Just William's Luck (1948) User Reviews

Seems to me this isn't too bad a film

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 9 May 2006]

A cheaply made b&w post-War British family film, revolving around 11 yo William Brown, his long-suffering family and his Outlaw gang. Not a lot of money was wasted here, there's whole stretches of silent movie - especially noticeable at the climax where the frenetic action and tense music tries to disguise the fact no-one speaks for 10 minutes.

The Outlaws see themselves as Nites of the Square Table Wrighting Rongs - sort of quasi-Quixotic - and after an hour of adventures with local luminaries such as a glamorous film star and an erudite tramp get involved with a gang of fur smugglers. The book by Richmal Crompton followed later with Val Guest's screenplay being rewritten in places to tighten up on characterisation slippage. But basically William's World is intact and Garry Marsh for my money was the best Mr. Brown ever, even if a little bit too bald. William Graham as William himself was in character - pity about his gang of hair though!

A nice film for fans but not much here for people who've never read a William story.

The crumpled collar,greasy tie,and wild hair of a 1930s hero.....

[ianlouisiana · 7/10 · 2 September 2006]

A relic from the long - gone era when childhood was consonant with innocence and wide - eyed wonder rather than gangs and drive - by shootings,"Just William's Luck" strikes a particular chord with me.When I was about 10 years old I was forced to enter a Fancy Dress competition as William Brown by my mother who had obviously modelled herself on Violet-Elizabeth Bott's mum,an unfortunate child forced to act out her parent's ambition.Unfortunately none of the good burghers of Guildford who had so kindly given up their time to judge the Best Root Vegetable as well as the Fancy Dress had any idea who I was supposed to be,I was just another scruffy horrible little boy with untidy hair and muddy knees.As an act of desperation mother hung a placard round my neck with "Just William" hurriedly scrawled on it ,but a little boy dressed as a television set (I'd seen a picture of one in the "Radio Times") had already caught the judges' eyes.As a victim of such pre-pubertal embarrassment I might quite justifiably have hated Richmal Crompton and all her works,but such was my devotion to William and the outlaws that it merely reinforced my determination to maintain a William-like dignity in all difficulties(so much more manly than most of my chums who had to be content with whistling). Here was a role - model any boy in the 1940s could identify with. He had loving but uncomprehending parents and two older siblings who he treated with genial contempt.He lived in a strange England populated largely by gentlemen of the road,fat balding policemen,park keepers, gardeners,servant girls and Foreigners,Bolshevists and their ilk. Each of his adventures generally involved one or more from that list. As often as not a grateful adult would force a silver coin or two into his grubby hand as a result of his earnest machinations. He translated well to the screen and "Just William's Luck" is a very good children's movie with some splendid performances,particularly by Gary Marsh as Mr Brown and A.E. Matthews as a tramp.I had a painful crush on Patricia Cutts that lasted well into my teens.Years later I was saddened to hear that she had died at the early age of 48. William's true heyday was the 1930s,sister Ethel a late-blooming flapper brother Robert flirting with daringly left politics.The Browns were a solidly middle-class family,comfortably well-off and blissfully unaware that bad times were just around the corner.Let's leave them with their charabancs,concert parties,quiet country roads whose peace is only disturbed by the snoring of sleeping tramps and the rattling wheels of a gypsies' caravan,mysterious and exciting.The Brave New World that was to overtake them only too quickly had few such innocent pleasures.

People Just Won't Pay To Have Their Wrongs Righted

[boblipton · 6/10 · 6 January 2022]

Surprisingly, there is no demand for the services of William Graham and his fellow Knights of the Square Table (wrongs righted, sixpence or one shilling). William turns his attention to his elder brother, who hasn't married movie star Hy Hazell, or even introduced himself. Eventually he concludes it's because of the post-war housing shortage. The Knights of the Square Table, therefore, decide to haunt the biggest house in town; once the owner has fled, William's brother and his bride can move in to enjoy connubial bliss. But, alas! Tramp A. E. Matthews knows how to do this and more. He, however, insists on a two-bob initiation, which the boys haven't got. So they have to haunt the place on their own, just as ur thieves are using the place to hide their loot.

With father Garry Marsh on the boil, William has a hard time keeping out of trouble.in this harmless but amusing screen version of one of Richmal Crompton's numerous 'Just William' stories.

Charm aplenty

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 24 July 2020]

JUST WILLIAM'S LUCK is an early screen outing for Richmal Crompton's irrepressible literary hero, and it ably captures the spirit of the stories and transferring them to a familiar, small scale type of production. After the first half's introduction which sees William interacting with the dreaded adults in his life, along with his chummy gang members, the film tackles an Enid Blyton-style plotline in which William and co's attempts to a haunt an old house are interrupted by fur thieves. The silent film-style climax is dated in the extreme but there's charm aplenty here, and it helps that the gang members are played by the likes of Michael Medwin, Brian Roper, Michael Balfour and Stanley Baker.

Not too bad for its age.

[plan99 · 7/10 · 21 April 2023]

Did boys back then really run about all day, and night, in their school uniforms complete with caps, did they have no other clothes to wear? This film would have been popular with young audiences when it came out and it's still worth watching now. I've never read a "Just William" book or a "Billy Bunter" book but I have read a lot of "Jennings" books and they all feature posh kids usually ones who go to public schools, private schools that is for those not in the UK. They have adventures that boys of the same age would love to have and this is what made them popular at the time and now. The baddies always lose out at the end of course.

Just William's Luck

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 16 April 2023]

Just William's Luck is a cheaply made B feature from 1948 featuring Richmal Crompton mischievous hero. It holds up remarkably well. Maybe because the nauseating Violet Elizabeth is kept to the minimum.

William (William Graham) is introduced as the archetypal menace. By the time he gets down for breakfast, he has swapped boot polish for his father's shaving foam and vice versa.

He interferes in his older brother's life. Wondering why he has not married yet and tries to fix him up with film star Gloria Gaye (Hy Hazell) who has come to town for a short break.

William and his gang, the knights of the round table decide to scare someone in a haunted house.

Unbeknownst to them some fur coat thieves plan to rob it. Can Just William save the day.

This is a brisk effort, the finale with the thieves is directed like a silent movie. Silly and fun even for children of today.

Just William's Luck review

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 29 June 2020]

Low-budget screen adaptation of the popular Just William novels with forgotten child actor William Graham in the title role. Light on plot and laughs, although there are a few funny moments. Hugh Cross, who plays William's older brother here, would play his father in the 1970s TV series.

William in never never land

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 18 August 2019]

Made at a time when films a d tv aimed at children wdfe becoming more popular.This film is set in an England that didn't exist.Obviously set post war none of the characters were affected by the truly miserable austerity period.Everything was rationed,even bread.The young actor playing William seems a bit out of place with his north east accent.Really not worth watching.

A Truly Delightful Film

[andyrobert · 10/10 · 14 August 2020]

I remember watching this film on BBC Television when I was sat next to my mother on Christmas Day in 1961. I was 10 years old. It still makes me laugh - 60 years later.

I have just watched it again on Talking Pictures this morning and, even now, it seemed even more appealing. It is definitely a film that would have appealed to young and old alike.

The first part of the film describes a World gone by - a World that no longer exists. The film described a World of family breakfasts and mealtimes - almost treated as a social event. It also shows idyllic country cottages, where even ordinary families had a maid or a housekeeper.

The scene where "The Outlaws" were haunting the house was absolutely hilarious. It had the whole family and our Christmas guests in stitches. The scenes were so well done that they surpassed that of many of the classic comedy films that were made around the same time.

Richmal Compton's character William was very close to my mother's heart as she had read every single one of the books. As a matter of fact, I still have most of them all in my attic. After seeing this film again, I think I will read them one more time.

Yes, it was a film set in an ideal World that probably never really existed. There was no post war austerity, no impoverished rationing, all the women dressed in nothing drabber that than what would have been seen in an expensive fashion catalogue, and two bob (10 pence/ 12 cents) was a lot of money. However, that aside, it was truly a delightful film.

Loved It!

[TondaCoolwal · 8/10 · 5 July 2019]

At my age I'm a sucker for nostalgia, and this film had it in shedloads. Having read the William books obviously added to the enjoyment. Although a mainstream movie it played rather like a Children's Film Foundation production with plenty of input from William and The Outlaws getting the better of the incompetent grownups as usual. In fact the plot, involving a gang of fur thieves, only made its appearance by accident towards the end of the film. Prior to that we are treated to a deluge of non-PC antics including juvenile male chauvinism (The Outlaws won't let Violet Elizabeth be a "Nite of the Square Table") ; a serious safety issue where the "Nites" wave around a bread knife as Excalibur and later hold it against the chest of a "spy" whilst questioning him and, of course, the indirect promotion of the fur trade as a desirable enterprise. Also the dog "Jumble" is allowed to bite a member of a rival gang. As ever in these old films, the kids are free to come and go wherever they please and at any time of the day or night, running along main roads , falling into pools of water and breaking into a large country house simply to scare the occupier into leaving. Probably to pad out the running time there are several lengthy scenes of William and his gang walking from one location to another to some annoying musical accompaniment. And the climactic chase sequence runs for around 10 minutes with absolutely no dialogue. Obviously the world of William and his pals never really existed, but at the time the film was made we liked to think it did and, we would have loved to be part of it!