Storm In A Teacup

2757. STORM IN A TEACUP (1937-England). With VIVIEN LEIGH, REX HARRIS0N, SARA ALLGOOD, CECIL PARKER. This piercingly funny satire features two great stars in top form near the beginnings of their respective screen careers. They are Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison, and they are cast as Victoria Gow and Frank Burdon, strangers who meet in a most humorous way in the picturesque Scottish village of Baikie. At the same Lime, a poor Baikie widow named Mrs. Hegarty has her pet pooch Patsy taken away because of her inability to pay a “dog tax.” Frank is a journalist who has come to town to take a job on the local newspaper. His first assignment is to cover a public meeting that is lorded over by the obnoxiously pushy Provost Gow, who just so happens to be Victoria’s father. Afterwards, the provost yaps on about how he is deeply concerned with the welfare of each individual citizen in Baikie. While doing so, he cruelly dismisses poor Mrs. Hegarty as she tearfully pleads for the life of her beloved Patsy, Frank reports what he observes in an article headlined “Scandalous Incident Over Dog.” The repercussions over the piece and the evolving relationship between Frank and Victoria form the heart of this savagely biting (and savagely funny) lampooning of hypocritical politicians and government bureaucracy. While Leigh and Harrison are a delight, we would be remiss if we failed to note the contributions of two wonderful and beloved British character actors; Sara Allgood and Cecil Parker, who are equally superb as the unfortunate widow Hegarty and the pompous provost. 84 minutes. Comedy