The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960)

The hellions of St. Trinians are recruited to a sheik's harem. Little does he know what he's letting himself in for.

Director:

Frank Launder

Writers:

Sidney Gilliat, Frank Launder

Stars:

Cecil Parker, George Cole, Joyce Grenfell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cecil Parker	...	Professor Canford
George Cole	...	'Flash' Harry Cuthbert Edwards
Joyce Grenfell	...	Sergeant Ruby Gates
Eric Barker	...	Culpepper-Brown
Thorley Walters	...	Butters
Irene Handl	...	Miss Harker-Parker
Dennis Price	...	Gore Blackwood
Sidney James	...	Alphonse O'Reilly
Julie Alexander	...	Rosalie Dawn
Lloyd Lamble	...	Superintendent Samuel Kemp-Bird
Raymond Huntley	...	Judge
Nicholas Phipps	...	Major
Lisa Lee	...	Miss Brenner
John Le Mesurier	...	Minister of Education
George Benson	...	Defence Counsel

Storyline

When the school burns to the ground there's clearly been some arson around. The pupils are found guilty and the judge hands them into the care of a pretty dubious child psychiatrist. The sixth form are soon kidnapped and on their way to Arabia with the Ministry of Education, Barchester police, and an Army Bath Unit after them. But real rescue is at hand in the shape of Britain's finest fighting force - St. Trinian's fourth form.

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Plot Keywords:

harem | school | female protagonist | uniform | schoolgirl | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1960 (UK)

Also Known As:

Satanades tou parthenagogeiou

Filming Locations:

Littleton House, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Lion Film Corporation, Hallmark Productions, Tudor Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shirley Anne Field and Judy Cornwell auditioned for schoolgirl parts.

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Goofs

When the girls jump off the garden wall in the opening sequence it visibly wobbles.

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Crazy Credits

Behind the end credits the government characters are shown in pairs in their offices dancing a ballet suggested by a psychiatrist to alleviate stress caused by dealing with the school.

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Connections

Follows Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957)

User Reviews

The final outing for the girls from the original 3 films.....

This is the final of the three original St. Trinian's films. Alastair Sim doesn't appear in this one, which leaves quite a space but is filled well by new characters and extensions of existing ones. The plot is a lot different from the 2 before, in that it's more surreal. In the other 2, the fact that Flash Harry, a police woman and a professor would become stranded on a desert island wouldn't have happened. Neither would the storming of an Arab sheiks palace. The charceters of Sergeant Ruby Gates (Joyce Grenfell) and Flash Harry (George Cole) are explored much more, with us learning things like Harry's middle name and where Ruby's mother lives. Fantastic performances form the whole cast but I think Cole and Grenfell steal the show. Comedy at its best. Watch out for the scene in the strippers club. Watch Harry's face. Probably the best comedy without words ever.