It's a Grand Life | |
---|---|
![]() British theatrical poster | |
Directed by | John E. Blakeley |
Written by | H. F. Maltby Frank Randle |
Produced by | John E. Blakeley |
Starring | Frank Randle Diana Dors |
Cinematography | Ernest Palmer |
Edited by | Dorothy Stimson |
Distributed by | Mancunian Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
It's a Grand Life, also known as As You Were, is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle and Diana Dors. [1]
Music hall comedian Randle stars as an accident-prone Private in his final film appearance. He had previously starred in a series of World War II army comedies: Somewhere in England (1940), Somewhere in Camp (1942), Somewhere on Leave (1942), Somewhere in Civvies (1943) and Somewhere in Politics (1948)).
The film also features the professional wrestler Jack Pye and the popular pianist Winifred Atwell.
The film is described in its opening titles as a comedy burlesque and is not meant to be derogatory to the army. Rather than having a conventional plot, the film is a series of sketches set against army life in the Essex Regiment in the post World War II era mostly involving an old private. One of the sub plots involves a glamorous Women's Royal Army Corps Corporal being pursued and sexually harassed by her Company Sergeant Major. Other set pieces include a wrestling match with Jack Pye and a drill sequence.
It was one of several low-budget comedies Dors made around this time. [2] She was paid £1,000 for five weeks work, the fee she had been paid for on Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? (1953). She said "I loathed the script and everything about it" but her then manager, husband Dennis Hamilton, insisted. [3]
The film was shot in Manchester. Dors said she got along with Randle, but that his drinking and temperament held up production. [4]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The slight story is no more than a peg on which to hang a series of music-hall sketches, which will be recognised by those who are familiar with Randle's stage work. They have a certain rustic humour, but most of the gags and business have worn rather thin with the years, though they may still be appreciated by less sophisticated audiences. Winifred Attwell makes a guest appearance." [5]
In the Radio Times , Tony Sloman called it a "quaint and cheap army caper," and wrote of Randle, "If you've never seen him, give this a chance you might find he'll tickle your fancy. But if you have an aversion to music-hall stars on celluloid, give up, for Randle has neither the wit of George Formby nor the warmth of Gracie Fields, and by the time this movie was made he was looking tired and rather grubby." [6]
Una Winifred Atwell was a Trinidadian pianist who enjoyed great popularity in Britain and Australia from the 1950s with a series of boogie-woogie and ragtime hits, selling over 20 million records. She was the first black artist to have a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart and as of 2023, remains the only female instrumentalist to do so.
Diana Dors was an English actress and singer.
Alfie Bass was an English actor. He was born in Bethnal Green, London, the youngest in a Jewish family with ten children; his parents had left Russia many years before he was born. He appeared in a variety of stage, film, television and radio productions throughout his career.
Private's Progress is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Boulting and starring Ian Carmichael, Peter Jones, William Hartnell and Terry-Thomas. The script was by John Boulting and Frank Harvey based on the novel of the same name by Alan Hackney.
Frank Randle was an English comedian. A contemporary of fellow Lancastrians George Formby and Gracie Fields, he was regarded as more subversive.
John E. Blakeley was a British film producer, director and screenwriter, the founder of Mancunian Films.
Arthur Ernest Mullard was an English actor and singer.
Victor Jack Maddern was an English actor. He was described by The Telegraph as having "one of the most distinctive and eloquent faces in post-war British cinema."
Jack Pye, also known as Dirty Jack Pye, Filthy Jack Pye and The Doncaster Panther, was an English professional wrestler and actor from Doncaster, England. He was born John Pye on 9 July 1903 in Hindley near Wigan.
Norman Rossington was an English actor best remembered for his roles in The Army Game, the Carry On films and the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night.
Thomas Heathcote was a British character actor, a former protégé of Laurence Olivier.
Henry James Fowler, MBE was an English character actor in film and television. Over a career lasting more than six decades, he made nearly 200 appearances on screen.
Harold Goodwin was an English actor born in Wombwell, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Off Limits is a 1953 American comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Bob Hope, Mickey Rooney and Marilyn Maxwell. Hope plays a manager who enlists in the army to keep an eye on his boxer, who has been drafted. The picture was written by Hal Kanter and Jack Sher, and was released in the UK as Military Policemen, as the characters played by Hope and Rooney join the military police.
As Long as They're Happy is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Jack Buchanan, Susan Stephen and Diana Dors. It is based on the 1953 play of the same name by Vernon Sylvaine. It was shot in Eastmancolor at Pinewood Studios near London with sets designed by the art director Michael Stringer.
Somewhere in England is a 1940 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Winki Turner. It follows the adventures of an anti-authoritarian private stationed in a military camp in the North of England during the Second World War. It was the first in the Somewhere film series, followed by its sequel Somewhere in Camp in 1942.
Somewhere in Camp is a 1942 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Robbie Vincent. The film continues the adventures of Private Randle from the 1940 film Somewhere in England. It was followed in 1943 by Somewhere on Leave.
Somewhere in Civvies is a 1943 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Frank Randle, George Doonan and Suzette Tarri. Private Randle is discharged from the army and finds it difficult to adjust to civilian life. It was followed in 1948 by Somewhere in Politics.
Somewhere in Politics is a 1948 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Tessie O'Shea and Josef Locke. It was the fifth film in the Somewhere series of films featuring Randle followed by It's a Grand Life (1953).
Rayford Barnes was an American film and TV character actor from Whitesboro, Texas.
Note (6 Jan 2024): References [3] and [4] to "Dors" are incomplete. It is possible they may refer to Dors' 1960 autobiography Swingin' Dors (WDL books).