An US airman stationed in the UK strikes down his commanding officer. to sign up to a daily soap opera on the BBC playing idealised versions of themselves, simply because he, at least, hasn't worked for 18 months. Three weeks' rehearsal, not enough money to cover your bus fares out to Lime Grove, technical breakdown in your one big scene, and no repeat performance? Unfortunately he chooses the Fosters, who need the money and so do the show. Film Search × Sign up × With a free account you will be able to: ... Simon and Laura (1955) Comedy 1h 31m A TV producer hires a real-life couple to play husband and wife in a drama series, unaware that their marriage is falling apart. Newest First; Earliest First; Member Name; Member Popularity; Name Rating Like Review; reeceindie Activity for film ★★ Following Follow. J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors and VCI Entertainment presents "SIMON & LAURA" (1955) (91 min/Color) -- Starring Peter Finch, Kay Kendall, Muriel Pavlow, Hubert Gregg, Maurice Denham, Ian Carmichael, Ian Carmichael, Richard Wattis, Thora Hird, Terence Longdon, Clive Parritt & … See the fabulous presenters and gracious winners at this year's Oscars. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? The cast was headed by Peter Finch, Kay Kendall, Ian Carmichael, Muriel Pavlow, Maurice Denham and Thora Hird. Will the couple maintain a happy facade? The obvious choice is Simon and Laura, a pair with a … Simon and Laura Foster (Peter Finch and Kay Kendall) are married actors who agree (gasp!) Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. A TV studio hits upon an idea for a new programme - an hour-long show five days a week showing the trials and tribulations of the life of a married couple. Lists that include Simon and Laura. Director: Muriel Box. Three weeks’ rehearsal in a draughty drill hall, technical breakdown in your one big scene, and then your play goes out on BBC2? Review by Paul D ★★★ Simon and Laura Foster (Peter Finch and Kay Kendall) are married actors who agree (gasp!) No ordinary couple, however, they must be famous. 'Television's Ideal Married Couple: Simon and Laura as a film'. Love, marriage and show business provide the basis of this lively comedy that centres on a husband and wife, who are chosen by television producers to embody the perfect married couple on an upcoming television series. Directed by Murray Macdonald, it starred Roland Culver, Coral Browne, Ian Carmichael, Dora Bryan, Ernest Thesiger and Esma Cannon, with settings designed by Alan Tagg. When a beautiful girl is murdered, Inspector Birkett finds that she had some famous friends who don't want publicity. Cast: Peter Finch, Kay Kendall A TV studio hits upon an idea for a new programme - an hour-long show five days a week showing the trials and tribulations of the life of a married couple. Great slice of Brit comedy, directed by the wonderful Muriel Box. The Orphanage (Spanish: El orfanato) is a 2007 Spanish supernatural horror film and the debut feature of Spanish filmmaker J. Check out the official top 100 narrative feature films by women directors list This film is adapted from the stage play of the same name by Alan Melville, which only took place a year earlier – and the final product is certainly an enjoyable one. Its cynicism is countered by a playful innocence in its construction. On the brink of divorce, actors Simon and Laura are cast a doting married couple in a TV soap opera. This week's films. "When he is just being himself Mr Melville is in much better form. by Adrian Turner Simon and Laura are a husband-and-wife acting team, publicly celebrated, privately bankrupt and one step from the divorce court. J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors and VCI Entertainment presents "SIMON & LAURA" (1955) (91 min/Color) -- Starring Peter Finch, Kay Kendall, Muriel Pavlow, Hubert Gregg, Maurice Denham, Ian Carmichael, Ian Carmichael, Richard Wattis, Thora Hird, Terence Longdon, Clive Parritt & Alan Wheatley Simon and Laura ( 1955) Simon and Laura. When Added. Carly Simon sings the title song from the movie "Laura" in a live performance. Was this review helpful to you? Everyone who has watched Simon and Laura 1955. It was Finch's first leading role in a British film.[9]. Simon And Laura. No, thank you.". Released as TV in the UK began to challenge cinema, Simon and Laura happily confronts the issue involved in the new medium and the celebrity involved. When television producers choose Simon Foster (Peter Finch) and his wife, Laura (Kay Kendall), to be the focuses of a live television series detailing a totally joyful marriage, they appear to be the faultless selection. The actors who play husband and wife in a TV series are married in reality and hate each other, a fact that shows in the live Christmas episode. (1955). The obvious choice is Simon and Laura, a pair with a seemingly perfect life. "Simon and Laura takes to the screen as a duck to water", announced The Times. Simon and Laura was Kay Kendall's second satire on television just two years after Meet Mr Lucifer, also a lukewarm offering. Simon (Peter Finch) and Laura (Kay Kendall) are a bickering couple, on the brink of splitting up. Melville's TV satire appeared on Danish television (Simon og Laura) in December 1955, Swedish television (Simon och Laura) in February 1960, and Finnish television (Simon ja Laura) in November 1960. At the same time, husband-and-wife team John McCallum and Googie Withers toured it with great success in Australia, playing it in repertory with the Terence Rattigan drama The Deep Blue Sea. The play went out on tour again in the UK from July. This FAQ is empty. The film version went into production at Pinewood in the first week of June 1955, immediately after the play's closure at the Apollo. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Susan Kay, 'Television Today Reviews: Simon and Laura', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Simon_and_Laura&oldid=971332603, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 August 2020, at 13:20. Music by David Raksin, words by Johnny Mercer. For BBC2 this became: "Television? Simon and Laura are a husband-and-wife acting team, publicly celebrated, privately bankrupt and one step from the divorce court. (Gau- mont.) "[11] "This Pinewood comedy is full of good jokes at Lime Grove's expense", added The Star,[12] while the Daily Worker called it "A most efficient exercise in what is now the time-honoured film sport of television baiting. "[2] "We have often been taken, with sufficiently comic results, behind the scenes in the playhouse and film studio", noted The Stage, "but it has remained for Mr Melville to exploit television, the latest form of entertainment. The plot centers on Laura, who returns to her childhood home, an orphanage. 1h 27min | Comedy | 1956 (France) In the 1950's days of only BBC television, a wet-behind-the-ears producer has the idea of basing a family drama series on a real-life happily married actor couple. A. Bayona.The film stars Belén Rueda as Laura, Fernando Cayo as her husband, Carlos, and Roger Príncep as their adopted son Simón. FOR some time now the Italian film industry has shown itself more willing to consider the overseas box office, a notoriously flighty piece of furniture; but La Strada, Federico Fellini's fine, heartbreaking film, returns to the harsh realism of Italy's first post-war achievements. The idea of pretentious actors trapped in a soap opera character is amusingly investigated. 1955. A photo of … And The Mentalist star Simon Baker, 51, has finally gone 'Facebook official' with his new girlfriend, activewear designer Laura May Gibbs, 36. "[13] In the News of the World Peter Burnup observed that "Simon and Laura may not turn out to be another Genevieve or Doctor in the House but all the same it has plenty of elegance and high spirits", adding, "I have no doubt the BBC will survive the good-humoured leg-pull. Title: They land in Holland and are aided by Dutch civilians. Reviews in chronological order (Total 0 reviews) Post a review. Then, almost ten years to the day since its West End premiere, it made it to British TV, via the recently inaugurated channel BBC2, on 19 November 1964. View production, box office, & company info. It opened at the Gaumont Haymarket on 24 November (on a bill with On Such a Night), with general release following on 26 December. Add the first question. At every opportunity the film delights … [1], According to Frances Stephens, editor of Theatre World, "Simon and Laura has as its amusing central theme the guying of television family serials and the author is well served by the very talented cast. 45min | Comedy, Drama | TV Movie 3 January 1955. (Curzon.) Simon And Laura is available to buy on DVD. No ordinary couple, however, they must be famous. The director was Christopher Morahan, the producer Cedric Messina, and the settings were designed by William McCrow. Comedy. Comedy, starring Peter Finch and Kay Kendall (Rialto.) --SIMON AND LAURA. He does it very well, though most of the characters are absurd rather than human as we know humanity in the auditorium. It opened at the Gaumont Haymarket on 24 November (on a bill with On Such a Night), with general release following on 26 December.[8]. A husband and wife stop to help two men in a car crash only to find they are criminals on the run. Open for comments. Their agent, a German-accented character called Wolfstein in the play, became a very English one called Bertie Burton; their Canadian scriptwriter, Janet Honeyman, became plain English too. In the 1950's days of only BBC television, a wet-behind-the-ears producer has the idea of basing a family drama series on a real-life happily married actor couple. 'Stage Tilt at Television: Alan Melville's Simon and Laura'. Melville's original was adapted by Peter Blackmore, author of the successful play and film Miranda. Henry Wrigley (Richard Hearne) is happy writing stories for a children's' comic. That is, however, until the doors are closed. The film version went into production at Pinewood in the first week of June 1955,[7] immediately after the play's closure at the Apollo. Idealised because while their characters are happily (sickeningly so) married, away from the camera they're on the cusp of getting a divorce. David was played instead by Richard Briers, with Moira Lister as Laura. Check out some of our favorite superhero stars from movies and television, before they suited up. Simon and Laura In the 1950's days of only BBC television, a wet-behind-the-ears producer has the idea of basing a family drama series on a real-life happily married actor couple. Simon and Laura takes a more direct route: it attacks the similar, but allegedly inferior, medium of television through a farce about a divorcing couple learning to live with each another. The orderly suburban life of a 1950's English town is turned on its head when the teenaged daughter of one of the residents writes a steamy bestseller featuring characters obviously based ... See full summary ». A real effort to show how superior cinema was to the new medium? A TV studio want to feature a famous couple in a new show. They're given the opportunity to revitalise their acting careers by starring in a reality TV show cum soap opera. "The comedy", claimed The Times, "is not, taken as a whole, a particularly good one, but there are a great many quips which will come home to the business and bosoms of [television] viewers. It has been awarded, deservedly, five b Actors they may be, but happily married they most surely are not. Other estimates were less enthusiastic. Simon and Laura is a 1954 stage comedy by Alan Melville that in 1955 became a Rank Organisation film produced at Pinewood Studios. to sign up to a daily soap opera on the BBC playing idealised versions of themselves, simply because he, at least, hasn't worked for 18 months. Simon and Laura arrive the following day to learn that a little boy has been written in as a long-lost nephew. —OH ROSAL1NDA! The director was Muriel Box; production design was by Carmen Dillon, costume design by Julie Harris, and the film was shot in Technicolor and VistaVision by cinematographer Ernest Steward. No, thank you." Synopsis Story of a husband and wife acting team who are chosen to represent on TV the happily married couple, although in reality their marriage is about to break up. "[16] It was repeated on 6 March 1966 but has not been seen since. Jeremy Perkins {J-26}. A precocious brat, Timothy steals the best lines and causes problems behind the scenes, interfering with equipment and spreading gossip. Use the HTML below. Simon and Laura Date: 1955 Director: Muriel Box Production Company: Group Film Productions Limited Stars: Peter Finch, Ian Carmichael, Kay Kendall, Nicholas Parsons Location(s): London The dialogue abounds in lines that arouse an involuntary chuckle or laugh; the situations, if occasionally laboured, are ingenious and hilarious." "[4] Kenneth Tynan, in The Observer, concluded that "As a mechanical tilt at television, the play is acceptable, though the plot is a rattle of dry bones. A group of travellers, all with something to hide in their past, take shelter from a storm in an old inn. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Check out the full list of winners. The play's centerpiece – when the filming of the soap's 200th edition goes disastrously wrong – was referred to as a "glorious free-for-all rumpus before the cameras."[3]. Newly arrived Army chaplin Captain Paris (Alastair Sim) attempts to book various acts for the entertainment of a troop of soldiers. Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. Simon and Laura is a 1955 film starring Peter Finch, Kay Kendall, Muriel Pavlow. Ian Carmichael was this time cast as the middle-aged Simon rather than the ambitious young BBC producer David Prentice, the role he'd previously played both on stage and film. Where the play made reference to such celebrities of the day as film magnate Sir Alexander Korda, actors Peter Cushing and Michael Wilding and comedian Wee Georgie Wood, the film was able to incorporate appearances by TV personalities Gilbert Harding, Isobel Barnett, Peter Haigh and George Cansdale. LA STRADA. Stars: Peter Finch, Kay Kendall, Muriel Pavlow. Looking for more? Television may be a sitting target, but he gets it well and truly with both barrels."[15]. When Added. Simon and Laura. There are no reviews yet for this film. Unfortunately he chooses ... 23 of 23 people found this review helpful. Believing he killed him, the airman goes on the run with a girl. After three women are released from prison, we follow them for their first day of freedom. "[14], "Simon and Laura betrays in its style, method and presentation of sophisticated marital disharmony a diligent admiration for Mr [Noël] Coward's Private Lives", concluded Fred Majdalany in the Daily Mail. Written by "[5] Despite these critiques, the play was a success; it moved to the Apollo Theatre on 14 February 1955 and was seen by HM Queen Elizabeth on 24 March. Laura is a 1944 American film noir produced and directed by Otto Preminger.It stars Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, and Clifton Webb along with Vincent Price and Judith Anderson.The screenplay by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Betty Reinhardt is based on the 1943 novel Laura by Vera Caspary.. Then he meets Miss Honey (Dame Margaret Rutherford), who encourages him to go into minor crime. The sort of unassuming film that makes you smile. Melville, who appeared in person to introduce the play, made various changes to his original script, including a self-reflexive rewrite for Simon's initial objections to working on TV: "Television? You call that a wonderful job? A chronicle of the life of William Friese-Greene, a British inventor and early pioneer in cinema. Unfortunately he chooses the Fosters, who need the money and so do the show. Simon and Laura (1955) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The metaphor is simple but perfect. During WW2, industrialist Joe Keller commits a crime and frames his business partner Herbert Deever but years later his sin comes back to haunt him when Joe's son plans to marry Deever's daughter. In the 1950's days of only BBC television, a wet-behind-the-ears producer has the idea of basing a family drama series on a real-life happily married actor couple. [10] "Its satire and sophistication make a welcome change", claimed Virginia Graham in The Spectator, "and I can heartily recommend it. You call that a wonderful job? Top stuff Peter Finch, Kay Kendall and Ian Carmichael are warm and funny characters As always with Brit films from this time riddled with class Colour is great too. [6] In all it ran for six months, closing on 28 May. On a routine flight from Hong Kong to Japan, a British military transport aircraft's fate may or may not depend on a prophetic nightmare. Noting this, The Stage reported that "The script, with its lemon and sugar contrasts and archly sophisticated laughs, had been brought up to date with contemporary references and fitted happily into its new medium. Presented by H M Tennent Ltd, the play began a provincial tour at the Opera House Manchester on 30 August 1954, subsequently opening at the Strand Theatre in London's West End on 25 November. They run into a couple that looks like them and a mix up happens. Satirising the early days of BBC Television, Simon and Laura focuses on an argumentative theatrical couple called Simon and Laura Foster; they've been together for some 20 years and are given a new lease of life when playing a faux-harmonious version of 'themselves' in a daily soap opera filmed in their own home. With Finch and Kendall in the leads, the titular couple became significantly younger (though dialogue referring to them as theatrical veterans remained). During a raid on Germany a British bomber crew is forced to bail out after their plane is damaged. Actors they may be, but happily married they most surely are not. Members ; Fans ; Likes ; Ratings ; Reviews ; Lists ; Sort by.