''Old Mother Riley's New Venture'' is a low-budget black-and-white 1949 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

, starring

Arthur Lucan Arthur Lucan (born Arthur Towle; 16 September 1885 – 17 May 1954) was an English actor who performed the drag act Old Mother Riley on stage, radio and screen, with a series of comedy films from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Early life ...

, Kitty McShane and

Chili Bouchier Chili Bouchier (born Dorothy Irene Boucher; 12 September 1909 – 9 September 1999) was an English film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progre ...

. It is the twelfth in the long-running

Old Mother Riley Old Mother Riley is a fictional character portrayed from about 1934 to 1954 by Arthur Lucan and from 1954 to the 1980s by Roy Rolland as part of a British music hall act. Old Mother Riley (full comedy name: Daphne Bluebell Snowdrop Riley) is an ...

films, and was the first of the series to play in London's West End. In addition, it was the first to be released in the US, where it opened in 1952, as ''Old Mother Riley'', (and was re-released there as ''A Wild Irish Night'').

Plot summary

The owner of a five star London hotel leaves for a holiday, and to everyone's surprise promotes Old Mother Riley from kitchen dishwasher to manageress. Chaos ensues, and Mother Riley and Kitty are suddenly suspects in the theft of the Royal Hula Diamond, but somehow along the way also manage a trip to a beauty parlour, a banquet with

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

royalty, some

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

celebrations, and a climactic custard pie fight.

Cast

as Old Mother Riley * Kitty McShane as Kitty Riley *

as Cora Gayne * Willer Neal as David Thompson * Sebastian Cabot as Potentate * Wilfred Babbage as Major Gayne * Maureen Riscoe as Mabel * Fred Groves as John Grigsby * C. Denier Warren as Matthew Hillick * Paul Sheridan as Saunders * Arthur Gomez as Chef *

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation c ...

as Karl * Amando Guinle as Jules * Grace Arnold as Prison Governor * Howard Douglas as Dr Collins *

Hugh Dempster Hugh Dempster (3 August 1900 – 30 April 1987) was a British theatre and film actor. Born in London, Dempster made his stage debut in 1920, and began his screen career in the silent film era. His credits included '' Vice Versa'', ''Anna Kareni ...

as Drunk * Gordon Littman as 1st Aide * Robert Moore as Allan * George Street as Walters * James Knight as Police Superintendent * Blanche Fothergill as Mrs Ginochie * Brian Royceton as Commissionaire * Pamela Skiff as Beauty Parlour Attendant * Joy Frankau as Beauty Parlour Attendant

Critical reception

*The Digital Fix wrote, "New Venture is essentially unwatchable...Old routines, a bare minimum of laughs and a comic pairing who are, quite frankly, way beyond their best." *At the time of the film's release,

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with ...

called the film, "a vivacious slapsick comedy." *On its U.S. release, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote of the film, "offers little appeal for most situations...Film's best market appears to lie in "Irish Night" shows or in neighbourhoods where there's a sizable Irish population. Cast is unknown to American audiences... Arthur Lucan has a thespian field day in the title role."

References

External links

* * {{John Harlow 1949 films 1949 comedy films British comedy films Films directed by John Harlow Films set in hotels Films set in London British black-and-white films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films