UK Release date: 22 November 1948
First Melbourne Saturday Suburban: 11 March 1950
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Running time: 100 minutes.
Director: Ken Annakin, Arthur Crabtree, Harold French & Ralph Smart
Cast: Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne & Ian Fleming
Australian Distributor: GBDFD
Melbourne Premiere Venue: Hoyts’ Athenaeum for three weeks from 2 December 1949 as a feature only presentation.
Suburban Release Type: Hoyts Victory EX-2
Rankings
| Rank | ||
| EF Points | 250 | 89 |
| EF PPE | 4.81 | 103 |
| Metres Travelled | 579,426 | 24 |
| Average MT | 11,143 | 53 |
| Engagements | 52 | 55 |
| Slots | 54 | 151 |
| Weeks | 1 | 284 |
| Weeks as % of engagements | 1.92% | 335 |
| Saturdays | 31 | 44 |
| Sats as % of engagements | 59.62% | 56 |
| Tuesdays | 20 | 105 |
| Tues as % of engagements | 38.46% | 152 |
| First billed | 50 | 40 |
| Second billed | 1 | 259 |
| Feature only | 1 | 20 |
Hoyts Ratios
| Engagements weeks 1-10 | 47 |
| Ratio | 90.38% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -1.98% |
| Eng weeks 11-26 | 2 |
| Ratio | 3.85% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -1.54% |
| Eng weeks 27-52 | 3 |
| Ratio | 5.77% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 3.53% |
| Hoyts eng | 34 |
| Ratio | 65.38% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -0.40% |
| Independent eng | 7 |
| Ratio | 13.46% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 1.96% |
| Suburban eng | 11 |
| Ratio | 21.15% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -1.57% |
Notes: Considering its literary pedigree and lack of star power (and the fact that it was, well, British) this omnibus collection of W. Somerset Maugham stories was a genuine crowd-pleaser garnering a round 250 EF points and a top 100 placing. An unusual release pattern that was out of sync with the usual Hoyts path. It is possible that strong word of mouth had it booked to play in venues late that it was originally planned to bypass. There were also rare return engagements to several theatres as part of “British Film Week”. Fly Away Peter was its usual support.
Quartet engagements
| SUBURB | VENUE | CHAIN | DATE | W | D | B | CO-FEATURE |
| St.Kilda | Victory | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 1 | W | 2 | Slattery’s Hurricane |
| Caulfield | Crystal Palace | Suburban | 18/3/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Malvern | New | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Prahran | Empress | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| South Yarra | Regent | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Albert Park | Park | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 2 | T | 1 | Miss Mink of 1949 |
| Ascot Vale | Ascot | Suburban | 25/3/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Brighton | Centre | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Elsternwick | Renown | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Essendon | Circle | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Northcote | Northcote | Suburban | 25/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Richmond | Globe | Suburban | 25/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Ascot Vale | Waratah | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Essendon | Plaza | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Thornbury | Regent | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Balwyn | Time | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Bentleigh | Bentleigh | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Camberwell | Broadway | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Footscray | Barkly | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Gardiner | Regent | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Hampton | Southern | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Kew | Rialto | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Carnegie | Carnegie | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Glenferrie | Palace | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 4 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Hartwell | Regal | Suburban | 8/4/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Canterbury | Maling | Hoyts | 8/4/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Ivanhoe | Ivanhoe | Hoyts | 8/4/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Malvern | Victory | Hoyts | 8/4/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Williamstown | Shore | Hoyts | 15/4/50 | 6 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Yarraville | St. George | Suburban | 15/4/50 | 6 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| St.Kilda | Victory | Hoyts | 15/4/50 | 6 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| North Fitzroy | Merri | Hoyts | 22/4/50 | 7 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Port Melbourne | Eclipse | Hoyts | 22/4/50 | 7 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Windsor | New | Hoyts | 22/4/50 | 7 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| North Melbourne | Loco | Independent | 22/4/50 | 7 | T | 1 | Tucson |
| Oakleigh | Paramount | Independent | 22/4/50 | 7 | T | 1 | Slippy McGee |
| Box Hill | Rialto | Suburban | 22/4/50 | 7 | T | FO | FO |
| Eltham | Plaza | Suburban | 22/4/50 | 7 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Coburg | Grand | Hoyts | 29/4/50 | 8 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Glenhuntly | Glenhuntly | Hoyts | 29/4/50 | 8 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| North Richmond | Victoria | Independent | 29/4/50 | 8 | T | 1 | Miss Mink of 1949 |
| Elwood | Broadway | Independent | 6/5/50 | 9 | S | 1 | The Bodyguard |
| Preston | Circle | Hoyts | 6/5/50 | 9 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Kew | Rialto | Hoyts | 6/5/50 | 9 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Ivanhoe | Ivanhoe | Hoyts | 13/5/50 | 10 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Hartwell | Regal | Suburban | 13/5/50 | 10 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Brunswick | Lygon | Hoyts | 13/5/50 | 10 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Preston West | Rivoli | Independent | 20/5/50 | 11 | T | 1 | Appointment With Murder |
| Camberwell | Rivoli | Suburban | 2/9/50 | 26 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Blackburn | Blackburn | Independent | 25/11/50 | 38 | S | 1 | Here Come the Huggetts |
| Coburg West | Progress | Independent | 23/12/50 | 42 | T | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
| Balwyn | Balwyn | Suburban | 13/1/51 | 45 | S | 1 | Fly Away Peter |
The 1950 Project 