Old Mother Riley, MP is a 1939 British
comedy film starring
Arthur Lucan and
Kitty McShane, which forms part of the
Old Mother Riley series of films. The film's plot centres on Old Mother Riley standing for election to the House of Commons.
Plot summary
Concerning Old Mother Riley's fight against her landlord, and as a means of defeating a corrupt politician intent on demolishing her street and the local pub along with it, Mother Riley taking to the
soapbox. Local crowds cheer her on, and she finds herself elected to
Parliament, and eventually promoted to
Cabinet Minister for Strange Affairs.[1][2][3]
Mary Haberstroh writes in Britmovie, "“Old Mother Riley, MP” synthesizes slapstick comedy with malapropisms and everything in between to create one of the best
Old Mother Riley films...Lucan is credible as Old Mother Riley wanting to seek social equality for the poor and unemployed, and
Kitty McShane,
Torin Thatcher, and
Henry B. Longhurst turn in stellar performances in this comedy. The story itself is well written and continuous without any unexplained gaps in the plot, making it easy for the viewer to follow...The characters in the film could very well be real life figures who are trying to survive during the time of
the Great Depression. “Old Mother Riley, MP” is a film that is sure to please anyone who appreciates classic
British comedy."[3]
In britishpictures.com, David Absalom writes, "by any reasonable definition, this is not a good film. But the character (Old Mother Riley) is so watchable, so wonderfully manic, you enjoy the film despite its faults."[4]
TV Guide wrote, "graced with an insane plot...Nonsensical but full of laughs."[5]