Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957)

The girls of St. Trinian's School go on a bus tour of Italy chaperoned by a diamond-thief disguised as a woman to elude the police.

Director:

Frank Launder

Writers:

Sidney Gilliat, Frank Launder

Stars:

Terry-Thomas, George Cole, Joyce Grenfell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Terry-Thomas	...	Capt. Romney Carlton-Ricketts (as Terry Thomas)
George Cole	...	'Flash' Harry
Joyce Grenfell	...	Sgt. Ruby Gates
Alastair Sim	...	Miss Amelia Fritton
Sabrina	...	Virginia
Lionel Jeffries	...	Joe Mangan
Lloyd Lamble	...	Superintendent Samuel Kemp-Bird
Raymond Rollett	...	Chief Constable
Terry Scott	...	Police Sergeant
Ferdy Mayne	...	Italian Police Inspector
Thorley Walters	...	Major
Cyril Chamberlain	...	Captain
Ronald Ibbs	...	Lieutenant
Judith Furse	...	Dame Maud Hackshaw
Michael Ripper	...	Eric - The Liftman

Storyline

To further the aims of the St Trinian's Marriage Bureau run by Flash Harry, the school contrives to win a competition with a European "Goodwill" trip as prize, to the horror of the Ministry of Education. Joe Mangan, father of a sixth former and hiding out at the school after a Hatton Garden diamond robbery, is persuaded to travel with the girls as their new headmistress, leaving the real one trussed up in the belfry. At least her arrival had allowed the remains of the Army unit sent in to keep order to evacuate.

---

Plot Keywords:

italy | headmistress | jewel theft | playboy | army unit | 

---

Taglines:

A NEW mad comedy

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Ripper (Eric the liftman) also provided the voice of the police radio announcer who reported the Hatton Garden diamond robbery. Although, it does sound very like George Cole doing a "posh" voice on the police radio, in the scene where he is also in "Flash Harry" mode in the red telephone box, alerting the girls to what is happening outside, during the exam papers theft and switch.

---

Goofs

When the buses leave St Trinian's, the leading bus knocks down the arch over the gateway. It can hardly have come in this way without knocking it down. Nor is it likely to have increased in height as it leaves laden with the girls and their equipment.

---

Quotes

Sergeant Ruby Gates: You see, I'm here on a special case
Captain Romney Carlton-Ricketts: What sort of case?
Sergeant Ruby Gates: Must I tell you?
Captain Romney Carlton-Ricketts: I should jolly well think you should! You give me all that guff about being an interpreter, lead me up the garden path...
Sergeant Ruby Gates: Oh, please don't talk to me like that, Romney! I'm such a crazy, mixed-up policewoman!
Captain Romney Carlton-Ricketts: Well, how do you think I feel? One second we're swapping sweet nothings to a Neapolitan love song, and the next moment we're up to our nostrils in Agatha Christie. A chap doesn't know where he stands!

---

Connections

Followed by The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery (1966)

---

Soundtracks

Santa Lucia
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Malcolm Arnold

User Reviews

You couldn't make it today, but it's an old fashioned British caper movie

With Miss Fritton locked away in the school basement, and the army laying siege to the school grounds (with a great deal of resistance), Flash Harry is abroad promoting the `St Trinians Marriage Bureau' to a wealthy Italian Prince. However he has to visit the Prince with the girls. He manages to cheat in a competition that allows the school to tour to Rome and they're on their way. However one of the girl's Dads is a diamond thief who tries to escape capture by dressing as their headmistress and smuggling himself out of the country, bringing the attention of the law to bear on the already suspect group.

Not one of the best of the series of movies, but still this stands up as a good British caper movie, with a strong cast of British comedians on board. The plot is thin at best and relies on the fact that no-one can tell the difference between sexes after a little bit of cross dressing…..well, I suppose Shakespeare did it all the time and it worked for him! Much of the comedy draws from slapstick or seeing girls fight, but there are some good lines and characters – Michael Ripper's working class liftman is my favourite.

George Cole plays Harry well – in fact he was born playing cockney rogues (eg Cottage to Let), kept playing them (St Trinians ) and got old playing them (Minder on TV). The wonderfully British Joyce Grenfell is good again as Gates, while the support cast is rich in talent – Terry Thomas, Lionel Jefferies, Terry Scott and Alistair Sim. The girls are a little iffy , the young ones are clearly children and play rough little warriors, however the older girls (i.e. 16-18) are played by women of early/mid twenties. They're all dressed up in uniforms with stockings and suspenders showing and using their sexuality for all they can get – not more so than the great Sabrina. However in today's climate where any hint of teenage sexuality or pedophilia sparks a media frenzy, this sits a little uncomfortably – there's certainly no way this could get made today!

Overall it's enjoyable if basic – there are better movies, but it's worth watching once.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1957 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blue Murder at St. Trinian's

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Harvel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75: 1