''Tilly of Bloomsbury'' is a 1940 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 Leslie S. Hiscot and starring

Sydney Howard Sydney Howard (7 August 1884 – 12 June 1946) was an English stage comedian and film actor born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire.http://www.britishpictures.com/godfrey/card04.htm Stars of British Films A Series of 50 – No. 4 Sydney How ...

Jean Gillie A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of litera ...

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a working-cla ...

and Henry Oscar. It was based on the play ''Tilly of Bloomsbury'' by

Ian Hay Major (Honorary Major General) John Hay Beith, Order of the British Empire, CBE Military Cross, MC (17 April 1876 – 22 September 1952), was a British schoolmaster and soldier, but is best remembered as a novelist, playwright, essayist, an ...

. The screenplay concerns a young woman who falls in love with an

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

, and attempts to convince his family that she is of their

social class A social class or social stratum is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the working class and the Bourgeoisie, capitalist class. Membership of a social class can for exam ...

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Plot summary

The rich and wealthy aristocrat socialité bachelor Dick Mainwaring falls in love with a beautiful woman from a lower class, Tilly Welwyn, whose mother owns a boarding house. Their backgrounds give rise to problems. Dick is discouraged and behaves like a complete snob towards the hard working mother, but then he learns of the good side of their life. Dick brings Tilly to his family's mansion in the country over the weekend. The visit starts out badly, since his mother, Lady Marion, strongly disapproves with the couple's union. The mother tries to split the couple up, but they are aided by the cunning butler, Samuel Stillbottle. Ultimately their love grows stronger as they overcome their differences, and romance pull the longer straw in the end.

Cast

as Samuel Stillbottle *

as Tilly Welwyn * Henry Oscar as Lucius Welwyn * Athene Seyler as Mrs. Banks * Michael Wilding as Percy Welwyn *

as Mrs. Welwyn *

Athole Stewart Athole Chalmers Stewart (25 June 1879 – 18 October 1940) was a British stage and latterly film actor, often in authoritarian or aristocratic roles. On stage, he played in the original production of Noël Coward's ''Hay Fever'' at the Ambassa ...

as Abel Mainwaring * Michael Denison as Dick Mainwaring *

Martita Hunt Martita Edith Hunt (30 January 190013 June 1969) was an Argentine-born British theatre and film actress. She had a dominant stage presence and played a wide range of powerful characters. She is best remembered for her performance as Miss Havis ...

as Lady Marion Mainwaring * Joy Frankau as Amelia Mainwaring * Eve Shelley as Diana

References

External links

* 1940 films 1940s English-language films Films based on works by Ian Hay Films directed by Leslie S. Hiscott 1940 comedy films British comedy films British black-and-white films 1940s British films {{1940s-UK-comedy-film-stub