An Alligator Named Daisy

I suppose my viewing pleasure of this film is spoiled by the fact I had a neighbor who had all kinds of exotic pets. He called it Albert and occasionakky took it for an outside airing. I kepy at least 3 feet from Albert when I saw him outside.

In An Alligator Named Daisy aspiring songwriter Donald Sinden gets stuck with a female alligator named Daisy who's as tame as a dog providing it's not a Doberman. The alligator causes a lot of trouble between Sinden and his intended Diana Dors, but she does bring Sinden together with animal lover and zoo employee Jeanie Carson.

A lot of familiar British character players are in the spporting cast in roles that are suited to them. The cimax isa bit unreal. In real life a lot of the British uppercrust would have been fine dining for the reptiles.

One thing more. As Daisy is identified as being from Brazil originally she would be properly referred to as a caiman. But why quibble.

Amusing British comedy.

A 1957 (yes, that's the correct date) J. Arthur Rank production with James Robertson Justice, Margaret Rutherford, Wilfred Hyde White; it has to be a smash comedy, right? Oh, it's just awful. It's a one gag film: watching people be shocked at the sight of a little alligator. Music is thrown in, most inappropriately and forgettably. Jeannie Carson is a lively dancer and competent singer. But what was she doing in this film? Diana Dors is here too, providing oh-so-daring shots for use in the previews. Her acting level is not bad, but she's in the film to provide someone to leer at. Well, one must do something beside groan during this film. The movie is being sold on VHS now by people on e-Bay. Spare yourself the expense and the waste of time. A comedy without a laugh. A musical without a memorable song or dance.

My Grandmothers Cousin, Maurice Johnson, looked after the alligator 'Daisy' at his home in Parkstone (near Bournemouth). The alligator was really male. I believe he was a theatrical agent. He was also a friend of naturalist Gerald Durrell. The alligator grew bigger and eventually went to Jersey Zoo. I know that many of the animals that eventually went to Jersey Zoo in the late fifties were kept at the boarding house of Gerald's sister, Margaret Durrell, in Bournemouth. I too have always wondered about the safety issues and how many real alligators were used, especially during the pool scene. The film is a quirky mix of slapstick comedy and odd musical numbers. However it is brimming over with famous faces which adds to it's quaint charm to make it just about a success.

Rank International made some pretty odd films in their time, and in this semi-comedy, semi-musical, they don't quite seem to know where this one is going. Donald Sinden plays a music shop assistant, Peter, who gets lumbered with Daisy the alligator on his trip home from holiday, during which time he has met Irish zoo employee Moira. Moira has a few musical numbers which seem a little misplaced. Back home is Peter's girlfriend, Vanessa (Diana Dors), obviously from a rich family (her overbearing father has a huge house), and his parents and grandfather (Stanley Holloway). There's also a dotty pet shop owner who 'talks' to animals by breathing down their noses, and several small or cameo parts for the likes of Frankie Howerd, Jimmy Edwards, Joan Hickson, and Gilbert Harding, plus an early showy role for Stephen Boyd in the last bit of the film. Daisy is sometimes a real alligator, and sometimes clearly not ... when she is real she does the usual things that animals do to disrupt people, before everything is fixed to everyone's advantage at the end.

With a good supporting cast that includes Margaret Rutherford and James Robertson Justice, this relatively pleasant and light-hearted affair certainly has at least something worth watching for. It becomes more and more silly as it progresses, at certain times Carson is simply annoying, and all the time the plot is fairly predictable. The musical numbers are also a bit flat, and do not fit in very well, but at least the choreography does not lack spirit, and there are some interesting art direction bits throughout. While not a terribly good film, this is not a terrible one either, and it is arguably sort of enjoyable too, despite its shortcomings.