| Old Mother Riley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Front of house re-release (1942) still | |
| Directed by | Oswald Mitchell |
| Written by | John Argyle Con West |
| Produced by | Norman Hope-Bell |
| Starring | Arthur Lucan Kitty McShane Barbara Everest Patrick Ludlow |
| Cinematography | Jack Parker |
| Edited by | Challis Sanderson |
| Music by | Horace Sheldon |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Butcher's Film Service |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Old Mother Riley is a 1937 Britishcomedy film directed byOswald Mitchell and starringArthur Lucan in the lead, withKitty McShane,Barbara Everest,Patrick Ludlow and Hubert Leslie. Mother Riley and her daughter stop the plans of some disinherited relatives to overturn the terms of a will.[1]
This is the first in a series of films made between 1937–1952, featuring Arthur Lucan's elderly drag character, and her daughter Kitty. After small roles in the IrishKathleen Mavourneen (also 1937), Lucan and McShane were approached to star in their own film,Old Mother Riley. The film was cheaply made (it cost £2,000, taking six weeks to shoot) and based on their music hall sketch ‘The Matchseller’.Old Mother Riley was a box office success andOld Mother Riley in Paris soon followed.[2]
In his will, a wealthy match magnate leaves his fortune to his family, the only condition being that they must take in the first person they see selling matches. Very soon they are blessed with the presence of a loud Irish washerwoman, Old Mother Riley. Chaos ensues, as her presence in the household, and that of her daughter, Kitty, proves unwelcome.[3]
TV Guide commented that "far from being impressive cinema, the "Old Mother Riley" series provided for some innocuous and occasionally hysterical entertainment."[3]
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