Lilacs in the Spring

Lilacs in the Spring
1954 Theatrical Poster
Directed by	Herbert Wilcox
Produced by	Herbert Wilcox
Based on	the stage musical The Glorious Days book by Harold Purcell and Robert Nesbitt
Starring	Errol Flynn Anna Neagle David Farrar Kathleen Harrison
Cinematography	Max Greene
Production company	Everest Pictures
Distributed by	United Artists (US)
Release date	1954 (UK) 1956 (US)
Running time	94 mins (UK) 72 mins (USA)
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Lilacs in the Spring is a 1954 British musical film starring Anna Neagle and Errol Flynn. It was the first of two movies the stars made together, the other being King's Rhapsody. It was released in the USA as Let's Make Up. It was the feature film debut of (the then-unknown) Sean Connery.

A young actress, Carole Beaumont, is wooed by actor-producer Charles King but she is unsure how she feels about him. During an air raid in the Blitz, a bomb explosion rocks the cafe and Carole is knocked unconscious. In her confused state, fantasies flash through her mind, and she seems to become Nell Gwyn of Old Drury, with Charles King looking very much like King Charles.

Recovering, she is advised by her doctor to take a rest in the country and, there, another beau, Albert Gutman , prompts his grandmother, Lady Drayton (Helen Haye), to invite Carole to their family home at Windsor. She accepts and telephones Charles but hangs up when his phone is answered by a female voice.

Looking out on Windsor Castle, she sees herself as the young Queen Victoria and Albert as Prince Albert. Influenced by her day-dream, she accepts Albert's proposal. Charles arrives to tell her that all arrangements are made for her to leave with him and the company for Burma, but she refuses saying she will never marry an actor.

Barmaid Kate tells Charles why Carole feels the way she does about actors: Carole's mother, Lillian Grey , was with a touring show in 1913 when the handsome star, John Beaumont raised her from the chorus to be his partner in his first West End show. They were a success, fell in love and were married. But the war soon took Beau off to Flanders and Lillian was left to become a great star on her own. Carole was born in wartime, but saw little of her busy mother.

The script was based on the stage musical The Glorious Days, which had been a big success for Neagle, running for two years and 467 performances. It referenced several earlier hits of Neagle, including Nell Gwynn (1934) and Victoria the Great (1938).

The film was made by Everest Pictures, a new production company from producer-director Herbert Wilcox. Wilcox had just made three films in collaboration with Republic Pictures, and hoped for them to finance films of two Ivor Novello musicals he had purchased. When this did not happen, he was forced to obtain finance from British Lion.