Mad About Men

Mad About Men
Directed by	Ralph Thomas
Written by	Peter Blackmore
Screenplay by	Peter Blackmore
Produced by	Betty E. Box Earl St. John (executive)
Starring	Glynis Johns Donald Sinden Anne Crawford Margaret Rutherford
Cinematography	Ernest Steward
Edited by	Gerald Thomas
Music by	Benjamin Frankel Ronald Hanmer
Distributed by	General Film Distributors
Release date	16 November 1954 (1954-11-16)
Running time	90 min
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Mad About Men is a 1954 Technicolor British comedy film. It was directed by Ralph Thomas and written by Peter Blackmore, who also wrote the 1948 film Miranda which preceded Mad About Men. Glynis Johns appears in both films as the mermaid Miranda.
However, Rank Films insisted it was not a sequel.

Mad About Men was filmed in Polperro, Cornwall and Long Crendon, Oxfordshire.

Plot

When gymnastics school teacher Caroline goes on holiday at her family's home in Cornwall, she meets her distant mermaid relative Miranda, who looks exactly like her. She agrees to let Miranda trade places with her, while she goes on a bicycling trip with a friend. Caroline feigns an accident, which leaves her confined to a wheelchair for a few weeks and gets nurse Carey to attend to Miranda. This conceals the fact that Miranda has a fish tail instead of legs.

Caroline is engaged to Ronald Baker, but when he shows up, Miranda does not like him at all. She decides to make Caroline a better match. She flirts outrageously with two eligible bachelors, Jeff Saunders and Colonel Barclay Sutton, right in front of Ronald. When she discovers that Ronald works in the government sanitation department (and approves of dumping garbage into the ocean), she dumps a tureen of cold soup on his head.

Meanwhile, Barbara Davenport, the colonel's fiancée, takes an understandable dislike to Miranda. While out swimming, she discovers Miranda's secret and arranges for "Caroline" to sing at a charity concert, plotting to reveal her true nature. Caroline reads about the forthcoming concert during her holiday, guesses what Barbara intends, and rushes back to take Miranda's place, foiling Barbara's scheme.

Afterward, Jeff takes Caroline boating. When he tries to kiss her, she resists at first, then willingly gives in, while a somewhat sad Miranda watches.

Cast

• Glynis Johns as Caroline Trewella / Miranda Trewella
• Donald Sinden as Jeff Saunders
• Anne Crawford as Barbara Davenport
• Margaret Rutherford as Nurse Carey
• Dora Bryan as Berengaria, a somewhat dimwitted mermaid friend of Miranda
• Nicholas Phipps as Colonel Barclay Sutton
• Peter Martyn as Ronald Baker
• Noell Purcell as Percy, a fisherman friend of Jeff
• Joan Hickson as Mrs Forster
• Judith Furse as Viola
• Irene Handl as Mme. Blanche
• David Hurst as Signor Mantalini, a musician who plays at the concert
• Martin Miller as Dr. Fergus, a noted biologist summoned by Barbara to the concert
• Deryck Guyler as Editor
• Anthony Oliver as Pawnbroker, who buys some Spanish doubloons from Miranda

Critical reception

Radio Times called the film "outdated hokum, a cliché-ridden story...this is certainly not the equal of the charming original."

AllMovie praised it as a "delightful sequel to the saucy British comedy-fantasy Miranda."

External links

• Mad About Men at IMDb
• ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Mad About Men at AllMovie
• Mad About Men at the TCM Movie Database