Beautiful, mischievous and athletic, Glynis Johns was perfectly cast as the mermaid out to taste human life in this popular fantasy. When doctor Griffith Jones goes fishing solo, Johns ensnares him and refuses to let him go unless he promises to show her London. To do so, Jones places her in a wheelchair and covers her tail with a blanket. But his wife, Googie Withers, is none to pleased to have such an attractive guest "convalescing" in her home for a month. Her feelings get even chillier when Johns starts toying with her chauffeur (David Tomlinson) and a friend's fiancé (John McCallum). This film was a huge hit in England, thanks in part to Johns' effortless charm in the role. It helped that years of dance training had given her with the strength and agility to do her own swimming scenes. Also helping greatly was a scene-stealing performance from Margaret Rutherford as the nurse Jones and Johns take into their confidence. She and Johns would reunite for the film's 1954 sequel, Mad About Men. Johns would also work with Tomlinson again when they played Mr. and Mrs. Banks in Walt Disney's classic Mary Poppins (1964).

By Frank Miller