''Two on the Tiles'' is a 1951 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
John Guillermin
Yvon Jean Guillermin (11 November 192527 September 2015), known as John Guillermin, was an English film director, writer and producer. Working both in the United Kingdom and the United States, he was most active in big-budget, action-adventure f ...
and starring
Herbert Lom
Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru (11 September 1917 – 27 September 2012), known professionally as Herbert Lom (), was a Czech-British actor with a career spanning over 60 years. His cool demeanour and precise, elegan ...
,
Hugh McDermott and
Brenda Bruce
Brenda Bruce OBE (7 July 1919Some sources cite 17 July 1919. – 19 February 1996) was an English actress. She was focused on the theatre, radio, film, and television.
Career
Bruce was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, in 1919, and started ...
. It was made at the
Walton Studios
Walton Studios, previously named Hepworth Studios and Nettlefold Studios, was a film production studio in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England.[independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...](_blank)
Vandyke Productions for release as a
second feature
A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...
. It was one of three back-to-back productions Guillermin directed for the company at Walton Studios, along with ''
Smart Alec'' and ''
Four Days'',. It was released in the U.S. as ''School for Brides''.
Synopsis
A married couple, Dick and Janet Lawson, both face temptations while separated for a few days. Dick meets an attractive female fellow-traveller in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
while Janet accidentally spends a night aboard a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
ship with a male friend after she is stranded following a party. Despite knowing the essential innocence of both husband and wife, their sinister new butler, Ford, uses information about their escapades to demand
blackmail
Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat.
As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...
payments.
Cast
Production
Like ''Smart Alec'', this film is based on a script by
Alec Coppel.
Critical reception
''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' gave the film two out of five stars, calling it an "innocuous comedy," but also finding it "enjoyable."
References
External links
*
Two on the Tilesat Reel Streets
Two on the Tilesat Letterbox DVD
Two on the Tileat park Circus
Review of filmat Variety
Bibliography
* Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. ''The British 'B' Film''. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
1951 films
British comedy films
Films directed by John Guillermin
1951 comedy films
Films set in Paris
Films set in London
Films shot at Nettlefold Studios
British black-and-white films
1950s English-language films
1950s British films
Films with screenplays by Alec Coppel
Films scored by Frank Spencer
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