Encore - 1951 - three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham - The Ant and the Grasshopper - Winter Cruise - Gigolo and Gigolette - Glynis Johns, Nigel Patrick
W. Somerset Maugham makes the film from three short stories. The first, "The Ant and the Grasshopper" concerns the trials and tribulations a ne'er-do-well brother, Tom Ramsey (Nigel Patrick), puts his prim-and-proper businessman brother, George Ramsey (Roland Culver) through. The escapades that drive George to absolute distraction eventually wins the hand of the world's third richest girl, Margaret Vyne), for shiftless Tom; "Winter Cruise" finds the crew of a cargo boat becoming unglued by the endless chatter of a spinster passenger named Miss Reid (Kay Walsh.) In a desperate attempt to silence the prattling busybody, the ship's officers browbeat a French steward, Pierre (Jacques Francois) into making love to her. The results provide some astounding surprises for the officers, Pierre, and, for certain, Miss Reid; In "The Gigolo and the Gigolette" segment, beautiful daredevil Stella Cotman (Glynis Johns), who entertains the jaded guests of a resort hotel by diving nightly from an eighty-foot platform into a flaming tank, is losing her nerve. Directors:Harold French Pat Jackson Writers:Eric Ambler (screenplay) (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") T.E.B. Clarke (screenplay) (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Arthur Macrae screenplay (segment "Winter Cruise") Cast (in credits order) Nigel Patrick ... Tom Ramsay (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Roland Culver ... George Ramsay (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Alison Leggatt ... Freda Ramsay (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Charles Victor ... Mr. Bateman (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Peter Graves ... Philip Cronshaw (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Margaret Withers ... Mrs. Bateman (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Margaret Vyner ... Gertrude Wilmot (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Dorothy Bramhall ... Secretary (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Patricia Raine ... Office Girl (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Campbell Cotts ... Club Member (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Michael Trubshawe ... Ascot Man (segment "The Ant and the Grasshopper") Kay Walsh ... Miss Molly Reid (segment "Winter Cruise") Noel Purcell ... Tom, Captain (segment "Winter Cruise") Ronald Squire ... Doctor (segment "Winter Cruise") John Laurie ... Andrews, Engineer (segment "Winter Cruise") Jacques Franois ... Pierre, French Steward (segment "Winter Cruise") John Horsley ... Joe, Mate (segment "Winter Cruise") Joan Harben ... Miss Nora Price (segment "Winter Cruise") Brenda Hogan ... Young Wife (segment "Winter Cruise") Vincent Ball ... Young Husband (segment "Winter Cruise") Carol Wolveridge ... Little Girl (segment "Winter Cruise") John Warren ... Ship's Officer (segment "Winter Cruise") Glynis Johns ... Stella Cotman (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Terence Morgan ... Syd Cotman (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") David Hutcheson ... Sandy Wescott (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Charles Goldner ... Paco Espinal (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Mary Merrall ... Flora Penezzi (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Martin Miller ... Carlo Penezzi (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Heather Thatcher ... Eva Barrett (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Guido Lorraine ... Russian Prince (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Daphne Barker ... Italian Countess (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Ferdy Mayne ... Headwaiter (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") Guy De Monceau ... Bandleader (segment "Gigolo and Gigolette") W. Somerset Maugham ... Himself, Host and Story Teller rest of cast listed alphabetically: Irne Hilda ... Undetermined Role (uncredited) Runtime:USA:89 min Country:UK Language:English Color:Black and White Sound Mix:Mono (Western Electric Recording) Certification:Finland:S / Sweden:Btl plain packaging
