An old lag is released from prison and stays with his grandson, returning to his criminal ways by kidnapping the daughter of a theatre actor. Bored with home life she welcomes the adventure and blackmails the lag and his grandson into continuing the plan. Tony Newley's character of a juvenile delinquent entering the plan is a delight. Good support from Anthony Steel and Jimmy Hanley. (Look out to for Dora Bryan who was uncredited!) Dated but enjoyable light musical comedy! Adapted from the play "The Wide Boy" by Tony Armstrong. Paul Goodhead - Anthony Newley Appreciation Society President.
4 Reviews
Yes, But You Won't Go
boblipton26 January 2021
Edward Rigby gets out of prison and goes to stay with his arrow-straight grandson, Jimmy Hanley. While chatting with the other crooks at his local, he finds they think he's past it. Loath to admit it, he decides to kidnap Petula Clark, the daughter of actor Hugh Sinclair, then halfway through realizes he's not up to it. Miss Clark, however, thinks it a grand idea and blackmails Rigby and Hanley with jail unless they go through with it, Then neighboring child Antony Newley decides to get in on the act.
It's a wacky variation of "The Random of Red Chief" as ordinary citizens find that they can't deal with horrid children and publicity-mad actors. It could have used some tighter editing, with some sequences going on too long, but there are plenty of situations and lines to giggle at all the way through. With Linden Travers and Maurice Denham.
It's a wacky variation of "The Random of Red Chief" as ordinary citizens find that they can't deal with horrid children and publicity-mad actors. It could have used some tighter editing, with some sequences going on too long, but there are plenty of situations and lines to giggle at all the way through. With Linden Travers and Maurice Denham.
"Alright Dillinger, make the tea...!"
richardchatten21 April 2020
A game cast pitch in with enthusiastic performances in this fast and furious spin on 'No Orchids for Miss Blandish' relocated to postwar London; this time breathlessly played as farce and rejigged as a vehicle for a 16 year-old (15 & three-quarters according to the script) Pet Clark - who a couple of times gets to sing!
As good-looking as you would expect of a film directed by a former cameraman. It briefly features the original Miss Blandish and one of her abductors - Linden Travers & Michael Balfour - from the previous year's version; which was probably funnier.
As good-looking as you would expect of a film directed by a former cameraman. It briefly features the original Miss Blandish and one of her abductors - Linden Travers & Michael Balfour - from the previous year's version; which was probably funnier.
Poorly Developed Idea
malcolmgsw22 September 2013
The basic idea of the plot has much promise but unfortunately it is poorly served by an unfunny script.Too see a film where the basic premise of a kidnapper becoming the leader of the plot you should watch "Too Many Crooks" with a truly outstanding cast.The cast is quite reasonable including Jimmy Hanley and Edward Rigby and Linden Travers and of course the young Petuala Clark and Anthony Newley, but even they cannot get much humour out of a pretty laboured script.This film came towards the end of Sydney Box's regime at Rank and it shows that it had more or less run out of steam.So all in all rather a misfire,and I would recommend watching the later film
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