An Alligator Named Daisy

An Alligator Named Daisy

UK theatrical poster
Directed by J. Lee Thompson
Written by Jack Davies
Charles Terrot (novel)
Starring Donald Sinden
Jeannie Carson
James Robertson Justice
Diana Dors
Stanley Holloway
Cinematography Reginald H. Wyer
Edited by John D. Guthridge
Distributed by Rank Organisation
Release dates
 13 December 1955
Running time
 88 min
Country United Kingdom
Language English

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.[1][2]

Plot

Returning from a cricket 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.

Cast

Critical reception

The TV Guide wrote, "This very funny film has an excellent supporting cast."[3] The New York Times found that despite "a curiously cute bit by Margaret Rutherford, as a pet-shop owner who talks to the animals in their own "language."...the joke wears thin."[4]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047813/
  2. ↑ "An Alligator Named Daisy". British Film Institute. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "An Alligator Named Daisy Review". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  4. ↑ A.H. WEILERDonald Sinden (1957-10-07). "Movie Review - An Alligator Named Daisy - Screen: New Best Friend; 'Alligator Named Daisy' Slithers Into Sutton". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2014-03-08.