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Love on the Dole is a 1941 British drama film starring Deborah Kerr and Clifford Evans. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Walter Greenwood.[1] It was the first English-made feature film to show English police wielding batons against a crowd.[2]

Love on the Dole
DVD cover
Directed by	John Baxter
Written by	Walter Greenwood (novel and adaptation) Ronald Gow (play) Barbara K. Emary Rollo Gamble
Produced by	John Baxter
Starring	Deborah Kerr Clifford Evans
Cinematography	James Wilson
Edited by	Michael C. Chorlton
Music by	Richard Addinsell Orchestrated, Roy Douglas Direction, Muir Mathieson
Production company	British National Films
Distributed by	Anglo-American Film Corporation (UK) United Artists (USA)
Release dates	28 June 1941 (1941-06-28) (UK) 12 October 1945 (1945-10-12) (US)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot

The film is set in Hanky Park, part of Salford, in 1930 at the height of the Great Depression.

The film centres on the Hardcastle family. Mr Hardcastle is a miner; his son, Harry, is an apprentice at a local engineering firm and Sally, his daughter, works at a cotton mill.

As the depression takes hold, Mr Hardcastle's mine is put on a three-day week and Harry becomes unemployed when his apprenticeship ends.

The family’s plight is made worse by reductions in means tested unemployment benefits (the dole), whilst the unexpected pregnancy of Harry’s girlfriend, Helen, causes further tensions.

Sally is courting factory worker and Labour Party activist Larry Meath, but their marriage plans are put in doubt when Larry loses his job. Larry is fatally injured when he tries to restore calm in a clash with the police during an unemployment march. Sally, reluctantly at first, becomes the mistress of a wealthy local bookmaker to help keep her unemployed family.

Cast

Critical reception

Although the book was successful, a proposed film version was rejected by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) in 1936 as it was a "very sordid story in very sordid surroundings".[3] However, in 1940 the BBFC approved a similar proposal, with the film finally released in June 1941.[4]

In a contemporary review, The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "Here is a film that ranks with the best we have ever produced. The direction is excellent, the photography admirable, and the casting particularly good."[5]

References

External links

• Love on the Dole at IMDb
• Love on the Dole at the BFI's Screenonline

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