Product Details

• Actors: Dirk Bogarde, Yolande Donlan
• Format: Color
• Language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Morningstar Entertainment
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00095KPCY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,260 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

A tiny European country which for years has survived financially only through evading its bills and smuggling is finally facing bankruptcy, when a rich American agrees to save the place by buying it. But before, the deal is closed, he dies. His nearest relative and heir turns out to be a young woman with high ethical and democratic standards, but no experience with money, or affairs of state, or Europe. A charming young English visitor helps her to muddle through. Comedy and romance follow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Penny Princess (1952) ... Donlan & Bogarde ... Val Guest (Director) (2011)", June 25, 2011

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Penny Princess (DVD)

VCI Entertainment and Conquest Productions presents "PENNY PRINCESS" (1952) (94 min/Color) -- Starring Yolande Donlan, Dirk Bogarde, A.E. Matthews, Reginald Beckwith, Mary Clare, Edwin Styles, Kynaston Reeves, Desmond Walter-Ellis & Peter Butterworth

Directed by Val Guest

Another winner from the British Invasion released by VCI.

A delightful blend of British romantic comedy with Yolande Donlon who inherits a teeny tiny little county of Lampidorra. The citizens there have a thriving industry that has kept them going for years - the industry of smuggling.

Enters Dirk Bogarde who is on a trip to Switzerland to learn about the cheese industry. It seems as though the Lampidorrans have a kind of cheese that they playfully refer to as Schmeeze.

How does Schmeeze work, well that's the gimmick to the whole film. There are a few bumps in the road, Schmeeze solves all the problems both financial, geopolitical, but can it solve the romance department between Donlan and Bogarde.

Dirk Bogarde was well cast in the part which was at the beginning of his career as a romantic heart throb. Much earlier than his acting ability that finally kicked in later.

Special footnote: -- Donlan later married Val Guest, the writer and director of our little gem, and stayed married for 50 years! Guest was better known for writing and directing his sci-fi flicks, in both the UK & the US.

Beautiful in color -- Yolande Donlan made this even more so, as she played one of the most adorable female leads I have ever seen. You can't help but love her--and her sweet and kooky character did a lot to carry this film. As for the plot, it's quite good -- Highly recommend.

BIOS:

1. Val Guest (Director)

Date of Birth: 11 December 1911 - London, England, UK

Date of Death: 10 May 2006 - Palm Springs, California

2. Yolande Donlan

Date of Birth: 2 June 1920 - Jersey City, New Jersey

Date of Death: Still Living

3. Dirk Bogarde [aka: Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde]

Date of Birth: 28 March 1921 - Hampstead, London, England, UK

Date of Death: 8 May 1999 - Chelsea, London, England, UK

Mr. Jim's Ratings:

Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars

Performance: 4 Stars

Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars

Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 94 min on DVD/VHS ~ VCI Entertainment ~ (July 19, 2011)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Charming British Comedy, July 5, 2011

By 

Michael B. Druxman "A Good Story is a Terribl... (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penny Princess (DVD)

PENNY PRINCESS (1952) is a delightful British comedy, seemingly cut from the same cloth as THE MOUSE THAT ROARED.

Yolande Donlan plays a ditzy, blonde New York shop girl who inherits a massive fortune from a very distant relative that she didn't even know existed. Among the assets of the estate is an extremely small European country that is flat broke and whose principal industry is smuggling. Ms. Donlan travels to that small state and is immediately declared to he its ruler, but now she has to devise a plan to put the country on a firm financial footing.

Dirk Bogarde co-stars a cheese salesman for a large British corporation, who encounters Yolande and, after a few romantic misunderstandings, helps her achieve her goal.

There is so much to enjoy in this movie. It has a clever, satiric story, witty dialogue and the cast is quite likable. Indeed, Ms. Donlan, a Judy Holliday type who played BORN YESTERDAY on the London stage, is absolutely charming and one can't help but wonder why she did not have a major film career.

Perhaps it is because she had a long marriage to the film's writer-director, Val Guest, and chose family over career?

My only complaint with PENNY PRINCESS is that it ends very abruptly. Suddenly, a character rushes in with a telegram...and "everything" is resolved. It almost feels like the production company ran out of money and they were forced to wrap everything up immediately.

That reminds me of a story that I heard Huntz Hall tell years ago. Huntz was, of course, one of the Bowery Boys, and their movies were shot in 7 (?) days. One of these low budget quickies was going into overtime on the 7th day when the producer, Ben Schwalb, called "That's a wrap!"

"Ben," Huntz objected, "we've still got ten pages of script to shoot."

"Nobody'll ever miss them," Schwalb said.

He was probably right, but PENNY PRINCESS is not a Bowery Boys movie, and I'd really like to have seen how Guest had originally planned to end this often laugh-out-loud comedy.

VCI Entertainment is releasing this nicely restored film onto DVD.

© Michael B. Druxman