Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Alastair Sim | ... | Deniston Russell | |
Fay Compton | ... | Agnes Russell | |
Guy Middleton | ... | Simon Russell | |
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George Cole | ... | Herbert Russell |
Hugh Griffith | ... | Henry Augustus Russell | |
Ernest Thesiger | ... | Endicott | |
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Beatrice Campbell | ... | Lucille Grayson |
Mackenzie Ward | ... | Benson | |
A.E. Matthews | ... | Sir Charles Robson | |
Joyce Grenfell | ... | Elizabeth Robson aka Fluffy | |
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Eleanor Summerfield | ... | Sheila Wilcott |
John Laurie | ... | Gordon Webb | |
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Veronica Hurst | ... | Joan Webb |
Anthony Steel | ... | Roger Godfrey | |
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Charlotte Mitchell | ... | Ethel |
Famed practical joker Henry Russell leaves 50,000 pounds to each of his four surviving relatives. But his will has one last joke - they each have to undertake a task completely out of character within a month. As each sets out on their objective they find that quite apart from the promised riches, they are unexpectedly getting a lot out of the challenge. All except caddish Simon Russell, that is. Written by Jeremy Perkins {J-26}
This is a most excellent example of the comic talents of Alistair Sim. His bungling attempts to get himself arrested had me in stitches. Particularly trying to get the store detective, or indeed anyone, to notice he was trying his hand at shoplifting. And of course finding a crime that would only get him the 30 days in jail as stipulated in the will.
As someone else has mentioned he did have all the best lines, but the remainder of the cast did a great job, the mild mannered clerk who had to rob the bank where he worked, the overbearing snob who had to be a maid, the womaniser who had to marry the first woman he spoke to, all made for the usual mix of farce and comedy.
It was also notable for an early appearance of Audrey Hepburn as the cigarette girl.