"The Reluctant Debutante" is a very good comedy of manners. Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall get top billing in a nice cast of young and "mature" stars of the day. The battle of manners plays out between Kendall and Angela Lansbury. These two are terrific in their rival- friend-rival relationship. Lansbury's Mabel Claremont is a far cry from the Jessica Fletcher of the long-running TV series (1984-96), "Murder She Wrote." The very talented Lansbury here is the noisy, butting-in, social busybody of London society. Kendall's Sheila Broadbent is a take charge, social butterfly who wants to get her stepdaughter lined up with the right man. The stepdaughter is Jane Broadbent (Sandra Dee) just arrived from the U. S., whom Sheila has never met, and her father hasn't seen in many years.
All of this takes place in, around and because of "the season." In London, that means the coming out of 17-year-old girls through a grueling, seemingly endless round of debutante balls. Overseeing all of the wackiness that takes place, and suffering through long nights that end at wee hours of the morning, when he'd like to catch "a little nap before the office," is Rex Harrison as Jimmy Broadbent.
Jimmy and Sheila didn't know what to expect of Jane. What will she look like? Her last photo was two years old and young girls can change a lot in two years. Sheila wonders if Jane will like her. How will they get along? With all of this, Sheila hasn't even thought about Jane coming out in London society. But when they see the very attractive Jane, and run into Mabel Claremont and her daughter, Clarissa, Sheila announces that Jane too, will be coming out.
Saxon plays David Parkson, and Peter Myers does a smashing job as David Fenner. He is a very funny overly snobbish sounding and acting eligible bachelor/suitor. All of the cast are fine. The film is a little slow getting started, but the comedy ramps up in the last half.
This is a good film to show the comedy talents of all three mature leads. Harrison and Kendall were married at the time. It was her first and only marriage. She made only one more film after this and died a year later of leukemia. She was just 33 years old. In her short career, she was in 30 films and TV series. After a slow start in the 1940s, her star rose in the 1950s. She moved from TV series in 1951 to the silver screen. She won a Golden Globe for "Les Girls" of 1958.
This was the first pairing of John Saxon and Sandra Dee. They would make three films together, all good movies.
One of the funniest scenes is when Jimmy and Sheila hide in the kitchen to keep an eye on Jane and David. Another funny thing may not have been intentional - the strange flat where the Broadbents live. It looks like a tunnel off the living room to the bedroom section, and with a side door to the kitchen. In the end, Jimmy finds a way to save Sheila from the egg on her face.
Here are some favorite lines from this film. For more dialog humor, check the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the film.
Sheila, "Jimmy, if she brings him up here for a drink, she'll know we've been waiting up for her." Jimmy, "And so we have." Sheila, "But, darling, she musn't. Psychologically, it's wrong to let her see we're worried. You see, even if she isn't interested in David Parkson, she thinks we'd be against it if she was, she will be." Jimmy, "She was, she will be?" Sheila, "No, darling, she mustn't know. We must wait up for her, don't you see?" Jimmy, "But, Jane" Sheila, "No, no, darling, in the kitchen."
Sheila, "Now go in the kitchen." Jimmy, "The kitchen?" Sheila, "To see if you can hear me." Jimmy, "But I can hear you from here." Sheila, "Oh, Jimmy, do try and understand. We're hiding in the kitchen. We have to know what's going on. Now run along."
Jimmy, "My permission? I'm a married man. My wife and I make joint decisions." David Parkson, "Then tell her about Brenda Bassington." Jimmy, "She wouldn't believe it." David, "Do you?" Jimmy, "Yes." David, "Well, then." Jimmy, "Well, that has nothing to do with it. Truth doesn't mean the same to a woman that it does to a man. To them, it's what they want to believe, regardless of the facts"
Sheila, "Jimmy?" Jimmy, "Shhh. Later, darling." As they begin to dance, he kisses her tenderly.
All of this takes place in, around and because of "the season." In London, that means the coming out of 17-year-old girls through a grueling, seemingly endless round of debutante balls. Overseeing all of the wackiness that takes place, and suffering through long nights that end at wee hours of the morning, when he'd like to catch "a little nap before the office," is Rex Harrison as Jimmy Broadbent.
Jimmy and Sheila didn't know what to expect of Jane. What will she look like? Her last photo was two years old and young girls can change a lot in two years. Sheila wonders if Jane will like her. How will they get along? With all of this, Sheila hasn't even thought about Jane coming out in London society. But when they see the very attractive Jane, and run into Mabel Claremont and her daughter, Clarissa, Sheila announces that Jane too, will be coming out.
Saxon plays David Parkson, and Peter Myers does a smashing job as David Fenner. He is a very funny overly snobbish sounding and acting eligible bachelor/suitor. All of the cast are fine. The film is a little slow getting started, but the comedy ramps up in the last half.
This is a good film to show the comedy talents of all three mature leads. Harrison and Kendall were married at the time. It was her first and only marriage. She made only one more film after this and died a year later of leukemia. She was just 33 years old. In her short career, she was in 30 films and TV series. After a slow start in the 1940s, her star rose in the 1950s. She moved from TV series in 1951 to the silver screen. She won a Golden Globe for "Les Girls" of 1958.
This was the first pairing of John Saxon and Sandra Dee. They would make three films together, all good movies.
One of the funniest scenes is when Jimmy and Sheila hide in the kitchen to keep an eye on Jane and David. Another funny thing may not have been intentional - the strange flat where the Broadbents live. It looks like a tunnel off the living room to the bedroom section, and with a side door to the kitchen. In the end, Jimmy finds a way to save Sheila from the egg on her face.
Here are some favorite lines from this film. For more dialog humor, check the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the film.
Sheila, "Jimmy, if she brings him up here for a drink, she'll know we've been waiting up for her." Jimmy, "And so we have." Sheila, "But, darling, she musn't. Psychologically, it's wrong to let her see we're worried. You see, even if she isn't interested in David Parkson, she thinks we'd be against it if she was, she will be." Jimmy, "She was, she will be?" Sheila, "No, darling, she mustn't know. We must wait up for her, don't you see?" Jimmy, "But, Jane" Sheila, "No, no, darling, in the kitchen."
Sheila, "Now go in the kitchen." Jimmy, "The kitchen?" Sheila, "To see if you can hear me." Jimmy, "But I can hear you from here." Sheila, "Oh, Jimmy, do try and understand. We're hiding in the kitchen. We have to know what's going on. Now run along."
Jimmy, "My permission? I'm a married man. My wife and I make joint decisions." David Parkson, "Then tell her about Brenda Bassington." Jimmy, "She wouldn't believe it." David, "Do you?" Jimmy, "Yes." David, "Well, then." Jimmy, "Well, that has nothing to do with it. Truth doesn't mean the same to a woman that it does to a man. To them, it's what they want to believe, regardless of the facts"
Sheila, "Jimmy?" Jimmy, "Shhh. Later, darling." As they begin to dance, he kisses her tenderly.