love on the dole

[Mark O]

Hi everyone!.....is anyone here knowledgeable about the Film 'Love on the Dole'?



My query is what is (what sounds like) 'Henky Park'?, I've seen the Film once and wasn't sure what it meant, and watching a Derborah Kerr Biography on TV recently they showed the final scene where Deborah's character is at home with her Parents, she mentions 'Henky Park', and then in the last scene the worn out old mother says "their'll be no more ? ?, and no more Henky Park"........and I don't have a clue what she's on about!

[batman]

It's ''Hanky Park'', an abbreviation of Hankinson Park where the novel is set.

[Steve Crook]

Hi everyone!.....is anyone here knowledgeable about the Film 'Love on the Dole'?



My query is what is (what sounds like) 'Henky Park'?, I've seen the Film once and wasn't sure what it meant, and watching a Derborah Kerr Biography on TV recently they showed the final scene where Deborah's character is at home with her Parents, she mentions 'Henky Park', and then in the last scene the worn out old mother says "their'll be no more ? ?, and no more Henky Park"........and I don't have a clue what she's on about!

Are you sure it wasn't "Henky Penky"? Or what we normal people would call "Hanky Panky" but in the cut glass vowels they often used at the time.



No, it couldn't be that because in Love of the Dole Deborah puts on a Lancashire working class accent.



My favourite lines from it are:

Mrs. Hardcastle: Eee Sal, you've changed. You're 'ard.

Sally: Aye, I'm 'ard. And by gosh an' I need t'be.

It's just not the sort of thing you expect Deborah Kerr to be saying



Maybe Henky Park is just the name of the local park?



Steve

[Joenoir]

It's ''Hanky Park'', an abbreviation of Hankinson Park where the novel is set.

A real location, Salford precinct occupies that spot today.

[faginsgirl]

Hi.



Does anyone else really like this B&W film about life in the 1930`s?



A real insight in to the political and social history of the time



xx

[CaptainWaggett]

Didn't the censor refuse to allow a film version until the war (when the recession was over and a lot of the impact was dulled?). Still a good film though.



Trivia note - Geoffrey Hibbert who plays the young man who wins on the horses and goes on the naughty weekend is the father of Edward Hibbert, who played Gil Chesterton, the camp food critic in Frasier.

[George Bailey]

Whenever I see this film I tend to think it is still as relevant today as it was when it was made. I think it is a brilliant little film.

[faginsgirl]

In relation to my seance thread I like the seance seen in this too, so funny the way they get engrossed in the tea leaves!



xx

[Elaine]

Love on The Dole. This film is high up there as one of my most favourite films. Deborah Kerr gave her best as the Lancashire mill girl who fall for the young idealistic Clifford Evans, and when he unexpectly dies, chooses to be become the mistress of the wealthy bookie rather than live the life of drudgery her mother, father and brother where forced to endure in the years between the wars as poor working class, miners and factory workers.

[GRAEME]

Great film. Pity it is fast becoming so topical again. Again...

[Elaine]

Didn't know you had started this thread Greame. It is a great film. Shame Deborah went to Hollywood in 1947, that certainly ruined for some time, her career. I wonder if she had stayed in Britain, and continued to makes movies here, how her film life would have progressed?

[Windyridge]

Didn't know you had started this thread Greame. It is a great film. Shame Deborah went to Hollywood in 1947, that certainly ruined for some time, her career. I wonder if she had stayed in Britain, and continued to makes movies here, how her film life would have progressed?

Arguably, the 50s weren't the greatest for British films. Deborah would probably have been reduced to playing the wife in a war film, or perhaps taking some of the roles Sylvia Sims had in the 50s and early 60s. Can't see her in an Ealing comedy and anyway Alec Guinness was dismissive of her, (but then he was sometimes like that with beautiful women). Noel Coward was annoyed when she wouldn't do a one of his plays, but maybe things would have been different if she'd stayed here.

[agutterfan]

Didn't the censor refuse to allow a film version until the war (when the recession was over and a lot of the impact was dulled?). Still a good film though.

You're correct Captain! The film was made in 1939 (though mooted in 1936 soon after the novel's publication), even though one of the BBFC guidelines forbade any "film plots and comments about the relations betwen Capital and Labour", particularly the proscription of “stories and scenes which are calculated . . . to ferment social unrest and discontent.” The film was also described by one of the BBFC panel as “a very sordid story, in very sordid surroundings.” It was deemed acceptable to release in 1940 as a 'historical document' no longer pertinent to a united country in war-time (also one assumes the Labour ministers in the war cabinet would have been keen on its release).

See: http://ics.leeds.ac.uk/papers/pmt/ex.../2755/LotD.pdf

[GRAEME]

Didn't know you had started this thread Greame.

I didn't!

[Windyridge]

Deborah Kerr said she learned a lot about lighting during the making of Love on the Dole and how much a good lighting cameraman can do for an actor's appearance. She had a few spots on her face during filming and James Wilson did a brilliant job of keeping her chin in shadow!

[Elaine]

I didn't!

You didn't Well I thought I had until my post merged into the original posted thread. Oh well...never mind. Someone started it

[Elaine]

Whoops..I think Mark O did.