The Love Lottery ** (1954, David Niven, Peggy Cummins, Anne Vernon, Herbert Lom) – Classic Movie Review 8002

Director Charles Crichton’s 1953 The Love Lottery stars David Niven as adored Hollywood star film actor Rex Allerton – a babe magnet – who relocates to a remote Italian village where he is talked into being the star prize in a lottery, organised by a syndicate.

One of the syndicate’s workers is Jane (Anne Vernon), who is so besotted with sexy Rexy (Niven) that she buys loads of tickets, but even so he is won by secretary Sally (Peggy Cummins), who finally finds that he doesn’t cut the mustard as a love god.

This light-hearted, featherweight Ealing Studios comedy fluff is promising and amiable enough, but it is rather lamely written by Harry Kurnitz and rather slackly directed by Crichton.

The basic premise is alright, but the underwritten script gives Niven and company a hard time raising laughs, though they do manage a few anyway. Unexpectedly, Humphrey Bogart puts in an uncredited guest cameo appearance in the last scene of the film.

The Love Lottery is shot at Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, where cinematographer Douglas Slocombe shoots in Technicolor.

Also in the cast are Herbert Lom, Charles Victor, Gordon Jackson, Felix Aylmer, Hugh McDermott, June Clyde, Stanley Maxted, John Chandos, Eugene Deckers, Hattie Jacques, Andrea Mallandrinos, Nicholas Stuart, Michael Ward, Helena Packard and Michael Craig.

The story is by Zelma Bramley Moore and Charles Neilson Gattey, with additional dialogue and scenes by Monja Danischewsky, the film’s producer.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 8002

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