Half a Sixpence
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
George Sidney
Tommy Steele
Julia Foster
Penelope Horner
Cyril Ritchard
Grover Dale
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Edwardian England, orphaned Arthur Kipps finds a new sixpence as he walks along a stream with his girl friend, Ann. Before going to a nearby town to serve as apprentice to a draper, Kipps has a blacksmith cut the coin in two and gives one half to Ann as a symbol of their love. Kipps's work at the drape store is difficult and his living conditions minimal, but his luck changes when he becomes friends with Harry Chitterlow, an eccentric actor-playwright; Chitterlow discovers from the newspaper that Kipps is heir to a fortune left him by his grandfather. Now a wealthy young man, Kipps rewards the showman by investing in one of his productions and then leaves the store for a trip abroad. Upon his return, he forgets his vow to Ann, who is now a maid in a large manor, becomes engaged to snobbish socialite Helen Walsingham, and allows her brother Hubert to invest his money. His break with his former friends becomes final when he leads a crew of his aristocratic friends to victory in the Henley Regatta. Kipps soon realizes the shallowness of his new lifestyle, however, and renews his pledge to Ann by breaking his engagement. Kipps and Ann get married and move into his grandfather's mansion, as he makes plans to build her the most elegant home in England. Ann despises her husband's grandiose airs, and their marriage soon becomes a series of quarrels over social status. Their problems multiply when Hubert disappears, leaving behind a mountain of unpaid bills and a bankrupt Kipps. Sobered by misfortune, Kipps happily returns to his former way of life with his old friends and prepares to settle down in a modest cottage with Ann. Later, Chitterlow unexpectedly reappears with news that his play is a smashing success and that Kipps will reap a percentage of the profits. Musical numbers : "All in the Cause of Economy," "I'm Not Talking to You" (Kipps and Apprentices), "Half a Sixpence" (Kipps and Ann), "Money To Burn," "The Race Is On," "Flash, Bang, Wallop" (Kipps and Chorus), "I Don't Believe a Word of It" (Ann and Friends), "A Proper Gentleman" (Chorus), "She's Too Far Above Me," "This Is My World" (Kipps), "If the Rain's Got To Fall" (Kipps, Children, and Chorus), "Entr'acte" (Orchestra), "I Know What I Am" (Ann).
Director
George Sidney
Cast
Tommy Steele
Julia Foster
Penelope Horner
Cyril Ritchard
Grover Dale
Elaine Taylor
Julia Sutton
Sheila Falconer
Leslie Meadows
Christopher Sandford
Pamela Brown
James Villiers
Gerald Campion
Hilton Edwards
Jean Anderson
Allan Cuthbertson
Aleta Morrison
Deborah Permenter
Jeffrey Chandler
Barry Sinclair
Bartlett Mullins
Harry Locke
Julian Orchard
James Bolam
Carole Walker
Humphrey Kent
Norman Mitchell
Bridget Armstrong
Frank Crawshaw
Alistair Hunter
Reginald Hearne
Apple Brook
Helen Goss
George Moon
Queenie Watts
Harry Haythorne
Pat Ashton
Jackie Rochelle
Golda Casimir
Sonny Farrar
Sydney Bromley
Joyce Graeme
Des Graham
Don Vernon
Pamela Cundell
Iris Sadler
Roy Evans
Carolyn Archer
Joyanne Delancey
Suzanne France
Ann Frost
Sally Gilpin
Caroline Haig
Sarah Hardenburg
Michele Hardy
Gillian Hough
Lesley Judd
Jane Kells
Caryl Little
Patricia Lovett
Dawn Mcdonald
Sheila O'neill
Louanne Richards
Delia Sainsbury
Tessa Steel
Maureen Willsher
Ivan Baptie
Donald Barclay
David Boswell
Jan Colet
Ray Davis
Neil Fitzwilliam
Louis Godfrey
Bill Harvey
David Hepburn
Bob Howe
Leon Lestocq-prayne
John Macdonald
Paddy Mcintyre
Tom Merrifield
Harry Naughton
Albin Pahernik
Barrie Young
Crew
Buster Ambler
Gordon Bond
Joan Bridge
Bert Cann
Beverley Cross
Jackie Cummins
John Dark
Rene Dupont
George Frost
John Graysmark
Elizabeth Haffenden
Ted Haworth
David Heneker
Dorothy Kingsley
Carrol Knudson
Irwin Kostal
Bill Lewthwaite
Gillian Lynne
Virginia Mason
Peter Murton
Sally Nicholl
William Perlberg
Peter Price
Frank Santillo
Charles H. Schneer
Charles H. Schneer
George Sidney
George Sidney
Geoffrey Unsworth
Marti Webb
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Don't forget old Harry. For #100, I'll let you have a quarter share of my new play.- Harry Chitterlow
A quarter share? I'll take half!- Arthur Kipps
Spoken like a gent!- Harry Chitterlow
Oh, Hang the shop!- Kipps
I don't like the way this place is run, so you better wake yourself up, or you'll find yourself out *on* *your* *ear*! Ficency, Shalford! Ficency, System,- Kipps
and that to your blessed economy. And you can stick that on my account!- Kipps
Trivia
Notes
Location scenes filmed in England at Tunbridge Wells, Henley, and Blenheim Palace. Opened in London in December 1967; running time: 146 min. Perlberg began the film as producer but withdrew.
