Celia (also known as Celia – The Sinister Affair of Poor Aunt Nora) is a 1949 British comedy-thriller second feature ('B')[1] film directed by Francis Searle and starring Hy Hazell, Bruce Lester and John Bailey.[2] It was written by A.R. Rawlinson, Edward J. Mason and Searle, with additional dialogue by Roy Plomley, and was based on the 1948 BBC radio serial of the same title by Mason.[1][3] It was made by Hammer Films.
An unemployed actress is persuaded by her private detective boyfriend to pose as a housekeeper at a country mansion to investigate suspicious events occurring there.
Plot
Celia is reluctantly persuaded by Private Detective Larry to once again help him with a case. She has a flair for undertaking character rôles but mainly agrees so she can buy a fashionable hat. Celia becomes a cockney housekeeper for a week in a large house where a man is suspected of marrying an older woman for her money and plans to kill her.
Cast
- Hy Hazell as Celia
- Bruce Lester as Larry Peters
- John Bailey as Lester Martin
- Elsie Wagstaff as Aunt Nora
- Ferdy Mayne as Antonio
- Lockwood West as Dr. Cresswell
- John Sharp as Mr. Haldane
- Joan Hickson as Mrs. Haldane
- James Raglan as Inspector Parker
- Jasmine Dee as Miss Arnold
- June Elvin as Ruby
- Charles Paton as grocer
- Olive Walter as woman in shop
- Grace Denbigh Russell as woman in shop
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Celia, a character from a B.B.C. serial, investigates the sinister affair of poor Aunt Nora in a comedy thriller made with modest means and adequacy."[4]
Kine Weekly wrote: "Neat and tidy romantic comedy crime melodrama, woven around the popular BBC character. ... Comely and versatile Hy Hazell does a good job in the name part, the support is adequate, the dialogue smooth and the staging well up to standard."[5]
Picturegoer wrote: "Written around the popular B.B.C. character, this neatly made melodrama has a good story and the advantage of well-timed humour."[6]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Lively little thriller, quite tidily made."[7]
Chibnall and McFarlane in The British 'B' Film called it a "light comedy-drama" and noted "the effective way in which [it] overcame its economic restrictions."[1]
References
- ^ a b c Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Celia". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Celia". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Celia". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 16 (181): 161. 1 January 1949. ProQuest 1305810504.
- ^ "Celia". Kine Weekly. 390 (2208): 19. 25 August 1949. ProQuest 2676992914.
- ^ "Celia". Picturegoer. 18: 12. 6 January 1950. ProQuest 1705072658.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 198. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
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