An Alligator Named Daisy

After returning from a cricket match in Ireland, Peter Weston [Donald Sinden] is left with a pet alligator that another passenger abandons. Horrified, his first instinct is to get rid of the creature, but he soon finds himself drawn into a surprising bond with Moira [Jeannie Carson], a young Irishwoman, and the relationship seems to revolve almost entirely around the animal. The alligator, Daisy, proves to be unusually tame and domestic, and Weston slowly realises that Daisy might be the key to winning Moira’s heart.

Back in London, Weston struggles to keep Daisy under control as she upends his life: she unsettles his family, jeopardizes his job at a department store, and strains his engagement to Vanessa [Diana Dors]. He schemes to dispose of Daisy, only to discover that the authorities and a pet shop won’t take her, leaving him to abandon her in Regent’s Park before guilt drives him to rescue her once more. A mix-up then leads Daisy to travel with his luggage to his prospective father‑in‑law’s country house, and there she disappears to unleash chaos at a grand party.

At the party, the spectacle tests Weston’s resolve and Vanessa’s patience, and the chaos ultimately puts their engagement in jeopardy. Vanessa, initially hurt by Weston’s reluctance to stand up for Daisy, comes to see that his feelings for Moira may be stronger than she realized. She begins to fear that the heartbreak of the breakup is partly rooted in Daisy’s unflinching presence, while Moira’s quietly steadfast nature stands in contrast to the drama around them.

Vanessa’s father, determined to salvage his daughter’s happiness, decides to champion alligators as Britain’s new beloved pet. He uses his newspaper to sway public opinion and even launches an alligator beauty contest, hoping to turn the creature into a national craze. The event draws Moira back into the picture, as she arrives with Albert [Stephen Boyd], her fiancé, and a male alligator named Nelson. The revelation that Albert is Moira’s fiancé—though more complex than it seems—shakes Weston’s confidence and the crowd’s assumptions about love and loyalty.

As the rally spirals into farce, the alligators tantrum and roam the grounds, creating a chain of mishaps that culminate in a chaotic lakeside melee where guests end up tumbling into the water. In the fallout, Weston learns a surprising truth: Albert isn’t Moira’s husband but her brother, and the mistaken marriages and tangled affections begin to clear. In the aftermath, Moira and Weston share a quiet, hopeful moment, and the pair drive away together, with Nelson and Daisy safely in the back seat, signaling a new, complicated happiness on the horizon.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 10:44