My Wife's Lodger

My Wife's Lodger is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Dominic Roche, Olive Sloane and Leslie Dwyer. The screenplay concerns a soldier who returns home after the Second World War only to find a spiv lodger has established himself in his place. It was based on the play My Wife's Lodger written by Roche.

Cast

 * Dominic Roche as Willie Higginbotham
 * Olive Sloane as Maggie Higginbotham
 * Leslie Dwyer as Roger the Lodger
 * Diana Dors as Eunice Higginbotham
 * Alan Sedgwick as Tex
 * Vincent Dowling as Norman Higginbotham
 * Vi Kaley as Mother-in-Law
 * Martin Wyldeck as Policeman
 * David Hannaford as Vernon
 * Ilena Sylva as Vernon's Mother
 * Ronald Adam as Doctor
 * Wally Patch as Sergeant
 * Derek Tansley as Deserter
 * Alastair Hunter as Lance Corporal
 * Toke Townley as Soldier
 * Fred Griffiths as Driver
 * Harry Locke as Passer-by

Production
The film was based on a 1951 play.

Filming took place in May 1952. Dors was appearing in a revue Rendezvous at night It was one of a series of low budget comedies Dors made around this time.

Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin said "this comedy runs through a repertoire of farcical situations of the most ancient variety. The playing does not lack energy but the music-hall style jokes - domestic bickering, mothers-in-law and so on - become very exhausting."

TV Guide wrote, "the energy of the ensemble partly makes up for the film's lack of coherence and taste." The 'Daily Film Renter' (quoted in BFI Screenonline) wrote, "the acting is of the 'Ee-bai-goom' school and the dialogue is the ripe, uninhibited language of the music hall... as briny as jellied eels on Southend Pier." In 'CathodeRayTube.co.uk', Frank Collins writes, "there are some genuinely laugh out loud moments here and the humour derived from the antics of such a dysfunctional family reflect many of the tropes that would find their way into British sitcoms of the late 1960s and 1970s where other ideological wars would be fought - based on gender, class, race and religion."