Charley’s Aunt (1941): Cast, Box Office & Plot
Charley’s Aunt is a 1941 comedy directed by Archie Mayo, starring Richard Haydn as Charley Wyckham, Jack Benny and Reginald Owen. It runs 1 hour 20 minutes and earned $2.3 million worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 20m (80 min)
- Director
- Archie Mayo
- Genre
- Comedy
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- 20th Century Fox
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Charley’s Aunt About?
The premise of Charley’s Aunt without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
In this classic farce by Brandon Thomas, set in 1890 Oxford, two mischievous students coerce their roguish classmate into masquerading as a wealthy Brazilian aunt—supposedly the source of exotic nuts—to pull off a scheme that spirals into comic confusion and slapstick mishaps.
Charley’s Aunt Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- impostor
- cricket the sport
- oxford university
- costume
- man dresses as a woman
- tripped
- hit in the head
- bell
- widower
- posing as someone's aunt
- legal guardian
- chaperone
+38 more Show fewer
- year 1890
- assumed name
- incognito
- expelled
- reference to little bo peep
- man disguised as woman
- reference to queen victoria
- courtship
- uncle nephew relationship
- law firm
- whiskey
- widow
- millionairess
- secret revealed
- consent to marry
- reference to brazil
- shaving
- shaving cream
- trophy
- brazilian
- oxford england
- student
- friend
- guardian
- marriage proposal
- dinner
- cigar smoking
- wig
- uncle niece relationship
- tea
- suitor
- suitcase
- stiff neck
- slapstick comedy
- professor
- old man
- necktie
- man in drag
Charley’s Aunt Cast & Characters
Richard Haydn leads the cast as Charley Wyckham, with Jack Benny as Babbs Babberley and Reginald Owen as Mr. Redcliffe. Directed by Archie Mayo; 17 actors are credited in all.
- Director Archie Mayo
-
Richard Haydn as Charley Wyckham -
Jack Benny as Babbs Babberley -
Reginald Owen as Mr. Redcliffe - James Ellison as Jack Chesney
Also Starring in Charley’s Aunt
· 13 more- Anne Baxter Amy Spettigue
- Edmund Gwenn Stephen Spettigue
- Arleen Whelan Kitty Verdun
- Kay Francis Donna Lucia
- Laird Cregar Sir Francis Chesney
- Maurice Cass Octogenarian
- C. Montague Shaw Elderly Professor
- Claud Allister Spectator
- Will Stanton Messenger
- William Austin Spectator
- Ernest Cossart Brassett
- Lionel Pape Babberly
- Morton Lowry Harley Stafford
More from Archie Mayo
More films directed by Archie Mayo: Angel on My Shoulder, A Night in Casablanca, Sweet and Low-Down and Crash Dive.
Charley’s Aunt Plot Summary
What happens in Charley’s Aunt from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Oxford University, 1890. Babbs Babberley finds himself skating on thin ice as trouble pile ups from a series of comic mishaps: he accidentally strikes Mr. Redcliffe with a cricket ball, spills tea on him, and in a frantic chase tumbles down steps, unintentionally triggering a fire bell. When the dean combs through Babbs’s record, expulsion seems all but certain, grounded in a formal rule that awards a degree only after 15 years. Babbs protests with a stubborn wit, insisting he’s still in his 10th year and promising that his friends, Charley Wyckham and Jack Chesney, will back up his story about the fire bell. The air crackles with a mix of mischief and high-spirited bravado as the boys juggle友情, flirtation, and a looming penalty.
Full summary
The whole story of Charley’s Aunt, scene by scene
Charley’s Aunt Box Office
Charley’s Aunt grossed $2.3 million worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$2.3M
Charley’s Aunt Videos
The featurette of Charley’s Aunt.
How Well Do You Know Charley’s Aunt?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
At which university is the story set?
Seen Charley’s Aunt?
Movies Like Charley’s Aunt
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Charley’s Aunt, Charley’s (Big-Hearted) Aunt and Charley’s Aunt.
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Charley’s Aunt FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office and post-credit scenes of Charley’s Aunt, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Charley’s Aunt?
Charley’s Aunt runs 1 hour 20 minutes (80 minutes).
When was Charley’s Aunt released?
Charley’s Aunt was released on August 1, 1941.
Who directed Charley’s Aunt?
Charley’s Aunt was directed by Archie Mayo.
More films by Archie Mayo Who is in the cast of Charley’s Aunt?
Charley’s Aunt stars Richard Haydn as Charley Wyckham, Jack Benny as Babbs Babberley and Reginald Owen as Mr. Redcliffe, among 17 credited actors.
How much did Charley’s Aunt make at the box office?
Charley’s Aunt grossed $2.3 million worldwide.
Does Charley’s Aunt have a post-credit scene?
No. Charley’s Aunt has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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