Easy Money (1948 film)
| Easy Money | |
|---|---|
Original poster
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| Directed by | Bernard Knowles |
| Produced by | A. Frank Bundy |
| Written by |
Arnold Ridley (play) Muriel Box Sydney Box |
| Starring |
Petula Clark Mervyn Johns |
| Distributed by | Gainsborough Pictures |
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Release date
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20 January 1948 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £116,800 |
| Box office | £125,300 (by Dec 1949) |
Easy Money, a satirical 1948 British film about one of the most beloved traditions of the English middle class, the football pool, is composed of four tales about the effect a major win has on four different groups in the postwar period. Written by Muriel and Sydney Box and directed by Bernard Knowles, it was released by Gainsborough Pictures.
In the first story, a comedy, a content suburban family, headed by Jack Warner, is turned into an unhappy lot when they believe that they have the winning coupon in the football pool. But when it's discovered that the winning coupon apparently wasn't mailed by the younger daughter (Petula Clark), they regain their previously happy lives that had been made unhappy by plans they made regarding how to spend their winnings. Then, when it is discovered that the winning coupon was, in fact, mailed, they decide that they have learned their lesson and resolve not to let the money ruin their happiness. The second is more tragic, with a mild-mannered clerk (Mervyn Johns) concerned about quitting his mundane job. The third is a suspenseful crime caper involving a coupon checker (Dennis Price) and his nightclub singer girlfriend (Greta Gynt in a send-up of Rita Hayworth's Gilda) who devise a scheme to embezzle the winning pot. The final episode, another comedy, concerns a dispirited bass player (Edward Rigby) who discovers he misses the orchestra he left.
Critics at the time noted the film was faintly reminiscent of the all-star 1932 Hollywood release If I Had a Million. It earned mixed reviews, but proved to be popular with audiences - still reeling from the effects of World War II - seeking lighthearted entertainment.
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