Charleys (Big Hearted) Aunt
6.2 /10 1 Votes6.2
Duration Country UK | 6/10 IMDb Genre Comedy Screenplay J.O.C. Orton Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Release date 31 August 1940 Initial release August 31, 1940 (United Kingdom) Cast (Arthur Linden), ('Stinker' Burton), (Albert Brown), (Jerry), J.H. Roberts (Dean of Bowgate), (The Proctor)Similar movies Related Walter Forde movies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde starring Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch as Oxford 'scholars'.
Contents
The film is one of many to be made based on the Victorian farce Charley's Aunt. Arthur Askey's professional nickname was "Big-Hearted Arthur", which was added to the title to distinguish it from Jack Benny's version, for its (limited) American release.
Plot
Oxford students Arthur (Arthur Askey), Stinker (Richard Murdoch), and Albert (Graham Moffatt) are in danger of being "sent down" (expelled) for bad behaviour. Learning the Dean of Bowgate College is an amateur Egyptologist, Arthur—who had just played the lead in a stage version of "Charley's Aunt"—poses as Albert's wealthy Aunt Lucy, who might finance an archeological expedition if the Dean is lenient on her nephew and his friends. Unfortunately, the real Aunt Lucy picks this day to pay a visit to Oxford herself, with calamitous results.
Differences from play
Aside from the Oxford setting and the premise of a male student impersonating his wealthy aunt, the film bears little resemblance to the original play. In one brief sequence, the play "Charley's Aunt" is shown being performed by the Oxford students.
Cast
Critical reception
References
Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt WikipediaCharleys (Big-Hearted) Aunt IMDb Charleys (Big-Hearted) Aunt themoviedb.org