Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1949
A Boy, a Girl and a Bike
Buy A Boy, a Girl and a Bike now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'A Boy, a Girl and a Bike' is a 1949 British romantic comedy film directed by Ralph Smart and starring John McCallum, Honor Blackman and Patrick Holt.Spicer p.214 The film's art direction was by George Provis. The film concerns the romantic escapades and adventures of a Yorkshire cycling club.
Plot
Young couple Sue (Honor Blackman) and Sam (Patrick Holt) are members of a Yorkshire cycling club, the Wakeford Wheelers. Romantic complications ensue when wealthy David (John McCallum) becomes smitten with Sue, and joins the club to pursue her, much to Sam's dismay.
The film is set in Wakeford and in the Yorkshire Dales. It features cycle sabotage and cycling tactics.
Cast
* John McCallum as David Howarth
* Honor Blackman as Susie Bates
* Patrick Holt as Sam Walters
* Diana Dors as Ada Foster
* Maurice Denham as Bill Martin
* Leslie Dwyer as Steve Hall
* Anthony Newley as Charlie Ritchie
* Megs Jenkins as Nan Ritchie
* John Blythe as Frank Martin
* Hal Osmond as Mr. Bates
* Thora Hird as Mrs. Bates
* Amy Veness as Grandma Bates
* Maggie Hanley as Ginger
* Cyril Chamberlain as Bert Gardner
* Barry Letts as Syd
* Vera Cook as Helen Gardner
* Julien Mitchell as Mr. Howarth
* Alison Leggatt as Mrs. Howarth
* Lyn Evans as Policeman in Cafe
* Margot Bourke as Mary Bates
* Geoffrey Best as Harry
* John Howlett as Alf Pearson
* Patrick Halstead as Willie
* Joan Seton as Beryl Howarth
* Dennis Peck as Norman Bates
* Vera Williams as Jill Bates
* Bernard Hepton as Cyclist
* Gerald Lawson as Dog Seller
* Barbara Murray
* Valerie Pearson as Cyclist
* Charles Saynor as Policeman
* Marianne Stone
* Ben Williams as New Houseowner
Production
The film was based on an original idea by Sydney Box, who was head of production at Gainsborough. Box came up with the idea while out for a Sunday drive, and gave the job of writing the script to Ted Willis, who had worked for Box on the scripts for 'Holiday Camp' and 'The Huggett's Abroad'. Willis had the reputation of someone who could write for working class characters. The film was originally called 'Wheels within Wheels'Ted Willis, Evening All: 50 Years Over a Hot Typewriter (London: Macmillan, 1991), pp. 11, 23.
Richard Attenborough was meant to play a key role but was held up making 'The Guinea Pig'; Patrick Holt played his part instead.
In March 1948 Smart was scouting locations in Yorkshire. Filming took place in September 1948. It happened on location in Yorkshire at places including Wakefield, Hebden Bridge, Skipton and at Gainsborough's studio in Shepherd's Bush.
Critical reception
'Variety' called it "feeble... valueless for the US market."[https://archive.org/details/variety174-1949-06/page/n19/mode/1up?q=%22boy+a+girl+and+a+bike%22 Review of film] at Variety
The 'Monthly Film Bulletin' called it a "simple unpretentious story enlivened by flashes of homely Yorkshire humour."BOY A GIRL AND A BIKE
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 16, Iss. 181, (Jan 1, 1949): 96.
The 'Radio Times' gave the film two out of five stars, calling it, "A minor, good-natured British comedy romance."
References
Bibliography
* Spicer, Andrew. 'Sydney Box'. Manchester University Press, 2006.
Buy A Boy, a Girl and a Bike now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1949