When 17-year-old Jane Broadbent comes to London to live with her wealthy father Lord Jimmy Broadbent, her stepmother Lady Sheila feels compelled by her own social aspirations to introduce Jane to society. Available on. The Reluctant Debutante is a 1958 American Metrocolor comedy film in CinemaScope directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Pandro S. Berman from a screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and William Douglas-Home based on Douglas-Home's play of the same name. At a private psychiatric clinic, the daily dramas and interactions between the doctors, nurses, administrators, benefactors and patients are accentuated by the personal and family crises of these individuals. The former members of a dance troupe are suing because of recently published memoirs. 27 of 28 people found this review helpful. Real-life husband and wife Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall are cast as newly wed Jimmy and Sheila Broadbent, two of London's more attractive aristocrats. Times [London, England] 1 Jan. 1960: 13. In 2003 the film was remade as What a Girl Wants, starring Colin Firth and Amanda Bynes. Joan Howell, a young and pretty maid-for-hire, meets and begins dating wealthy New York City businessman Tom Milford. As stated in the film, 1958 was the last year for the British society custom of an official debutante season, which was then abolished by Queen Elizabeth II. In attending some of the earlier season balls, Jane not only finds David Fenner a drip, but she also does not want to step on the toes of her first true friend in London, Clarissa Claremont (Diane Clare), who is in love with ... John Saxon, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Star, Dies At 83, ITV Play of the Week: The Reluctant Debutante. On a Sunday, Eileen Tyler, still a virgin, leaves Albany to visit her airline pilot brother in New York but a chance encounter with a man on a city bus threatens to derail her upcoming marriage to boyfriend Russ. Web. Comedy is in season for The Reluctant Debutante, a rib-tickler of societal foibles and follies given spirited direction by Vincente Minnelli and featuring a full dance card of deft badinage.& **Please be aware that this is a manufactured on demand disc that was created using a DVD-R disc. Sheila, as her first act of being Jane's British stepmother, wants Jane to come out along with all her British peers. Upon her banking executive father, Lord Jimmy Broadbent (Sir Rex Harrison) remarrying who is now the second Lady Broadbent, Sheila (Kay Kendall), seventeen-year-old Jane Broadbent (Sandra Dee), who has been living in the States with her American mother since the divorce, pays her father in London a visit so that she can meet Sheila. But nobody has mentioned the costumes. It was the second of three movies Sandra Dee and John Saxon made together. The Reluctant Debutante is a vintage example of the sort of elegant, witty "polite" comedy that Hollywood used to pull off so well. The magnificent red dress she wears in the first party scene is a perfect example and she had the stunning figure to enhance these wonderful costumes. The Reluctant Debutante is a 1958 American Metrocolor comedy film in CinemaScope directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Pandro S. Berman from a screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and William Douglas-Home based on Douglas-Home's play of the same name. Specifications. Sign in to Purchase Instantly. Upon her banking executive father, Lord Jimmy Broadbent (Sir Rex Harrison) remarrying who is now the second Lady Broadbent, Sheila (Kay Kendall), seventeen-year-old Jane Broadbent (Sandra Dee), who has been living in the States with her American mother since the divorce, pays her father in London a visit so that she can meet Sheila. Jane is from Jimmy’s first marriage to an American and has come to visit her father and the step-mother she has never met. The Times Digital Archive. With Rex Harrison, Kay Kendall, John Saxon, Sandra Dee. 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