One Good Turn (1955)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John Paddy Carstairs

Writers:

John Paddy Carstairs (screenplay)
Sid Colin (additional scenes)

Release Date:

23 May 1955 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for...

Cast

Norman Wisdom	...	Norman
Joan Rice	...	Iris
Shirley Abicair	...	Mary
Thora Hird	...	Cook
William Russell	...	Alec
Joan Ingram	...	Matron
Richard Caldicot	...	Mr. Bigley
Marjorie Fender	...	Tuppeny
Keith Gilman	...	Jimmy
Noel Howlett
David Hurst	...	Professor Dofee
Harold Kasket	...	Ivor Petrovitch
Ricky McCullough	...	Gunner Mac
Anthony Green		(as Antony Green)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Maurice Cowan Productions

Trivia:

The first feature film of Percy Herbert.

Soundtrack:

Please Opportunity

Orphans Of The Norm

With fairly high Pinewood production values this was one of Norman Wisdom's best films, sans his best foil Jerry Desmonde though. Richard Caldicott played the posh pompous machinating bigwig foil here, but unfortunately wasn't (mis)used to the full.

Norman is general dogsbody at quaint orphanage under threat of demolition and replacement by a factory – this umbrellas various episodic adventures he has in his drive to buy an expensive £12 toy car for little Jimmy. Favourite bits: annoying the First Class rail passengers with his vivacity/yobbishness – depending on your point of view; making the best of a trouserless situation; peeling the onion with the sewing machine, to everyone's distress; the boxing bout; conducting the orchestra; the Black Sheep Of Whitehall and Happiest Days Of Your Lives type reprises. Thora Hird got more of a showing than in Black Sheep too. Two sentimental songs from Norman along the way: Step In The Right Direction (bedtime at the orphanage) and one he wrote himself Please Opportunity (at the funfair), both perfectly sung – just how much did Anthony Newley and Robbie Williams owe to him?

Along with some of the sets some of the acting could be a little wooden but much more preferable to me than todays plastic. For a glimpse of a safe but dead Britain it's great stuff, also a pleasant non-heavy comedy in all departments.