Stanley Holloway

Peggy Cummins

Jack Watling

Kay Kendall

Ian Carmichael

Joan Sims

Gordon Jackson

Dandy Nichols

Ernest Thesiger

Jean Cadell

Joseph Tomelty

Barbara Murray

Humphrey Lestocq

Charles Victor

Olive Sloane

Raymond Huntley

Frank Pettingell

Irene Handl

Gladys Henson

Roddy Hughes

Eliot Makeham

Bill Fraser

Molly Hamley-Clifford

Toke Townley

Fred Griffiths

Herbert C. Walton

Gilbert Harding

MacDonald Hobley

Geoffrey Keen

John Boxer

Diane Cilento

Edie Martin

A.E. Matthews

Lee Patterson

Johnnie Schofield

Arnold Ridley

Monja Danischewsky

Anthony Pelissier

Michael Balcon

Fantasy

Comedy

Meet Mr. Lucifer

Ealing Studios

Michael Balcon Productions

United Kingdom

The Devil's Goggle Box.

Meet Mr. Lucifer is directed by Anthony Pelissier and adapted to screenplay by Monja Danischewsky from Arnold Ridley's (later to play private Godfrey in the long running situation comedy) Dad's Army) play (Beggar My Neighbour). It stars Stanley Holloway, Peggy Cummins, Jack Watling, Barbara Murray, Joseph Tomelty, Humphrey Lestocq and Gordon Jackson. Music is by Eric Rogers and cinematography by Desmond Dickinson.

Out of Ealing Studios, Meet Mr. Lucifer is one of that great studio's lesser lights. Homing in on a sort of fear of the new home entertainment of the 50s, that of the TV set, plot features a television set that moves from owner to owner and causes nothing but trouble for said owners. This of course is the work of Old Nick himself, here essayed with a glint in his eye by Holloway. Sadly the attempts at satire miss the mark, leaving us with a somewhat uneven mix of comedy and seriousness. On the plus side it opens the eyes to the iffy quality on the TV in the early 50s, while there's a roll call of fine British actors in the supporting (cameo) slots.

Interestingly the Ealing hierarchy were very wary of the themes at the core of the picture, which explains why Pelissier was fetched in to direct. Knowing they themselves were uncommitted to the production goes some way to explaining the flat feel to it all. 5/10

English