''My Old Duchess'' is a 1934 British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Lupino Lane Henry William George Lupino (16 June 1892 – 10 November 1959) professionally Lupino Lane, was an English actor and theatre manager, and a member of the famous theatrical Lupino family, which eventually included his cousin, the screenwriter/di ...

and starring George Lacy,

Betty Ann Davies Betty Ann Davies (24 December 1910 – 14 May 1955) was a British stage and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1950s. Davies made her first stage appearance at the Palladium in a revue in 1924. The following year she joined Cochran's Yo ...

and

Dennis Hoey Dennis Hoey (born Samuel David Hyams, 30 March 1893 – 25 July 1960) was a British film and stage actor, best remembered for playing Inspector Lestrade in six films of Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. Early life Hoey was born Samuel ...

. The film was made at

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

. It was based on an original sketch by

Fred Karno Frederick John Westcott (26 March 1865 – 17 September 1941), best known by his stage name Fred Karno, was an English theatre impresario of the British music hall. As a comedian of slapstick he is credited with popularising the custard-pie-in ...

. The screenplay concerns a stage manager who disguises himself as a

duchess Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...

. The film is also known as ''Oh, What a Duchess!'', the title under which it has been released on DVD.Oh, What a Duchess!, ''ComicBrits''
Retrieved 12 December 2020

Plot summary

In an effort to impress a film producer, a stage manager disguises himself as a duchess.

Cast

* George Lacy as Irving *

as Sally Martin *

as Montagu Neilson *

Fred Duprez Fred Duprez (September 6, 1884 – October 27, 1938) was an American actor, comedian and singer who performed in vaudeville, phonograph record and film. He made phonograph recordings in the US and the UK in the 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s. Most of t ...

as Jesse Martin * Renée Macready as Valerie * Florence Vie as Mrs Neilson * Hugh E. Wright as Higgins *

Patrick Aherne Patrick de Lacy Aherne (6 January 1901 – 30 September 1970) was an English film actor. He was the son of the architect William de Lacy Aherne, and the elder brother of the actor Brian Aherne. The family lived at Kings Norton. He was married ...

as Gaston

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1934 films 1934 comedy films 1930s LGBTQ-related films British black-and-white films British comedy films Cross-dressing in British films Films shot at British International Pictures Studios Films directed by Lupino Lane Films set in England 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-comedy-film-stub