The Reluctant Debutante (1958)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

William Douglas-Home (play)
William Douglas-Home (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 March 1959 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Jimmy and Sheila Broadbent (Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall), welcome to London Jimmy's 17-year-old daughter...

Plot Keywords:

Affection | Debutante | Bad Guy | High Society | American Abroad

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Rex Harrison	...	Jimmy Broadbent
Kay Kendall	...	Sheila Broadbent
John Saxon	...	David Parkson
Sandra Dee	...	Jane Broadbent
Angela Lansbury	...	Mabel Claremont
Peter Myers	...	David Fenner
Diane Clare	...	Clarissa Claremont

Also Known As:

Mamá nos complica la vida (Mexico) (cable TV title) (Spain) [es]
Äiti tietää rakkaudesta (Finland) [fi]
A Estreante Endiabrada (Portugal) [pt]
Come sposare una figlia (Italy) [it]
Hvad ved mor om kærlighed? (Denmark) [da]
Qu'est-ce que maman comprend à l'amour? (France) [fr]
Vad vet mamma om kärlek? (Sweden) [sv]
Was weiß Mama von Liebe? (West Germany) [de]

Runtime:

94 min | 96 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #19004)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Avon Productions (II)

Trivia:

For years John Saxon said he had been bothered by something about Sandra Dee during filming that he just couldn't put his finger on. Decades later he figured out what it was - because she'd lied about her age, she was only 14 years old.

Quotes:

Sheila Broadbent: What! David Fenner? Let me speak to him again. David, this is Sheila. About your mother, darling...
David Fenner: Well, I'm afraid she's dead, actually.
Sheila Broadbent: Yes, I know, darling, that's why I'm so sorry about asking you to give her my love.
David Fenner: I'm afraid I can't, because she's dead.
Sheila Broadbent: I know, darling, that's why I'm so sorry. It was such a silly mistake to make.
David Fenner: Well, she couldn't help it, actually.

Movie Connections:

Remade as What a Girl Wants (2003)

Can you imagine an intelligent American in a film set in Britain?

A very amusing film, often hilarious, and unusually intelligent in every respect. Lansbury is a gem in an essentially despicable role. Harrison and Kendall are great, and other performances match.

Sandra Dee is adorable in an extremely unusual role for a British film, or one set in Britain. She portrays an INTELLIGENT American, or child of British parents who has spent time in the U.S. She commits no faux pas against British customs, does not denounce the nation or its people, does not claim that everything in America is better than anything in the U.K., and in general acts as an intelligent, decent, lovable person. Such roles, as portrayed by Mickey Rooney and nearly all others are an insult to American intelligence, and this picture deserves top ratings for this characterization, even if it didn't for its general overall entertainment value.