Meet Mr. Lucifer is a black-and-white British comedy satire film released in 1953 starring Stanley Holloway. It was filmed at Ealing Studios, London, and is one of the Ealing comedies. The film is based on the play Beggar My Neighbour by Arnold Ridley (who later played Private Godfrey in the BBC television comedy series Dad's Army). The film opened on 26 November 1953 at the Haymarket Gaumont cinema in London.
The overall scenario is that a television set makes people act out of character, with visible encouragement from the Devil in human form.
Plot
When Mr Pedelty leaves his firm, he is given a television set as a retirement present. At first, he enjoys all the attention from his neighbours, but soon the attraction wears off, and he sells it on to a young married couple the Nortons, living in the flat above him. They soon encounter the same problems, and again the set is passed on to several different characters all with the same results.
The set passes to the chemist Hector McPhee who falls in love with "The Lonely Hearts Singer" on a television programme. At first he has the same dour character as his maiden aunt, Miss MacPherson. At first, the set improves his character, but as his obsession grows, he becomes increasingly angry at any interruption.
Cast
Stanley Holloway as Sam Hollingsworth / Mr. Lucifer
Peggy Cummins as Kitty Norton
Jack Watling as Jim Norton
Barbara Murray as Patricia Pedelty
Joseph Tomelty as Mr. Pedelty
Kay Kendall as Lonely Hearts Singer
Gordon Jackson as Hector McPhee
Charles Victor as Mr. Elder
Humphrey Lestocq as Arthur
Jean Cadell as Mrs. Macdonald
Raymond Huntley as Mr. Patterson
Ernest Thesiger as Mr. Macdonald
Frank Pettingell as Mr. Roberts
Olive Sloane as Mrs. Stannard
Gilbert Harding as Himself
Philip Harben as Himself
McDonald Hobley as Himself
David Miller as Himself
Olga Gwynne as Principal Boy
Joan Sims as Fairy Queen
Ian Carmichael as Man Friday
Irene Handl as Lady with Dog
Gladys Henson as Lady in Bus
Roddy Hughes as Billings
Eliot Makeham as Edwards
Bill Fraser as Band Leader
Dandy Nichols as Mrs. Clarke
Toke Townley as Trumpet Player
Fred Griffiths as Removal Man
References
External links
Meet Mr. Lucifer film review at Timeout
Meet Mr. Lucifer at the British Film Institute
1953 films
1953 comedy films
British comedy films
Ealing Studios films
Films directed by Anthony Pelissier
Films set in London
British films based on plays
Films about television
British black-and-white films
1950s English-language films
1950s British films
Films scored by Eric Rogers (composer) The Devil in film