By Frank Miller
The Perfect Gentleman
Brief Synopsis
A retired military man helps an actress make a comeback.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Tim Whelan
Director
Frank Morgan
Major [Horatio Chatteris]
Cicely Courtneidge
April [Maye]
Heather Angel
Evelyn
Herbert Mundin
Hitch
Una O'connor
Harriet
Film Details
Also Known As
A Perfect Gentleman, The Imperfect Lady
Genre
Comedy
Adaptation
Release Date
Nov
22,
1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the unproduced play The Perfect Gentleman by Edward Childs Carpenter (copyrighted 28 Jan 1929), which was based on the short story "The Prodigal Father" by Cosmo Hamilton in The Saturday Evening Post (15 Nov 1924).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 12m
Film Length
8 reels
Synopsis
English aristocrat Major Horatio Chatteris, deep in debt and considered by his sister Harriet and son John to be a dissolute squanderer, decides to leave his home and return a reformed man, so that they can be proud of him. The dejected major is blamed for harming John's chances of being appointed to the prosperous parish of Upper Haddington by the Bishop because of his poor reputation, an appointment that John needed in order to pay back money borrowed to settle some of his father's debt. After promising to pay John back when he returns, the major sets out for London on a train, where he meets singer April Maye, who is going to perform at a London music hall for the first time in her life. April tells the major that she must be a great success or else she will become destitute, and the major, sympathetic to her plight, offers to attend her performance to cheer her on. When April gives a terrible performance, however, and the audience gives her the "razz," the major, appalled by the heckling, upbraids the audience and then joins her on the stage to revive her act. The pair become an instant hit after bringing the house down with their rendition of "Pack Up Your Troubles." The major, who has been made a celebrity after giving his story to a London newspaper, is recognized by bill collector Hitch during one of their performances and is pursued by him for the £47 he owes him. Hitch catches up with the major at a restaurant and coerces him into writing a bad check, thus putting him in jeopardy of going to prison. April manages to prevent disaster by outwitting Hitch and retrieving the check while doing the rumba with him on the dance floor before he leaves for the bank. At April's suggestion, the major agrees to join her act so that he can make enough money to pay his debt. After completing their first London stint, the major takes April to meet his family, where they attend a society auction to raise money for the parish. When the two decide to take over the auction and invigorate it, the scene quickly turns to bedlam, leaving them at odds with Harriet and the others. The major pays John back the money he promised him, but decides to stop touring with April when he overhears a booking agent request that she perform in a West End revue without him. April, who has fallen in love with the major, is heartbroken when he insists that they split. Once again, the major is forced to leave home when Harriet and the Bishop complain about his unseemly association with theater people. Evelyn, John's softhearted fiancée, refuses to accept the major's exile, convinces John of his sacrifices for them and then goes to find him in London. The major turns up at one of April's performances, where he meets her in her dressing room to ask her if her earlier offer of marriage stills stands. The reunited couple become engaged and win the respect of Evelyn and John.
Director
Tim Whelan
Director
Cast
Frank Morgan
Major [Horatio Chatteris]
Cicely Courtneidge
April [Maye]
Heather Angel
Evelyn
Herbert Mundin
Hitch
Una O'connor
Harriet
Richard Waring
John [Chatteris]
Henry Stephenson
Bishop
Forrester Harvey
Baxton
Mary Forbes
Lady Clyffe-Pembrook
Doris Lloyd
Kate
Edward Cooper
Alf
Brenda Forbes
Penelope
Clifford Severn
Johnny
Ivan F. Simpson
Moss
William Stack
Sir Phillips
Lilyan Irene
Aggie
Allan Conrad
Bidder
Eva Dennison
Bidder
Robert Bolder
Bidder
Olaf Hytten
Tod Brodie
Charles Coleman
Doorman
John Rogers
Milkman
Clyde Cook
Drunk
Cyril Thornton
Workman
Val Stanton
Workman
Helena Phillips Evans
Flower woman
Ann Douglas
Bar maid
Barlowe Borland
Bum
David Clyde
Morse
Stuart Casey
Sentry
Cosmo Kyrle Bellew
English fop
Eric Wilton
Beezely
Yorke Sherwood
Garbage driver
Sonny Ray
Assistant pawn broker
Leonard Mudie
Pawn broker
May Beatty
Harriet's friend
Harry Allen
Hack driver
Neil Fitzgerald
Waiter
Joseph R. Tozer
Humphries
Leyland Hodgson
Agency clerk
Dave Marx
Heckler
Tim Whelan
Usher
Milton Owen
Crew
Harold Adamson
Composer
Fred E. Ahlert
Composer
George Asaf
Composer
Dr. William Axt
Music Score
George Boemler
Film Editor
Edward Childs Carpenter
Screenwriter
Charles [g.] Clarke
Photography
Cedric Gibbons
Art Director
Leon Gordon
Contract Writer
Dave Gould
Dances staged by
Eddie Imazu
Art Director Associate
Walter Jurmann
Composer
Bronislau Kaper
Composer
Burton Lane
Composer
Lew Lipton
Contract Writer
Felix Powell
Composer
Harry Rapf
Producer
Carl Roup
Script clerk
Douglas Shearer
Recording Director
Dolly Tree
Wardrobe
Ned Washington
Composer
Edwin B. Willis
Art Director Associate
Joe Young
Composer
Film Details
Also Known As
A Perfect Gentleman, The Imperfect Lady
Genre
Comedy
Adaptation
Release Date
Nov
22,
1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the unproduced play The Perfect Gentleman by Edward Childs Carpenter (copyrighted 28 Jan 1929), which was based on the short story "The Prodigal Father" by Cosmo Hamilton in The Saturday Evening Post (15 Nov 1924).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 12m
Film Length
8 reels
Articles
The Perfect Gentleman -
What do you do when the black sheep in the family is its patriarch? In this genial comedy, the offending father is sent into exile, only to come home a star of the musical hall stage. The fanciful story was envisioned as a vehicle for Frank Morgan before MGM even bought the property for him. Playwright Edward Childs Carpenter had adapted Cosmo Hamilton's short story "The Prodigal Father" as a vehicle for Morgan in 1929 but couldn't find a producer for the play. Instead, he ended up selling it to MGM, where it was given a production so British some fans insist it was shot at MGM's Pinewood Studios. The studio surrounded Morgan with some of Hollywood's most British actors, including Una O'Connor as his disapproving sister, Heather Angel as his son's fiancée, Herbert Mundin as a blackmailing loan shark and Henry Stephenson as the local bishop. Carrying MGM's anglophilia further, the studio imported Richard Waring and Cicely Courneidge from England to make their U.S. film debuts as Morgan's son and dancing partner, respectively. Courtneidge was a big stage and screen star in England, noted for her low comedy and athletic performances. As a result, the picture's title over there was The Imperfect Lady.
By Frank Miller
By Frank Miller
The Perfect Gentleman -
What do you do when the black sheep in the family is its patriarch? In this genial comedy, the offending father is sent into exile, only to come home a star of the musical hall stage. The fanciful story was envisioned as a vehicle for Frank Morgan before MGM even bought the property for him. Playwright Edward Childs Carpenter had adapted Cosmo Hamilton's short story "The Prodigal Father" as a vehicle for Morgan in 1929 but couldn't find a producer for the play. Instead, he ended up selling it to MGM, where it was given a production so British some fans insist it was shot at MGM's Pinewood Studios. The studio surrounded Morgan with some of Hollywood's most British actors, including Una O'Connor as his disapproving sister, Heather Angel as his son's fiancée, Herbert Mundin as a blackmailing loan shark and Henry Stephenson as the local bishop. Carrying MGM's anglophilia further, the studio imported Richard Waring and Cicely Courneidge from England to make their U.S. film debuts as Morgan's son and dancing partner, respectively. Courtneidge was a big stage and screen star in England, noted for her low comedy and athletic performances. As a result, the picture's title over there was The Imperfect Lady.
By Frank Miller
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to an M-G-M pressbook for this film, Edward Childs Carpenter adapted Cosmo Hamilton's short story as a stage vehicle for Frank Morgan, but the play was never produced. Studio records also indicate that Dave Marx, a former M-G-M property boy, played a small role in this film, as did director Tim Whelan. Whelan took over the part of an usher when he decided to re-shoot a scene after the original player was released. This film marked the American screen debuts of stage actor Richard Waring and actress Cicely Courtneidge, who was borrowed by M-G-M from British-Gaumont in exchange for Madge Evans and Jean Parker. As noted in this film's publicity material, a special set was constructed at M-G-M for the scene in the London music hall where alternating shots of Courtneidge's failing stage performance and the audience's reaction in the gallery were required. The gallery was built on an elevator that could be raised for the theater shots and lowered for other shots, thus allowing the camera to remain fixed at one postion. The balloon dance routine, which featured thirty-six dancers and was rehearsed at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles, proved to be a troublesome affair when the balloons began popping during the rehearsal of the number. The problem was apparently solved by trimming the dancers' fingernails. A Hollywood Reporter production chart refers to this film as A Perfect Gentleman and incorrectly lists actor Richard Waring as Robert Waring. Other Hollywood Reporter production charts list actors Robin Adair, Earle Hodgins, Claude King, Oscar Radin, Elsa Buchanan and Harry Stubbs in the cast, but their appearance in the released film has not been confirmed. Hollywood Reporter pre-release news items list actors Robert Cory, Ottola Nesmith and Gyles Isham in the cast, but their appearance in the final film has also not been confirmed. According to Hollywood Reporter pre-release news items, following a sneak preview in which a trial ending was used, M-G-M decided to shoot another week on the picture and give it a new ending. For this, M-G-M assigned writers Lew Lipton and Leon Gordon to write new comedy sequences. This film was released in Great Britain as The Imperfect Lady.
