“Cottage
to Let” is a wartime comedy thriller, based on the play by Geoffrey Kerr,
adapted by Anatole de Grunwald and J.O.C. Orton and Directed by Anthony
Asquith.
The
story is centred around a Scottish Estate during World War II with a cottage to
let where the landowner is also a key British military inventor John Barrington
(Leslie Banks), who is working to perfect a bomb sight with his assistant Alan
Trently (Michael Wilding).
So
it is no surprise that the cottage becomes a focus of attention when, not only the new tenant Charles Dimble
(Alastair Sim), but a London evacuee Ronald (George Cole) and a downed RAF
fighter pilot Flt·Lieut. Perry (John Mills), all arrive at the same time, no
thanks to the very scatterbrained Mrs. Barrington (Jeanne De Casalis).
The
Germans are desperate to get their hands on the new bomb sight or its creator
and someone either in the main house or the cottage is a Nazi agent and the
only security is a Scotland Yard flatfoot posing as the Butler Evans (Wally
Patch).
Other
characters crucial to the tale are Mrs. Trimm (Muriel George), Dr. Truscott
(Hay Petrie), Mrs. Stokes (Catherine Lacey) and the romantic interest comes
from Helen Barrington (Carla Lehmann).
Cottage
to Let is a very enjoyable film and should not be missed.
