Boys Will Be Boys (1935)

Will Hay is a teacher in a prison, who applies for the Headship of Narkover, a public school. This is the first screen appearance of Hay in his (to be ) famous schoolmaster role, in a story... See full summary »

Director:

William Beaudine

Writers:

Robert Edmunds, Will Hay,

Stars:

Will Hay, Gordon Harker, Jimmy Hanley

Cast

Credited cast:
Will Hay	...	Dr. Alec Smart
Gordon Harker	...	Faker Brown
Jimmy Hanley	...	Cyril Brown
Davy Burnaby	...	Col. Crableigh
Norma Varden	...	Lady Dorking
Claude Dampier	...	Theo P. Finch
Charles Farrell	...	Louis Brown
Percy Walsh	...	Prison Governor
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Hawtrey

Storyline

Will Hay is a teacher in a prison, who applies for the Headship of Narkover, a public school. This is the first screen appearance of Hay in his (to be ) famous schoolmaster role, in a story based on Dr Smart-Alec, the character created by John Cameron Andrieu Bingham Michael Morton (J.B. Morton, "Beachcomber")

---

Plot Keywords:

colonel

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1935 (UK)

Also Known As:

Narkover

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gainsborough Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In corridor shots the large nameplate on the headmaster's study door reads 'Dr Alex Smart'. On shots of the open door from within the study 'Alexander' is written in full.

---

Quotes

Theo P. Finch: [Finch's hobby is keeping rabbits] You know, I started with Rover and only one other rabbit, and now I have seventeen. Isn't it marvellous?

---

Connections

Featured in Clive Dunn: A Tribute (2012)

---

Soundtracks

"Up the Old Narkovians"
(uncredited)
Written by Leslie Sarony and Leslie Holmes

User Reviews

Narkover School Of Crime.

Will Hay is Alexander Smart, who whilst teaching in prison, asks the Governor to write him a recommendation to aid his application for the position of Headmaster at Narkover School. Thinking the Governor has done him a favour, Smart is most perturbed to find that the Governor has written a less than flattering reference. Hope comes in illegal form when prisoner Faker Brown sends off a forged signature glowing reference, one that gets Smart the position. However, Smart's problems are just about to begin because Narkover is a hotbed of crime, and that's just the pupils!

Based on J.B. Morton's {AKA Beachcomber} humorous Dr Alec Smart character than ran in column form in Britain's Daily Express Newspaper from the mid 1920s, this was to be Will Hay's first film for Gainsborough Pictures. It was also to be his big break in cinema. Hay had made his name in British music hall productions in the 1920s, where as a bumbling buffoon schoolmaster, he served notice of a character that would make up a number of his big screen persona's. Boys Will Be Boys, directed by William Beaudine and co-written by Hay and Robert Edmunds, finds Hay honing the inept teacher role for better and far funnier productions that were still to come. But that in no way means this film isn't funny, because it certainly is.

A number of well executed comedy sequences light up the already jolly script. See an interesting line in carpet surfing, a how high is a Chinaman skit and a fabulous finale involving the school annual rugby match. Where missing diamonds and a whistle provide first class excuse for fun and frolics. There's also a fun thread involving Davy Burnaby's constantly exasperated Col. Crableigh, who had wanted his hapless nephew Theo P. Finch {Claude Dampier} in the headmasters position. If you can't find joy in a magic trick scene involving Crableigh's watch then there be no hope for you!. Filling out the cast is Norma Varden as Lady Dorking and Gordon Harker as the crooked Faker Brown who has come to the school to get rewarded for his forging favour to Alec. Oh and a whole ream of unruly pupils getting up to no end of mischief and crooked shenanigans.

Allegaza, Allegazi, Allegazam. 7/10