fund to hire the boy a lawyer. Mr Squales testifies against Percy, but in the process exposes to his fiancée Mrs Vizzard the falsity of his claims to be able to contact the dead and to predict the future. Percy is found guilty, but his neighbours rally to his defence. With the assistance of Mr Josser's staunchly

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

Uncle Henry ( Stephen Murray), they gather thousands of signatures on a petition to win him a reprieve. At the end of the film, Percy's supporters march through the rain to the Houses of Parliament, only to discover just before their arrival that clemency has already been granted.

Cast

* Richard Attenborough as Percy Boon * Alastair Sim as Mr Squales * Fay Compton as Mrs Josser * Stephen Murray as Uncle Henry Knockell * Wylie Watson as Mr Josser * Susan Shaw as Doris Josser * Joyce Carey as Mrs Kitty Vizzard * Ivy St. Helier as Connie Coke * Andrew Crawford as Bill * Hugh Griffith as Headlam Fynne * Eleanor Summerfield as Myrna Watson * Gladys Henson as Mrs Boon * Maurice Denham as Jack Rufus * Ivor Barnard as Mr Justice Plymme *

Cecil Trouncer Cecil Stallard Trouncer (5 April 1898 – 15 December 1953) was an English actor. His daughter Ruth Trouncer also took up acting. Early life Cecil Trouncer was born in Southport on 5 April 1898 and was educated at Clifton College. During the Firs ...

as Mr Henry Wassall * Arthur Howard as Mr Chinkwell *

John Salew John Rylett Salew (1902 (some sources state 1 January 1897)14 September 1961) was an English stage film and TV actor. Salew made the transition from stage to films in 1939, and according to Allmovie, "the manpower shortage during WWII enabled ...

as Mr Barks *

Cyril Chamberlain Cyril Chamberlain (8 March 1909 – 5 December 1974) was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early ''Carry On'', ''Doctor'' and '' St. Trinian's'' films. Chamberlain was born on 8 March 1909 in London and died ...

as Detective Sergeant Wilson * Aubrey Dexter as Mr Battlebury *

Jack McNaughton Jack McNaughton (22 December 190522 February 1990) was a British stage and film actor. As a character actor he mostly played supporting roles, but occasionally featured in major roles such as playing the male lead in the 1951 comedy '' Cheer the ...

as Jimmy * Henry Hewitt as Verriter *

Fabia Drake Fabia Drake OBE (born Ethel McGlinchy; 20 January 1904 – 28 February 1990) was a British actress whose professional career spanned almost 73 years during the 20th century. Drake was born in Herne Bay, Kent. Her first professional role in ...

as Mrs Jan Byl * Sydney Tafler as Nightclub Receptionist * Henry Edwards as Police Superintendent *

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

as Inspector Cartwright * Edward Evans as Detective Sergeant Taylor * Russell Waters as Clerk of the Court * Kenneth Downey as Mr Veezey Blaize, KC * Basil Cunard as Foreman of the Jury * Wensley Pithey as First Warden * Manville Tarrant as Second Warden * Leo Genn as narrator

Production

Filming started 6 November. The film was shot at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

. The main street was an interior set, but additional location filming took place around London, and at

Burnham Beeches Burnham Beeches is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest situated west of Farnham Common in the village of Burnham, Buckinghamshire. The southern half is owned by the Corporation of London and is open to the public. It is also a Na ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

. Patricia Roc was originally cast in the female lead, but pulled out because she did not want to keep playing Cockney roles. She was replaced by Susan Shaw. The film includes the first screen appearance of Arthur Lowe, who makes a brief and uncredited appearance as a commuter on a train.

Reception

Trade papers called the film a "notable box office attraction" in British cinemas in 1948. '' The Monthly Film Bulletin'' wrote, "Norman Collins' story, which is Dickensian in the richness of its pathos and kindly humour, has been triumphantly captured on the screen."

Television series

The novel was also adapted for Thames Television as a series, broadcast in seven one-hour episodes from 6 September to 18 October 1977. The cast included Derek Farr as Mr Josser, Madge Ryan as Mrs Vizzard and Patricia Hayes as Connie Coke.

References

External links

*
BFI article and resources on the film
{{DEFAULTSORT:London Belongs To Me 1948 films 1948 comedy-drama films British comedy-drama films Films with screenplays by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat Films directed by Sidney Gilliat Films scored by Benjamin Frankel Films set in London Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films set in 1938 Films set in 1939 British black-and-white films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films