Derby Day

Derby Day tells the story of several people, a section of cross- Britainnia who are going to the Epsom Derby. At some point in the film all their lives intersect on Derby Day.

Anna Neagle is a recent aristocratic widow who has a horse in the race. She runs into Michael Wilding, a newspaper cartoonist who also lost a fiancé in the same airplane crash Neagle's husband was in. Two others have a dark secret. Googie Withers and John McCallum murdered even if by accident Withers husband and they're at Epsom Downs for him to make a connection to beat it out of the country.

Gordon Harker is a cabdriver who takes Wilding to the Derby and they stop to pick up Harker's wife Gladys Henson. They're a delightful working class couple who take joy in the simple pleasures.

My favorite is Peter Graves who is a British film star, but not of the A list. He's won by French maid Suzanne Cloutier as second prize in a studio contest. My favorite scene in the film is Graves with Wilding who's not a cinema goer, but knows Graves from military service. Graves is highly annoyed that Wilding does not recognize his celebrity.

All in all the stories both dark and light are mixed well together and it's a nice ensemble cast that delivers a good ensemble performance in Derby Day.