The Ghosts of Berkeley Square
Encyclopedia
The Ghosts of Berkeley Square is a 1947
British comedy film, directed by Vernon Sewell
and starring Robert Morley
and Felix Aylmer
. The film is an adaptation of the novel No Nightingales by Caryl Brahms
and S. J. Simon
, inspired by the enduring reputation of the property at 50 Berkeley Square
as "the most haunted house in London". Despite its stellar cast of highly-respected character actors and its inventive use of special effects, the film proved less successful at the box-office than had been hoped.
in the afterlife, and as punishment they are condemned to haunt the Berkeley Square house until such time as a British monarch crosses the threshold of the property.
Things get off to a rocky start when the ghosts of Burlap and Kelsoe blame each other for the fiasco, quarrel, and refuse to speak to each other for 66 years. Once they have resolved their differences, they set about trying to engineer the required royal visit. Over the decades they interact with the succession of different occupants of the house, but never manage to lure a monarch to enter. As the years pass, the house becomes variously the home of a French-run bordello with drinking, gambling and fornication; an Indian rajah complete with harem; the home of the PT Barnum theatre: a Boer War
soldiers' hospital and a World War I
officers' club. Their time in purgatory eventually comes to an end when Berkeley Square is bombed during an air raid and Queen Mary
comes to visit the damaged properties, allowing the pair finally to take their place in the afterlife.
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
British comedy film, directed by Vernon Sewell
Vernon Sewell
Vernon Campbell Sewell was a British film director, screenwriter, producer writer and, briefly, an actor. Sewell was born in London, England in 1903. He was educated at Marlborough College. He directed over 30 films during his career, starting with Morgenrot in 1933...
and starring Robert Morley
Robert Morley
Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE was an English actor who, often in supporting roles, was usually cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment...
and Felix Aylmer
Felix Aylmer
Sir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television.-Early life and career:...
. The film is an adaptation of the novel No Nightingales by Caryl Brahms
Caryl Brahms
Caryl Brahms, born Doris Caroline Abrahams was an English critic, novelist, and journalist specialising in the theatre and ballet. She also wrote film, radio and television scripts....
and S. J. Simon
S. J. Simon
S.J. "Skid" Simon was a British author and bridge player. From 1937 until his death he collaborated with Caryl Brahms on a series of comic novels and short stories, mostly with a background of ballet or of English history...
, inspired by the enduring reputation of the property at 50 Berkeley Square
50 Berkeley Square
50 Berkeley Square is a reportedly haunted townhouse on Berkeley Square in Mayfair, in Central London. In the 1900s it became known as "The Most Haunted House in London"; mostly due to Peter Underwood's description of the house in Haunted London....
as "the most haunted house in London". Despite its stellar cast of highly-respected character actors and its inventive use of special effects, the film proved less successful at the box-office than had been hoped.
Plot
18th century soldiers General Burlap (Morley) and Colonel Kelsoe (Aylmer) are desperate to prevent war, and hatch a plan to capture a warmongering military commander and hold him prisoner until the threat of hostilities passes. Unfortunately, while testing the efficacy of the contraption they have designed to entrap the man, they manage to kill themselves. Their stupidity incurs the wrath of Queen AnneAnne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
in the afterlife, and as punishment they are condemned to haunt the Berkeley Square house until such time as a British monarch crosses the threshold of the property.
Things get off to a rocky start when the ghosts of Burlap and Kelsoe blame each other for the fiasco, quarrel, and refuse to speak to each other for 66 years. Once they have resolved their differences, they set about trying to engineer the required royal visit. Over the decades they interact with the succession of different occupants of the house, but never manage to lure a monarch to enter. As the years pass, the house becomes variously the home of a French-run bordello with drinking, gambling and fornication; an Indian rajah complete with harem; the home of the PT Barnum theatre: a Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
soldiers' hospital and a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
officers' club. Their time in purgatory eventually comes to an end when Berkeley Square is bombed during an air raid and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
comes to visit the damaged properties, allowing the pair finally to take their place in the afterlife.
Cast
- Robert MorleyRobert MorleyRobert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE was an English actor who, often in supporting roles, was usually cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment...
as Gen. "Jumbo" Burlap / Nawab of Bagwash - Felix AylmerFelix AylmerSir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television.-Early life and career:...
as Col. H. "Bulldog" Kelsoe - Yvonne ArnaudYvonne ArnaudYvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy and other teachers...
as Millie - Claude HulbertClaude HulbertClaude Noel Hulbert was a British comic actor. He was the younger brother of Jack Hulbert. Like his brother, he was Cambridge educated and was a member of the Footlights comedy club as an undergraduate....
as Merryweather - Abraham SofaerAbraham SofaerAbraham Sofaer was a stage actor of Burmese-Jewish descent who became a familiar supporting player on film and television in his later years. He was born in Rangoon, Burma...
as Benjamin Disraeli - Ernest ThesigerErnest ThesigerErnest Frederic Graham Thesiger CBE was an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his performance as Dr...
as Dr. Cruickshank - Marie LohrMarie LohrMarie Lohr was an Australian film and stage actress.-Biography:Marie Löhr was born in Sydney to Lewis J. Löhr, treasurer of the Melbourne opera house, and his wife, the English actress Kate Bishop...
as Lottie - Martita HuntMartita HuntMartita Hunt was an English theatre and film actress.-Early life:Hunt was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 30 January 1900 to British parents Alfred and Marta Hunt...
as Lady Mary - A. E. MatthewsA. E. MatthewsA.E. Matthews OBE was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades, and who became known for his longevity.-Biography:...
as Gen. Bristow - John LongdenJohn LongdenJohn Longden was a West Indian-born English film actor. He appeared in 84 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.-Biography:...
as Mortimer Digby
- Ronald FrankauRonald FrankauRonald Frankau was an English comedian and musician from London who started in cabarets and made his way to radio and films.-Family:...
as Tex Farnum - Wilfrid Hyde-WhiteWilfrid Hyde-WhiteWilfrid Hyde-White was an English character actor.-Early life and career:Wilfrid Hyde White was born at the rectory in Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire, the son of William Edward White, canon of Gloucester Cathedral, and his wife, Ethel Adelaide Drought...
as Staff Captain - Wally PatchWally PatchWally Patch was a British character actor, who had supporting roles in many films. He was born Walter Sidney Vinnicombe in Willesden, London on 26 September 1888...
as Foreman - Esme PercyEsme PercySaville Esme Percy was an English film actor. He appeared in 40 films between 1930 and 1956. He was born in London and died in Brighton.-Selected filmography:* Murder! * The Lucky Number...
as Vizier - Mary JerroldMary JerroldMary Jerrold was a British actress. She was married to actor Hubert Harben and mother of celebrity chef Philip Harben.-Selected filmography:* The Great Defender * Jack of All Trades * Return to Yesterday...
as Lettie - Diane HartDiane HartDiane Hart was an English actress in both movies and the theater in the West End Theater of London, political campaigner and inventor. For 12 years she was married to the television broadcaster Kenneth MacLeod before separating in 1968...
as Minette - James Hayter as Capt. Dodds
- Edward LexyEdward Lexy-Filmography:* Under Secret Orders * Mademoiselle Docteur * Farewell Again * Knight Without Armour * Action for Slander * Smash and Grab * The Green Cockatoo...
as Brigadier - Aubrey MallalieuAubrey MallalieuAubrey Mallalieu was an English actor with a prolific career in supporting roles in films in the 1930s and 1940s....
as Butler - Strelsa BrownStrelsa BrownStrelsa Brown is an English motion picture actress.Her film career began with an uncredited part in The Ghosts of Berkeley Square in 1947. Her most noteworthy motion picture credit is Quo Vadis. She played the role of Rufia in a movie that earned numerous Academy Award nominations...
as Amazon Attendant
External links
- The Ghosts of Berkeley Square at BritMovie