An Alligator Named Daisy

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." 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."