To Dorothy, a Son [Cash on Delivery] *** (1954, Shelley Winters, John Gregson, Peggy Cummins) – Classic Movie Review 13,199

‘A Merry Marital Mix-Up!’ The amusing 1954 British farcical comedy film To Dorothy, a Son [Cash on Delivery] stars Shelley Winters, John Gregson and Peggy Cummins.

‘A Merry Marital Mix-Up!’

Director Muriel Box’s amusing 1954 British farcical comedy film To Dorothy, a Son [Cash on Delivery] is based on a play by Roger MacDougall, and stars Shelley Winters, John Gregson, and Peggy Cummins.

Gold-digging American showgirl Myrtle La Mar (Shelley Winters) heads back from New York to the UK after she learns that her rich uncle has died, leaving her a $2 million fortune but with a strange clause in the bequest: if her husband has a boy before 9 am on a certain day, the boy will get the money.

But in this case, it is her ex-husband Tony Rapallo (John Gregson) whose son would inherit the fortune. But things don’t look good for Winters as Gregson has married again – to Dorothy (Peggy Cummins), who is heavily pregnant. What’s a gold-digging gal got to do to get her claws on the $2 million?

The lively, game performances of Shelley Winters, John Gregson, and Peggy Cummins, at the head of an attractive vintage Brit cast (especially Mona Washbourne as the midwife Cymbeline Appleby), plus a decent, fairly witty, certainly bright script, and Box’s spry direction, keep this pacy caper spinning niftily along.

The cast are Shelley Winters, John Gregson, Peggy Cummins, Mona Washbourne, Wilfrid Hyde White, Hartley Power, Martin Miller, Hal Osmond, Anthony Oliver, Joan Sims, Aubrey Mather, Ronald Adam, Charles Hawtrey, Alfie Bass, Meredith Edwards, Marjorie Rhodes, Maurice Kaufmann, John Warren, Dorothy Bramball, Grace Denbigh RusseFll, Bartlett Mullins, Joan Newall, Campbell Singer, Joan Hickson, Fred Berger, Nicholas Parsons, and Ann Gudrun.

To Dorothy, a Son is directed by Muriel Box, runs 79 minutes, is made by Welbeck Films, is released by Independent Film Distributors (UK) and RKO Radio Pictures (US), is written by Peter Rogers, based on a play by Roger MacDougall [Roger Macdougall], is shot in black and white by Ernest Steward, is produced by Sydney Box, Peter Rogers and Ben Schrift (uncredited), is scored by Lambert Williamson, and designed by George Provis.

It is made at National Studios, Boreham Wood, Elstree, Hertfordshire, England.

Release date: November 1954 (UK).

It was released in America by RKO Radio Pictures in January 1956 as Cash on Delivery.

A Broadway production of the play opened on 24 November 1951, and ran for only eight performances.

It was the final film of Aubrey Mather (as Dr Cameron).

Muriel Box was sister in law to Betty E Box, who was married to Peter Rogers, writer and producer of the film.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,199

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