Brides to Be

Brides to Be
Brides to Be
	Olive Stone and Betty Stockwell in the film
Directed by	Reginald Denham
Written by	Basil Mason
Produced by	Reginald Denham
Starring	Betty Stockfeld ; Constance Shotter ; Ronald Ward
Production; company	British and Dominions
Distributed by	Paramount British Pictures
Release date	May 1934;
Running time	68 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Brides to Be is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Betty Stockfeld, Constance Shotter and Ronald Ward. It was written by Basil Mason and made at Elstree Studios as a quota quickie for release by the British branch of Paramount Pictures.

Preservation status

The British Film Institute National Archive holds a collection of ephemera and stills but no film or video materials.

Plot

When her manager pursues her romantically, Audrey Bland quits her job in the packing department of the department store Snell and Freemantle, and gets a job in their gifts department. At a local hotel, wealthy young man-about-town George Hutton is being duped by two crooks, one of whom persuades him to get engaged to her. On visiting Snell and Freemantle, George falls for Audrey, and the crooks try to frame her for a theft.

Cast

Betty Stockfeld as Audrey Bland
Constance Shotter as Maisie Beringer
Ronald Ward as George Hutton
Olive Sloane as Phyllis Hopper
Henry Oscar as Laurie Randall
Ivor Barnard as John Boyle
Gorgon McLeod as Snell

Reception

The Daily Film Renter wrote: "Artless narrative leading up to fatuous climax, with undistinguished acting and dialogue. Quota ranking for the uncritical. ... There is certainly the germ of an idea in the plot, but the crudity of the dialogue and the naivete of the acting even militate against that."

Picture Show wrote: "This is not a film that resounds to the credit of British studios, although the leading players struggle manfully with the poor material given them. ... It is told very monotonously, lack of good situations intensifying the slowness of its pace, while the less said about the dialogue the better."

References

1 2 "Brides to Be". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
↑ Wood, Linda (1986). British Films, 1927–1939 (PDF). British Film Institute. p. 81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2022.
↑ Chibnall, Steve (2007). Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film. British Film Institute. p. 277. ISBN 978-1844571550.
↑ "Brides to Be". The Daily Film Renter (2253): 4. 23 May 1934. ProQuest 3127070361.
↑ "Brides to Be". Picture Show. 32 (811): 19. 17 November 1934. ProQuest 1880321041.

External links

Brides to Be at IMDb

[BFIsearch-1] 1 2 "Brides to Be". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 25 July 2026.

[2] Wood, Linda (1986). British Films, 1927–1939 (PDF). British Film Institute. p. 81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2022.

[3] Chibnall, Steve (2007). Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film. British Film Institute. p. 277. ISBN 978-1844571550.

[4] "Brides to Be". The Daily Film Renter (2253): 4. 23 May 1934. ProQuest 3127070361.

[5] "Brides to Be". Picture Show. 32 (811): 19. 17 November 1934. ProQuest 1880321041.