6/10
Miss Owens Squeaks
11 August 2020
Phyllis Calvert and sister Gillian Owens take a small cottage in the country so Miss Calvert can get some badly needed rest. This being a black comedy, that means she won't. First, there are the stories about the previous occupants, who vanished. Then there's policeman Alan White looking around for a corpse; his superior thinks it's nonsense and is only having the work done to assuage the locals. So when a corpse turns up, there's a hubbub. When the missing husband, Thorley Walters walks in, there's more; and when his wife appears.... well, that's why this is a comedy.

It's based on a stage play, the opening credits inform us, called "A Lady Mislaid." Saucy title, isn't it, but why give the name twice? It's pleasantly acted, with Misses Calvert and Owens squeaking identically at several moments, demonstrating their family link. Director David MacDonald directs it at a steady, not-too-fast pace, so it never turns farcical, but there are indeed some funny moments. Not a world-beater, by any means, but a thoroughly pleasant filmed stage play.
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