''Where's Charley?'' is a 1952 British musical

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 ...

directed by David Butler. It starred Ray Bolger,

Allyn Ann McLerie Allyn Ann McLerie (December 1, 1926 – May 21, 2018) was a Canadian-born American actress, singer and dancer who worked with many of Golden Age musical theatre's major choreographers, including George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, and Jerome Robb ...

and Robert Shackleton. It is an adaptation of the musical ''

Where's Charley? ''Where's Charley?'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by George Abbott. The story was based on the 1892 play ''Charley's Aunt'' by Brandon Thomas. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1948 and was revived on Broadway an ...

,'' which was in turn based on the 1892 play ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot in ...

'' by

Brandon Thomas Brandon Thomas may refer to: *Brandon Thomas (playwright) (1848–1914), English actor and playwright who wrote the hit farce, ''Charley's Aunt'' *Brandon Thomas (musician) (born 1980), American rock band singer *Brandon Thomas (American football), ...

. Bolger, McLerie and Horace Cooper reprised the performances they originated on Broadway. Produced by the British branch of

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, it was shot at

Teddington Studios Teddington Studios was a large British television studio in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky1 and others. The complex also prov ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Some scenes were filmed on location in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

the setting for the comedy. The film's sets were designed by the art directors David Ffolkes and Albert Witherick. Despite a leading role here, this was one of only two films made by Robert Shackleton (1914-1956), the other being “Wonder Boy” (1951). With its run at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, he appeared in the stage show. It earned an estimated $1.5 million at the North American box office in 1952.'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', ''Variety'', 7 January 1953

Cast

* Ray Bolger as Charley Wykeham *

as Amy Spettigue * Robert Shackleton as Jack Chesney * Horace Cooper as Stephen Spettigue *

Margaretta Scott Margaretta Mary Winifred ScottBrian McFarlane, "Scott, Margaretta Mary Winifred (1912–2005)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Jan 201available online Retrieved 30 August 2020. (13 February 1912 – 15 Apri ...

as Dona Lucia * Howard Marion-Crawford as Sir Francis Chesney * Mary Germaine as Kitty Verdun * Henry Hewitt as Brassett * H. G. Stoker as Wilkinson *

Martin Miller Martin Miller may refer to: *Martin Miller (actor) (1899–1969), Czech actor *Martin Miller (cricketer, born 1940), English cricketer *Martin Miller (cricketer, born 1972), English cricketer *Martin Miller (footballer) (born 1997), Estonian footbal ...

as Photographer * Neville Phillips as Student

References

Bibliography

* Thomas G. Aylesworth. ''The Best of Warner Bros''. Brompton, 1994.

External links

* 1952 films British musical comedy films 1952 musical comedy films Films based on Charley's Aunt Films directed by David Butler Films scored by Ray Heindorf Films set in Oxford Warner Bros. films Films shot at Teddington Studios Films set in the 1890s British historical comedy films 1950s historical comedy films British historical musical films Films based on musicals 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{musical-comedy-film-stub