Operation Cupid

Operation Cupid is a 1960 British second feature ('B')^[1] comedy film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Charles Farrell, Avice Landone and Wallas Eaton.^[2][3]

Operation Cupid
Original British quad poster
Directed by	Charles Saunders
Written by	Jack Taylor Brock Williams
Produced by	Guido Coen
Starring	Charles Farrell Avice Landone Wallas Eaton Harold Goodwin
Cinematography	Walter J. Harvey
Edited by	Peter Pitt
Music by	Malcolm Lockyer
Production company	Twickenham Film Studios
Distributed by	J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors
Release date	April 1960 (1960-04)
Running time	62 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot

A gang of criminals win a marriage agency during a card game and plan to use it to arrange a lucrative marriage for one of their gang to an extremely wealthy heiress.^[4]

Cast

• Charles Farrell as Charlie Stevens
• Avice Landone as Mrs. Mountjoy
• Wallas Eaton as Cecil
• Harold Goodwin as Mervyn
• Norma Parnell as Lola
• Charles Clay as Mr. Cupid
• Wally Patch as bookmaker
• Pauline Shepherd as Sylvie
• Neil Hallett as Tom
• Roy Jefferies as insurance representative
• Edward Malin as Smelly
• Audrey Nicholson as nurse
• George Patterson as Monty
• Colin Rix as postman
• Beth Rogan as barmaid
• David Saire as Claude
• Bruce Seton as representative
• Martin Sterndale as foreman

Production

It was made at Twickenham Studios in west London.^[3]

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This artless comedy opens promisingly, but poverty of invention, uneven direction and weak scripting – not to mention song and dance padding – quickly tax the efforts of the cast. The net result fails to score on any level."^[5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Weak comedy wastes good idea."^[6]

References

1. Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
2. "Operation Cupid". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
3. "Operation Cupid (1960)". BFI. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020.
4. "Operation Cupid (1959) - Henry Cass, Charles Saunders | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
5. "Operation Cupid". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 27 (312): 71. 1 January 1960 – via ProQuest.
6. Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 357. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.

External links

• Operation Cupid at IMDb