When the film of popular writer Dorothy Whipple's book "They Were
Sisters" became such a box office bonanza (over a million pounds at the
box office) her earlier novel about corruption by wealth "They Knew Mr.
Knight" achieved great success also. Apart from a maudlin, tacked on
ending it was terrific - with grand performances especially by Mervyn
Johns as Mr. Blake and Joyce Howard as Freda.
A chance encounter at a railway station throws the very ordinary Mr. Blake into the materialistic world of Mr. Knight. Blake has a lot going on in his life - he has a part ownership in his father's steel mill, he has three teenage children, one desperate to go to university and he can see years of disappointment before him. So he is easily swayed by the grandiose living of Knight. Blake was the good brother, the one destined not to give trouble but he has another brother, Edward, a square peg in a round hole who just can't seem to get his head around business. He is a dreamer and a thorn in the side of Blake.
All of the family (except the sensible mother, Nora Swinburne) clutch at the good fortune with both hands - especially Freda who is dazzled by her taste of high society with the Knights. Joyce Howard is fabulous as the flighty Freda, she convinces as a school girl and then as a young deb whose lack of character shows in her sudden marriage when things get rough for the family. Get rough they do when Knight convinces his cronies at a dinner to buy stocks in Cosmos - by the time of the stock market crash Blake is ruined!! When he confronts Knight for giving him bad advice, Knight calls him a fool and also insists that Blake pays him back the 2,000 pounds he lent him to buy the mill outright.
Throughout all this Edward, along with his down to earth barmaid wife (the marriage was a huge shame to Blake's ego) is a tower of strength and provides whatever money they can give when the family is at it's lowest ebb. Olive Sloane who was terrific as the aging good time girl in "Seven Days to Noon" is also excellent as Mrs. Knight whose good humour and down to earth personality inadvertently exposes Knight as the charlatan he is!!
Highly Recommended
A chance encounter at a railway station throws the very ordinary Mr. Blake into the materialistic world of Mr. Knight. Blake has a lot going on in his life - he has a part ownership in his father's steel mill, he has three teenage children, one desperate to go to university and he can see years of disappointment before him. So he is easily swayed by the grandiose living of Knight. Blake was the good brother, the one destined not to give trouble but he has another brother, Edward, a square peg in a round hole who just can't seem to get his head around business. He is a dreamer and a thorn in the side of Blake.
All of the family (except the sensible mother, Nora Swinburne) clutch at the good fortune with both hands - especially Freda who is dazzled by her taste of high society with the Knights. Joyce Howard is fabulous as the flighty Freda, she convinces as a school girl and then as a young deb whose lack of character shows in her sudden marriage when things get rough for the family. Get rough they do when Knight convinces his cronies at a dinner to buy stocks in Cosmos - by the time of the stock market crash Blake is ruined!! When he confronts Knight for giving him bad advice, Knight calls him a fool and also insists that Blake pays him back the 2,000 pounds he lent him to buy the mill outright.
Throughout all this Edward, along with his down to earth barmaid wife (the marriage was a huge shame to Blake's ego) is a tower of strength and provides whatever money they can give when the family is at it's lowest ebb. Olive Sloane who was terrific as the aging good time girl in "Seven Days to Noon" is also excellent as Mrs. Knight whose good humour and down to earth personality inadvertently exposes Knight as the charlatan he is!!
Highly Recommended