The Million Pound Note

The Million Pound Note is a British comedy set in London at the start of the twentieth century. Two wealthy elderly brothers make a wager over whether a destitute stranger could survive for a month on the strength of a banknote worth one million pounds that he is not permitted to cash. They pick Henry Adams, a penniless American sailor, to settle the argument. Because nobody can break such a note, tradesmen, hotels and creditors treat him as a man of vast fortune and extend him credit, even though he never spends a penny of it. The arrangement brings him comfort and attention but also complications that threaten his self-respect and the woman he loves.

Ronald Neame directed the film, the earliest of the six titles listed for him, with a screenplay by Jill Craigie and John Bryan producing for The Rank Organisation. Gregory Peck leads the cast as Henry Adams, alongside Ronald Squire as Oliver Montpelier, Joyce Grenfell as the Duchess of Cromarty, A.E. Matthews as the Duke of Frognal, Maurice Denham as Jonathan Reid and Reginald Beckwith as Rock. Thirty-three performers are credited in all. It runs ninety minutes.

On TMDB the film holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from 85 votes, a modest number of votes but a positive average, suggesting a small and appreciative audience rather than a widely seen title.