An Alligator Named Daisy
Encyclopedia
An Alligator Named Daisy is a 1955 British comedy film
directed by J. Lee Thompson
and starring Donald Sinden
, Jeannie Carson
, James Robertson Justice
, Diana Dors
, Roland Culver
and Stanley Holloway
.
match in Ireland, Peter Weston, an Englishman, is left a pet alligator
by another passenger who abandons it to him. He is horrified and his first instinct is to get rid of it as soon as possible. However, he soon develops a bond with a young Irishwoman which appears to be centred almost entirely around the animal. He soon discovers that Daisy is very tame and domesticated, and seems to be the way to Moira's heart.
Once back in London
, Weston struggles to keep Daisy under control – as she upsets his family, loses him his job at a department store and imperils his relationship with his fiancée (Diana Dors). He plans to get rid of Daisy, but the police and a pet shop refuse to take her so he abandons her in Regent's Park
– later returning to rescue her with a sense of guilt. Owing to a mix-up, Daisy is packed along with the rest of his luggage to accompany him to his prospective's father-in-law's country house. Daisy soon escapes and causes mayhem bringing his engagement seemingly to an end and opening the way to a relationship with Moira.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by J. Lee Thompson
J. Lee Thompson
John Lee Thompson , better known as J. Lee Thompson, was an English film director, active in England and Hollywood.- Early years :...
and starring Donald Sinden
Donald Sinden
Sir Donald Alfred Sinden CBE is an English actor of theatre, film and television.-Personal life:Sinden was born in Plymouth, Devon, England, on 9 October 1923. The son of Alfred Edward Sinden and his wife Mabel Agnes , he grew up in the Sussex village of Ditchling, where their home doubled as the...
, Jeannie Carson
Jeannie Carson
Jeannie Carson is a retired English-born United States-based comedienne and musical theatre actress...
, James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice was a popular British character actor in British films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:...
, Diana Dors
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
, Roland Culver
Roland Culver
Roland Culver OBE was a British stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:...
and Stanley Holloway
Stanley Holloway
Stanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
.
Plot
Returning from a cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
match in Ireland, Peter Weston, an Englishman, is left a pet alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
by another passenger who abandons it to him. He is horrified and his first instinct is to get rid of it as soon as possible. However, he soon develops a bond with a young Irishwoman which appears to be centred almost entirely around the animal. He soon discovers that Daisy is very tame and domesticated, and seems to be the way to Moira's heart.
Once back in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Weston struggles to keep Daisy under control – as she upsets his family, loses him his job at a department store and imperils his relationship with his fiancée (Diana Dors). He plans to get rid of Daisy, but the police and a pet shop refuse to take her so he abandons her in Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
– later returning to rescue her with a sense of guilt. Owing to a mix-up, Daisy is packed along with the rest of his luggage to accompany him to his prospective's father-in-law's country house. Daisy soon escapes and causes mayhem bringing his engagement seemingly to an end and opening the way to a relationship with Moira.
Cast
- Donald SindenDonald SindenSir Donald Alfred Sinden CBE is an English actor of theatre, film and television.-Personal life:Sinden was born in Plymouth, Devon, England, on 9 October 1923. The son of Alfred Edward Sinden and his wife Mabel Agnes , he grew up in the Sussex village of Ditchling, where their home doubled as the...
- Peter Weston - Jeannie CarsonJeannie CarsonJeannie Carson is a retired English-born United States-based comedienne and musical theatre actress...
- Moira O'Shannon - James Robertson JusticeJames Robertson JusticeJames Robertson Justice was a popular British character actor in British films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:...
- Sir James Colbrooke - Diana DorsDiana DorsDiana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
- Vanessa Colbrooke - Roland CulverRoland CulverRoland Culver OBE was a British stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:...
- Mr Weston - Stanley HollowayStanley HollowayStanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
- The General - Avice LandoneAvice LandoneAvice Landone was a British actress who appeared in British television and film. She was born in Quetta, British India in 1908 and made her screen debut in the 1948 film My Brother Jonathon. Between 1970 and 1972 she played the role of Margaret Brown in the television series Man at the Top...
- Mrs Weston - Richard WattisRichard WattisRichard Cameron Wattis , was an English character actor.He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham and Bromsgrove School, after which he worked for the family electrical engineering firm before becoming a professional actor. After his debut with Croydon Repertory Theatre he made many stage...
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- The Judge - Wilfrid LawsonWilfrid Lawson (actor)Wilfrid Lawson was a British character actor of stage and screen.-Life and career:...
- Irishman - Charles VictorCharles VictorCharles Victor was a British actor who appeared in a number of films and television between 1938 and 1965.-Selected filmography:* Return of the Frog * Hell's Cargo * Contraband...
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- Prudence Croquet - Joan HicksonJoan HicksonJoan Hickson OBE was an English actress of theatre, film and television, famed for playing Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series Miss Marple.- Wivenhoe :...
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- Alligator owner - Frankie HowerdFrankie HowerdFrancis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
- Comedian - George WoodbridgeGeorge Woodbridge (actor)George Woodbridge was an English character actor in films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s...
- PC Jorkins