Irene (1940)

An Irish shopgirl (Anna Neagle) suddenly finds herself a top model at Madame Lucy's fashion house. It isn't long before she's mistaken for Irish aristocracy and the shop manager (Roland Young) encourages the deception by putting her up at a Park Avenue residence and footing the bill. Based on the hit 1919 stage musical (successfully revived in 1973 with Debbie Reynolds as Irene) and directed by Herbert Wilcox (NO NO NANETTE). The movie jettisons most of the songs from the original musical retaining about three or four of them which makes the film more of a semi-musical. Anna Neagle and her producer/director husband Herbert Wilcox were a popular combination at the British box office and IRENE was made during their brief sojourn to Hollywood (1939-1943) before returning to England where she enjoyed continued success as one of Britain's most popular actresses. While she never attained the popularity in the U.S. that she enjoyed in England, IRENE was a hit in the U.S. As to the film itself, it's rather sweet but it can't sustain its charm all the way through and by the end, it's run out of steam. Although shot in B&W by Russell Metty (WRITTEN ON THE WIND) the film's highlight is the Alice Blue Gown sequence which is in Technicolor. With Ray Milland, Marsha Hunt, Billie Burke, May Robson and Alan Marshal.