The Square Peg (1958)

Norman and Mr Grimsdale are council workmen mending the road outside an Army base when they come into conflict with the military. Shortly afterwards, they get drafted and fall into the ... See full summary »

Director:

John Paddy Carstairs

Writers:

Jack Davies (original screenplay), Henry Blyth (original screenplay),

Stars:

Norman Wisdom, Honor Blackman, Edward Chapman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Norman Wisdom	...	Norman Pitkin / General Schreiber
Honor Blackman	...	Lesley Cartland
Edward Chapman	...	Mr. Grimsdale
Campbell Singer	...	Sergeant Loder
Hattie Jacques	...	Gretchen
Brian Worth	...	Henri Le Blanc
Terence Alexander	...	Captain Wharton
John Warwick	...	Colonel Layton
Arnold Bell	...	General Hunt
André Maranne	...	Jean-Claude (as Andre Maranne)
Victor Beaumont	...	Jogenkraut
Frank Williams	...	Captain Ford
Eddie Leslie	...	Medical officer

Storyline

Norman and Mr Grimsdale are council workmen mending the road outside an Army base when they come into conflict with the military. Shortly afterwards, they get drafted and fall into the clutches of the Sergeant they have just bested. They are sent to France to repair roads in front of the Allied advance but get captured. Norman takes advantage of a useful similarity to impersonate General Schreiber and manages to return a hero.

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Plot Keywords:

shape in title | three word title | actor shares first name with character

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 1959 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Djaddeh saf kon

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rank Organisation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Goofs

The dummy that Pitkin stabs and throws on the end of his bayonet moves before he stabs it.

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Connections

Referenced in Bostock's Cup (1999)

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Soundtracks

"The Square Peg"
Written by Michael Carr and Philip Green

User Reviews

The Square Peg

Norman Wisdom has to be one of the best British comedians of the 20th Century. For fifty years he has continued to entertain the British public with his films, TV appearances and one-man shows.

Between 1953 and 1966 Wisdom worked with the J. Arthur Rank Organisation and there, starred in some of the best loved British film comedies of all time, including The Square Peg.

The plot for the film is that council worker Norman and his boss Mr Grimsdale come into conflict with the local military. They are then drafted into the army themselves and sent to Nazi-occupied France where Widsom manages to foil the plans of German general.

If you like Wisdom's comedy or just want a little entertainment, then watch this film, you won't be disapointed. The scene with Wisdom in his dual role as Norman and the General and German opera singer Hattie Jacques is side-splittingly funny.