The father of a girl in an orphanage, who doesn't remember him, has been writing to her with tales of his success in business. Actually, he is impersonating a friend, a handsome gambler. When the father dies, the gambler takes the girl from the orphanage and tells her the truth. But the girl is now a full-grown beauty and complications arise, including those provided by a black-sheep brother.
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Despite the title, this movie has nothing to do with the famous "first couple". Somewhat resembling the story of Daddy Long Legs, this quirky May-December romance between Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger has some awkward moments that prevent it from joining the ranks of classic love stories.To start, Jean is a young girl in boarding school who receives letters from her father. Her father isn't writing the letters, though; his best friend is writing them to be nice. When the real father dies, the friend takes pity on the child and practically adopts her. Only, she doesn't know he's not her father. So, she comes home to live with a man she thinks is her father, and when she starts maturing, they become attracted to one another. See what I mean? It's a little creepy.The two co-stars were actually dating at the time, and they married the next year, but whatever chemistry they have is just cringe-worthy because of the plot. You can watch it if you like really silly old movies, but it's not one I'd really recommend for any other reason.
Enjoyed this film which I had my doubts about until I viewed the great acting of Jean Simmons, (Evelyn Wallace) and Stewart Granger, (Adam Black). This story is about a young girl Evelyn who lives in an orphanage and receives letters from her father telling her he is going to visit her someday and take her home where he raises horses. However, this is really not her father but a good friend of her father's Adam Black. Evelyn's father passes away and he asks Adam to take care of his daughter and he promises to look after her. There are very funny scenes and some very dramatic moments along with many lies which have been told and have to be explained to poor Evelyn Wallace. In real life, Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger were married and had a child. Great Classic film from 1949, enjoy.
I had been told to see this movie by a friend, if just for a sight of Stewart Granger with a moustache and I wasn't disappointed. Granger and Jean Simmons work beautifully together again, in this movie based on the concept of a young girl falling in love with an older man - and one she believes to begin with is her father!! Simmons is adorable as the young girl, whisked away from a life of labour and far more likeable in this role than any other. I loved the final scene between the two of them and the running joke that Granger looked better with his moustache after all! Not one to watch if you don't like continuous remakes of the 'old man, young girl' scenario, but in this case it works to perfection.
OK so this film does not break any new ground but its worth watching to see the effortless way the two principal actors (Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger) give an impressive performance overcoming the somewhat well worn themes dealt with in the script. Jean Simmons turns from a backward English schoolgirl of the 50's into a stunning deliciously irresistible asexual goddess which will leave all men with a revived faith in the female of the species, at least for a few minutes after watching the film.