Welcome, Mr. Washington

1944 British film

Barbara Mullen
Donald Stewart
Peggy Cummins
Leslie Bradley

Cinematography

Gerald Gibbs
Erwin Hillier

Edited byErwin ReinerMusic byJohn Borelli

Production
company

British National Films

Distributed byAnglo-American Film Corporation

Release date

18 May 1944 (1944-05-18)

Running time

91 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Welcome, Mr. Washington is a 1944 British drama film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Barbara Mullen, Donald Stewart and Peggy Cummins. The film was made by British National Films, based on a story by Noel Streatfeild.

Welcome, Mr. Washington was listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films for some years.^[1] It emerged in early 2016 that a complete print had been discovered in a locker in London's Cinema Museum. It was screened at BFI Southbank in late January.^[2]^[3] It was shown on the British TV channel Talking Pictures TV on 13 October 2020.^[4]

Premise

During the Second World War, two sisters are left almost penniless by their father's sudden death, and so they decide to lease their estate as an airbase to the newly-arrived American forces.^[5]

Cast

Barbara Mullen as Jane Willoughby
Donald Stewart as Lieutenant Johnny Grant
Peggy Cummins as Sarah Willoughby
Leslie Bradley as Captain Abbot
Roy Emerton as Selby
Martita Hunt as Miss Finch
Arthur Sinclair as Murphy
Graham Moffatt as Albert Brown
Shelagh Fraser as Millie
Beatrice Varley as Martha
George Carney as Publican
Louise Lord as Katherine Willoughby
Paul Blake as Vernon
Drusilla Wills as Mrs. Curley
Gordon Begg as Vicar
Julian D'Albie as Cox
Hal Gordon as Chauffeur
Danny Green as Hank
Irene Handl as Mrs. Pidgeon
Herbert Lomas as Blacksmith
John McLaren as Corporal
Thomas Palmer as Bud
Tony Quinn as Sergeant McGinnis
Johnnie Schofield as Butcher
Elsie Wagstaff as Miss Jones
Alexander Field as Yokel
Victor Wood as Yokel

References

^ "Welcome Mr Washington / BFI Most Wanted". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012.
^ Brooks, Richard (10 January 2016). "Wartime film returns to big screen after going Awol for 72 years". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016. (subscription required)
^ "BFI National Archive Finds Lost Film 'Welcome Mr. Washington'". IndieWire.
^ Radio Times 10-16 October 2020
^ "Welcome Mr. Washington (1944)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.