According to the cover on the DVD of this film, "The story is based on a true incident in which an Air Corps crew deliberately sacrificed their lives to save an English village of no strategic importance." But, I could find no further reference to provide more details or to substantiate that statement. If there is such a connection, it most likely would be just with the very end of the movie in which that plane crash occurs. It's highly unlikely that it would be based on the plot of the film, however, or surely there would have been a book or story written or printed somewhere about the people and incidents of the main plot.

"A Yank in London" was the film's title when it was released in the States after its original showing in the U. K. as "I Live in Grosvenor Square." It debuted in March of 1945 while the war was not yet over in Europe. Although it doesn't specify the date, it was in the months leading up to the D-Day Landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944.

The build-up of American and other forces for the invasion had been going on for some time. Allied servicemen were being billeted in English homes and manors; and military units had taken over whole estates and buildings. This film gives a good portrayal of that, and, in this case, of the affability and congeniality of many of the Brits, including the landed aristocracy with and toward their "guests." While all of this was taking place, the Allied air forces were continuing to make bombing raids into Germany to cripple its war capacity and try to bring it to the peace table.

So this story develops as a sort of love triangle when an American Army Air Corps sergeant meets and is housed with the Duke of Exmoor and his family. The duke's niece, Lady Patricia Fairfax, is the female in this triangle, and the other male is Major John Patterson, a boyhood friend and close friend of the family. Patricia and David are engaged, but John and she fall for each other after a while. By stretching one's imagination, it's possible to think there is a real attraction between Patricia and John, but it takes that because it otherwise isn't apparent in the film. This might be a way of showing something of a more mature relationship than might be with a young GI and a young British lass. But, still, neither Anna Neagle nor Dean Jagger display any real sense of falling for one another. Rex Harrison plays Major David Bruce, and while his role is better, it's also not terribly convincing.

The best performance in the whole thing is by Robert Morley as the Duke of Exmoor. Elliot Arluck seems a bit overboard as a stereotypical gum-chewing, boisterous Yank from New York. He's Sgt. John's sidekick and fellow crewman who has also been on rehab leave with John.

This film has a couple of strange twists - Major Bruce gets a short leave from duty to run for a vacant seat in Parliament. And, toward the end, he gets a short leave while in uniform and his paratroop unit is waiting the word to take off on its invasion flight. The screenplay can't handle well the sudden change in heart of Sgt. John for not wanting to go between David and Patricia. So, John goes back into combat flying bombing missions as a gunner, and his plane crashes and explodes on its return with two engines out. The film shows him assisting the captain and pulling up to keep from crashing into the church tower of a small English village. After a memorial service on the ground, Major Bruce joins his unit and they all hit the silk (that's we airborne guys' lingo for jumping) supposedly during Operation Overlord, i.e. D-Day.

The film's rather slow and tame, with not much life in it except for the portrayal of the local Brits and the duke's family and estate. A somewhat better and similar story was made in 1956 by 20th Century Fox. "D-Day the Sixth of June" starred Robert Taylor and Richard Todd with the love triangle around Dana Wynter. That story also had a different ending from this film and also from the ordinary. But, it was a better scripted and believable romance and war story. It didn't show the British amiability of its hosting the Yanks like this film does, but the story seemed more plausible. That movie was based on a 1955 novel, "The Sixth of June," by Lionel Shapiro.

Here are a few favorite lines from this film.

Duke of Exmoor, "When was the last time you packed?" Parker, the butler, "The Boer War, your grace."

Sgt. John Patterson, "All this excitement for one member of parliament. It's a good thing you don't elect your kings over here."

Pub patron, "Well, the government may be all right for now, but what about later on?" Innkeeper, "Ah, you ain't voting for later on." Pub patron, "No? When shall I be then?" Innkeeper, "Later on." Pub patron, "I may not be here then." Innkeeper, "When?" Pub patron, "Later on." Innkeeper, "Well, what're you worrying about?"

Grosvenor Square in London, more commonly known as Eisenhowerplatz because that's where the Allied Commander in Chief lived and had his headquarters. A large concentration of American GIs lived there as well and that's where the story begins in I Live At Grosvenor Square.

In fact the entire United Kingdom was one large armed camp with GIs quartered in every nook and cranny. I find it singularly ironic in that one of the objections to the British that started the American Revolution was the quartering of soldiers in civilian homes. Look it up. 160+ years later and we're over there with the largest invading army in history and they're going out of their way to quarter us and like it.

American Army Air Force sergeant Dean Jagger is one of those quartered in a posh London home now used as a barracks a fact the British family there puts up with but not liking it. Jagger makes the acquaintance of Anna Neagle who comes from the upper crust as does her steady boyfriend Rex Harrison. The three form an unlikely trio, friendly at first, but when Jagger moves in on Neagle, Rex is put out.

Later on in America a decade later a similar film was made with Robert Taylor, Richard Todd, and Joan Collins entitled D-Day the Sixth of June. This film ends also with D-Day, but as to how the love triangle straightens out, you watch the film for.

Anna Neagle and her producer husband Herbert Wilcox produced this film and of course Neagle was top billed as always. But she sang not a note. Instead guest star from America Irene Manning best remembered for playing Fay Templeton in Yankee Doodle Dandy played herself at a USO show and sang the British ballad Home. It's quite a lovely piece, one of my favorites which Gracie Fields recorded over there and Dean Martin used on one of his albums 20 years later.

I Live In Grosvenor Square is a nice romantic type film, very well done by the impeccably cast ensemble.

The most interesting part of the movie was that you couldn't predict how it would come out. It has less of the dislike of American military men (overpaid, oversexed, and over here) than was actually felt by British men in uniform, as well as those on the homefront who weren't just out for fun with the soldiers, and I suspect it was written to ease tensions that were almost to the breaking point. When this was made there was no way of knowing how long the war would continue so I don't think it was written with postwar relations in mind. I do know that a great many Brits even today are very hostile to the American notion that America won the war and saved the free world. Compared to their contribution, we were "johnny come lately"s to both wars. This movie tells us it was a cooperative effort and we should appreciate each other's contributions.

A touching aspect is the tie between the American who lost his father in WWI and the housekeeper who lost her husband in the same war.

I enjoyed the election when the woman suggested maybe they should have tried having a woman stand for that position instead of a man. Here, here!

There were short scenes of the worrying going on in the American homefront, to show families suffered in both countries. There was an American whose ancestor had come from that little town. To heavily underline that idea that we are very similar and can all get along was the American, flying a plane with a Brit, who married a Brit intending to bring her to the US and wished there were a bridge between the two countries--and the reaction wasn't that the fellow was a vile interloper stealing British women while their men were overseas. And finally a quotation on the screen if you hadn't gotten the drift from the rest of the movie. This should be titled Why Can't We Be Friends?

I might have given this a 10 but I got tired of the hammering home of the point. The fact that they felt they had to do that is an indication of how much Americans were resented in Britain, not just for their manners and culture, and romancing women with gifts of luxury goods they hadn't seen in a very long time (getting many pg) but also for being wasteful with food and supplies that British sailors were dying from U boat attacks to bring to Britain.