A Boy, a Girl and a Bike

1949 British film

23 May 1949 (1949-05-23) (UK)

Running time

92 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishBox office£61,000 (by 1953)^[1]

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.^[2] The film's art direction was by George Provis.^[3] 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^[4]^[5]

Richard Attenborough was meant to play a key role but was held up making The Guinea Pig; Patrick Holt played his part instead.^[6]

In March 1948 Smart was scouting locations in Yorkshire^[7] and filming took place in September 1948. It happened on location in Yorkshire at places including Wakefield, Hebden Bridge, Skipton and Malham Cove, and at Gainsborough's Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush, London.^[8]

Critical reception

Variety called it "feeble... valueless for the US market."^[9]

The Monthly Film Bulletin called it a "simple unpretentious story enlivened by flashes of homely Yorkshire humour."^[10]

The Radio Times gave the film two out of five stars, calling it, "A minor, good-natured British comedy romance."^[11]

References

^ Andrew Spicer, Sydney Box Manchester Uni Press 2006 p 211
^ Spicer p.214
^ "A Boy, A Girl and a Bike (1949)". Archived from the original on 26 March 2017.
^ Spicer, Andrew (2006). Sydney Box. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719059995.
^ Ted Willis, Evening All: 50 Years Over a Hot Typewriter (London: Macmillan, 1991), pp. 11, 23.
^ "U.S. ACTOR'S FIRST FILM IS BRITISH". The Sun. No. 11948. New South Wales, Australia. 13 May 1948. p. 17 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 11 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "They'll spend summer outside -- if it's fine". The Sun. No. 2345. New South Wales, Australia. 21 March 1948. p. 35. Retrieved 11 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "McCALLUM BACK AFTER HOLLYWOOD HOLIDAY". The Mail (Adelaide). Vol. 37, no. 1, 900. South Australia. 30 October 1948. p. 3 (SUNDAY MAGAZINE). Retrieved 11 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Review of film at Variety
^ BOY A GIRL AND A BIKE Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 16, Iss. 186, (June 30, 1949): 96.
^ "A Boy, a Girl and a Bike - Film from RadioTimes".