THE IDOL - 1966 Directed by Daniel Petrie

This rarely seen Jennifer Jones movie casts Rita in another Landlady part, she is first seen walking up some stairs that look out over the thames, as she continues up the stairs she talks to the two men behind her, who have come to see the apartment:

Friend of yours was he Cavendish? Yeah, yeah, when he left for Tangiers I thought i’d come and see if the flat was still open., You’re students you say? Yeah comes the repkly, She pauses at the top of the stairs and says Well I’d have to have two months in advance, for security. then continues along to the door, finnally opening it, saying Here yer are, nice innit? Come in, look round. the guys follow her in and start looking around, the room is like a warehouse, very large and looks over the river, bits of furniture are scattered about, Rita quips That’s a nice settee, innit? Very comfortable, and that stove it’s very good, it don’t use much poke, and you can put all yer rubbish in it, it burns everything. Very good. the guys head towards the kitchen, Rita follows them, saying, Yeah it’s a lovely kitchen (pulls back curtain) all convenience, look,(in the sink there is a pile of old pots and pans)oh I’ll clear all them things out of the sink for yer. Rita walks back to the middle of the room and says This is a lovely armchair, this is lovely. You did know Cavendish then? The one who just moved out? Yeah comes the reply. Bit mental if you ask me, he had this here talking bird in a cage and he trained it to screech “good morning Miss sweet thing” the first time I walked in it almost scared the life out of me, you could hear the sodding creature half way across London. The guys continue to look around, gradually moving further away from Rita and up the stairs, until they reach the roof garden, while Rita continues to rattle on The tenant I had in here three years ago now, yes that’s right, three years ago, retired army colonel he was, seventy-three, he wore this here glass eye, played the bag pipes, bit mental if you ask me (she walks towards the door and wipes her nose) oh it smells a bit, it’ll be alright when the stoves lit, it’s only the damp (this last piece of dialogue is heard from the guys view point on the roof, the scene continues without Rita until they come back inside) Rita is sitting in an armchair, looks up and quips Ain’t that a smashing view? You said 15 guineas a month didn’t yer? That’s right, but I’d have to have two months in advance Yeah I know two months in advance, er, Smith, Emma Smith? That’s right Emma Smith, you’ll be surprised at the types that flit in and out and round about when you’ve got rooms to let, they’re all a bit mental if you ask me, once I had this here chap come in here and he says to me he said, Listen, you er, you just draw up the lease alright? Oh alright, take a day or two., What about the keys then darling? Rita still sitting fiddles with the key as she continues talking Well as I was saying, once I had this Indian chap, he wore a pink sort of tea tail wrapped around his how’d ja do and he says to me… (friend laughs) Rita gets up off the armchair and says He’s mad en he? (she walks to the door, and pauses for a moment) "We’ll let you know if we require anything, alright." Rita outside the door, looks back and says You do that, you do that, look after him an all, well I never
we see the back of her as she desends the stairs, "By darling" and the door is shut.

NB: The still I have (below) indicates that Rita was in another scene with the guys, this scene is not included in the VHS copy I have viewed.