Once Upon a Dream (1949 film)
Encyclopedia
Once Upon a Dream is a 1949
British comedy romance film
directed by Ralph Thomas
in his debut and starring Googie Withers
, Griffith Jones
, Guy Middleton
, and Maurice Denham
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
.
An officer's wife has a romantic dream about her husband's man (servant) and comes to believe it is true. Meanwhile the husband has asked his servant to help him, after the war, to suggest ways to ignite the romance he and his wife had before the war, as well as find a way to make money in a post-war economy. Misdirection and misunderstandings ensue.
It was a J. Arthur Rank
presentation, a Sydney Box
production and was released through General Film Distributors
Ltd.
1949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
British comedy romance film
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
directed by Ralph Thomas
Ralph Thomas
Ralph Thomas was an English film director, born in Hull. He is perhaps best known for directing the Doctor series of films....
in his debut and starring Googie Withers
Googie Withers
Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
, Griffith Jones
Griffith Jones (actor)
Griffith Jones was an English film, stage and television actor.Born in London, England, Jones was the son of a Welsh-speaking dairy owner. In 1932, he married Robin Isaac, and they had two children: the actors Gemma Jones and Nicholas Jones...
, Guy Middleton
Guy Middleton
Guy Middleton Powell, usually credited as Guy Middleton, was an English film character actor.Middleton was born in Hove, England and originally worked in the London Stock Exchange, before turning to acting in the 1930s...
, and Maurice Denham
Maurice Denham
Maurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Plot
The film is a comedy and a social commentary on the period and is set just after after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
An officer's wife has a romantic dream about her husband's man (servant) and comes to believe it is true. Meanwhile the husband has asked his servant to help him, after the war, to suggest ways to ignite the romance he and his wife had before the war, as well as find a way to make money in a post-war economy. Misdirection and misunderstandings ensue.
It was a J. Arthur Rank
J. Arthur Rank
Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc.- Family business :...
presentation, a Sydney Box
Sydney Box
Sydney Box was a British film producer and screenwriter, brother of another prominent British filmmaker, Betty Box. He produced the postwar screenplay, The Seventh Veil, which earned him the 1946 Oscar for best original screenplay with his then wife Muriel Box after which the couple were hired by...
production and was released through General Film Distributors
General Film Distributors
General Film Distributors , was a British film distribution company based in London. It was established in 1935 by the British producer C. M. Woolf together with J. Arthur Rank. The company was incorporated in Rank's General Cinema Finance Corporation in 1936, but continued to operate under its...
Ltd.
Cast
- Googie WithersGoogie WithersGeorgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
as Carol Gilbert - Griffith JonesGriffith Jones (actor)Griffith Jones was an English film, stage and television actor.Born in London, England, Jones was the son of a Welsh-speaking dairy owner. In 1932, he married Robin Isaac, and they had two children: the actors Gemma Jones and Nicholas Jones...
as Jackson - Guy MiddletonGuy MiddletonGuy Middleton Powell, usually credited as Guy Middleton, was an English film character actor.Middleton was born in Hove, England and originally worked in the London Stock Exchange, before turning to acting in the 1930s...
as Major Gilbert - Betty Lynne as Mlle Louise
- David HorneDavid Horne (actor)-Biography:British actor and playwright David Horne began his film career in the 1930s, after a distinguished early career in the theatre. He was generally seen portraying pompous, self-satisfied characters...
as Registrar - Geoffrey Morris as Registrar's Clerk
- Raymond LovellRaymond LovellRaymond Lovell was a Canadian-born film actor who performed in British produced films. He mainly played supporting roles, and was often seen as slightly pompous characters...
as Mr. Trout - Noel HowlettNoel HowlettNoel Howlett was an English actor, principally remembered as the incompetent headmaster, Morris Cromwell, in the ITV 1970s cult television programme Please Sir!...
as Solicitor - Agnes LauchlanAgnes LauchlanAgnes Lauchlan was a British film and television actress.Agnes Mary Lauchlan, was born on the 10th of February 1905 in Putney, London. the daughter of Henry D. Lauchlan, a surgeon and his Scottish-born wife Minnie. She married William Connelly in Surrey in 1948...
as Aunt Agnes - Mirren Wood as Conductress
- Hubert GreggHubert GreggHubert Gregg was a BBC broadcaster, writer and stage actor. At the end of his life he was probably best known for the BBC Radio 2 'oldies' shows A Square Deal and Thanks For The Memory...
as Captain Williams - Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
as Vicar - Mona WashbourneMona WashbourneMona Washbourne was an English actress of stage, film and television.Mona Washbourne began her entertaining career training as a concert pianist. While performing on stage in the early 1920s, she found that she liked acting and became an actress...
as Vicar's Wife - Nora Nicholson as 1st W.V.S.
- Dora BryanDora BryanDora May Bryan OBE is an English actress of stage, film and television.-Early life:Bryan was born as Dora May Broadbent in Southport, Lancashire, England. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire...
as Barmaid - Hal OsmondHal Osmond-Selected filmography:* Once Upon a Dream * Vote for Huggett * Diamond City * Your Witness * Last Holiday * The Happy Family * The Brave Don't Cry * To Dorothy a Son...
as Bailiff - Arthur Denton as Janitor
- Eric Messiter as Pontefact
- Gibb McLaughlinGibb McLaughlinGibb McLaughlin was an English film actor. He appeared in 118 films between 1921 and 1959. He was born in Sunderland, England and died in London, England.-Selected filmography:* The Road to London...
as Pontefact - Cecil BevanCecil Bevan-Selected filmography:* The Old Curiosity Shop * It's Never Too Late to Mend * Paradise for Two * Inspector Hornleigh * Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday * Let the People Sing...
as Wright - Wilfred Caithness as Pontefact
Production
- Screenplay by Patrick Kirwan and Victor Katona
- Based on an original story by Val Guest
- Music composed by Arthur Wilkinson, played by London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Hollingsworth
- "Time & Time Again" by Eric Maschwitz, music by Manning Sherwin
- Produced by Antony Darnborough
- Production controller - Arthur Alcott
- Associate producer - Alfred Roome
- Director of photography - Jack Cox
- Camera operator - Len Harris
- Supervising art director - George Provis
- Art director - Cedric Dawe
- Production manager - H. Attwooll
- Editor - Jean Barker
- Assistant director - George Mills
- Make-up - John Wilcox
- Dress designer - Julie Harris
- Recordists - Desmond Dew and Chas. Knott (Western Electric Recording)