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Don't Take it to Heart

Don't Take it to Heart title card

Year - 1944
Studio - Two Cities Films
Stars - Richard Greene, Brefni O'Rorke, Patricia Medina, Richard Bird, Edward Rigby, Alfred Drayton
Director - Jeffrey Dell
Writing Credits - Jeffrey Dell
Music - Mischa Spoliansky

Synopsis

A World War II bomb hits Chaunduyt (pronounced "Condit") Castle and releases the 400 year old ghost of the Third Earl of Chaunduyt (Richard Bird) who frightens a maid. The explosion also reveals a chest of ancient manuscripts. The news of the ghost sighting spurs increased interest in tours of the castle, which has fallen on hard times. The tours are conducted by Lord Chaunduyt (Brefni O'Rorke) with the assistance of his long-suffering butler (Edward Rigby).

The village of Chaunduyt is mainly populated, because of intermarriages, with people whose last name is "Bucket." They resent the presence of a new landowner, Pike (Alfred Drayton) who forbids the residents to allow their animals to graze on his property, as they had previously been allowed to do.

Don't Take it to Heart poster

Peter Hayward (Richard Greene), a young professor, comes to the village to examine the old manuscripts that had been exposed by the bombing. He is attracted to Lord Chaunduyt's daughter Mary (Patricia Medina), but she has promised herself to an old boyfriend, now fighting in the war, and whom she hasn't for many years. After Hayward examines the manuscripts, he offers to assist the villagers in their conflict with landowner Pike. He has them herd all their animals, cows, pigs, sheep, geese, onto Pike's property. He calls the police and Hayward and the villagers are taken to court.

In court, Pike seeks compensation for damages done to his property, but Hayward presents a 400 year old legal document that gives residents the right to let their animals graze on the property in question. Pike's lawyer argues that the signature on the document can't be proven to be genuine. But the ghost materializes in court and confirms that the signature is, indeed, his own.

Mary learns that her old boyfriend has returned from the war, but that he has a new fiancé. She secretly is relieved because of her mutual attraction to Peter.

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