Penny Paradise

Penny Paradise - 1938 | 72mins | Comedy | B&W

The Production Team

Director: Carol Reed.
Asst Director: Basil Dearden.
Producer: Basil Dean.
Script: Thomas Thompson, W.L. Meade and Thomas Browne. (from a story by Basil Dean)
Cinematography: Ronald Neame and Gordon Dimes.
Film Editing: Ernest Aldridge.
Art Direction: Wilfred Shingleton.
Sound: Eric Williams.
Music Score: Harry Davies and Harry O'Donovan.

The Cast

Edmund Gwenn - Joe Higgins
Jimmy O'Dea - Pat
Betty Driver - Betty Higgins
Ethel Coleridge - Aunt Agnes
Syd Crossley - Uncle Lancelot
James Harcourt - Amos Cook
Jack Livesey - Bert
Maire O'Neill - Widow Clegg

Plot Synopsis

Plot Synopsis
In 1938 Carol Reed returned to ATP to direct yet another frothy, perishable comedy, Penny Paradise. Basil Dean supplied the plot and Thomas Thompson, W.L. Meade and Thomas Browne wrote the script for what is today, a totally forgotten venture. Its only noteworthy aspects apparently are that it featured the reliable Edmund Gwenn and was photographed by Ronald Neame.

The story is about Joe (Edmund Gwenn), a devoted Liverpool tugboat captain who throws a costly party in the belief that he's won a fortune on the football pools. Joe’s local pub fills with friends, some of whom want a share of the winnings, even his daughter is targeted by a greedy chap who thinks he can charm his way into her purse. The party comes to a standstill when Joe learns that his best friend Pat (Jimmy O'Dea) forgot to post the pool ticket, and the problem of how to spend the money is quickly solved. As a form of consolation Joe’s employer puts him in charge of the best tugboat on the river -a prize worth much more to him than money.