''Wonderful Things!'' is a 1958 British

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

romance film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

directed by

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...

and starring Frankie Vaughan, Jocelyn Lane and Wilfrid Hyde-White. It was written by Jack Trevor Story. Two fishermen brothers clash over the love of a woman. It was the second of four films Wilcox made with Vaughan. The film marked the film debut of comedian Ronnie Barker, in an uncredited role as a waiter.

Plot

Carmello and his brother Mario are unsuccessful fishermen in Gibraltar. Carmelo decides to seek his fortune in London, promising to send the money for his girlfriend Pepita to join him. Mario sells his boat so Petita can travel to London quickly. She realises that it is Mario she truly loves. Meanwhile Carmello has fallen in love with a bored socialite.

Cast

* Frankie Vaughan as Carmello * Jeremy Spenser as Mario * Jocelyn Lane as Pepita (as Jackie Lane) * Wilfrid Hyde-White as Sir Bertram * Jean Dawnay as Anne * Eddie Byrne as Harry *

Harold Kasket Harold Kasket (26 July 1926 – 20 January 2002) was an English actor in theatre, films and later television from the 1940s. Kasket usually played Arabs or mainland European types in many films and TV programmes such as '' Maigret'', '' The Sai ...

as Poppa * Christopher Rhodes as Codger * Nancy Nevinson as Mamma *

Cyril Chamberlain Cyril Chamberlain (8 March 1909 – 30 April 1974) was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early '' Carry On'', '' Doctor'' and '' St. Trinian's'' films. Chamberlain's first film appearance was in the 1936 Mich ...

as butler * Barbara Goalen as herself *

Liz Fraser Elizabeth Joan Winch (14 August 1930 – 6 September 2018), known professionally as Liz Fraser, was a British film actress, best known for being cast in provocative comedy roles. Early life Fraser was born in Southwark, London. Her year of b ...

as hot dog seller (uncredited) *

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ...

as waiter (uncredited)

Box office

''Kinematograph Weekly'' said the film "did quite well" at the box office "although the star was given little chance to sing".

Critical reception

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

'' wrote: "Unsophisticated and ingenuous, this quaint production lacks the polish which Herbert Wilcox usually brings to his work; if it were not all so unassuming, there would be little left to like beyond Wilfred Hyde White's one good dialogue exchange near the end, the amusingly ironic finale, and the sleek voice and poise of Jean Dawnay. Frankie Vaughan holds the centre of the stage not so much as a singer (though he has a few songs in the unaffected style of the rest of the film) but as an actor. He is noticeably less professional in this respect than the rest of the cast."

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on ...

wrote, "If you can believe in Frankie Vaughan and Jeremy Spenser as Gibraltar fishermen, you'll enjoy this

Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in British cinema for 2 ...

-produced trifle about love and life, Latin-style. Fiery Jackie Lane eclipses model Jean Dawnay's screen debut." ''

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 ...

'' called the film an "engaging romance."

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

wrote: "Wilfred Hyde-White offers the film's best performance as the debutante's dry-witted papa."

References

External links

* {{Herbert Wilcox 1958 films 1958 romantic comedy films Films shot at Associated British Studios Films directed by Herbert Wilcox British romantic comedy films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films Films scored by Stanley Black English-language romantic comedy films