Reluctant Heroes | |
---|---|
Written by | Colin Morris |
Date premiered | 27 March 1950 |
Place premiered | White Rock Theatre, Hastings |
Original language | English |
Genre | Comedy |
Reluctant Heroes is a comedy play by the British writer Colin Morris. It premiered at the White Rock Theatre in Hastings before transferring to the Whitehall Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 1,610 performances between 12 September 1950 and 24 July 1954. The original West End cast included Brian Rix, Larry Noble, Dermot Walsh, Wally Patch, Bruce Belfrage and Elspet Gray. Other actors who appeared during the run included John Slater, Peter Hammond, Darcy Conyers, Bernard Fox and Gene Anderson. [1] It was the first of the Whitehall farces, and concerns a group of National Service recruits.
In 1952 it was adapted into a film of the same title directed by Jack Raymond and starring Ronald Shiner, Derek Farr and Christine Norden. [2] Rix, Noble, Gray and several other members of the stage cast reprised their roles for the film.
Brian Norman Roger Rix, Baron Rix, was an English actor-manager, who produced a record-breaking sequence of long-running farces on the London stage, including Dry Rot, Simple Spymen and One for the Pot. His one-night TV shows made him the joint-highest paid star on the BBC. He often worked with his wife Elspet Gray and sister Sheila Mercier, who became the matriarch in Emmerdale Farm.
The Whitehall farces were a series of five long-running comic stage plays at the Whitehall Theatre in London, presented by the actor-manager Brian Rix, in the 1950s and 1960s. They were in the low comedy tradition of British farce, following the Aldwych farces, which played at the Aldwych Theatre between 1924 and 1933.
Reluctant Heroes is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Ronald Shiner, Derek Farr and Christine Norden. It is based on the popular farce of the same title by Colin Morris. The play, which had its West End premiere at the Whitehall Theatre in September 1950, was the first of the Brian Rix company's Whitehall farces. The film was shot at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith in West London. It's sets were designed by the art director Wilfred Arnold.
To Dorothy, a Son is a 1950 comedy play by the British writer Roger MacDougall. The plot revolves around a complex inheritance in which the American ex-wife of a man tries to prevent his current pregnant wife giving birth before a certain day, in order that she can claim the money.
The Old Man is a 1931 mystery play by the British writer Edgar Wallace. Its original production was staged at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End for a ninety performance run. It is set entirely in the "Coat of Arms" tavern where a mysterious old man lurks in the background, reputedly an escapee from a lunatic asylum. The original cast included Alfred Drayton, Jack Melford, Harold Warrender and Finlay Currie.
The French Mistress is a comedy play by the British entertainer Sonnie Hale under the pen name Robert Munro about the arrival of a new young French teacher at a traditional public school.
They Came to a City is a 1943 play by the British writer J.B. Priestley.
A Lady Mislaid is a 1948 comedy play by the British writer Kenneth Horne.
Who Goes There! is a 1950 comedy play by the British writer John Dighton. The action takes place entirely around St James's Palace.
Road House is a British play by Walter C. Hackett.
Afterwards is a 1933 mystery play by the British-American writer Walter C. Hackett revolving around a psychic medium.
The Gay Adventure is a 1931 comedy play by the British-American writer Walter C. Hackett.
The Holly and the Ivy is a 1950 play by the British writer Wynyard Browne. A vicar attempts to deal with the various problems of his family as they gather for the Christmas period.
Background is a 1950 play by the British writer Warren Chetham-Strode. It examines the effect on the children of a married couple going through a divorce.
His Excellency is a 1950 play by the British writers Campbell Christie and Dorothy Christie. A former docker takes over as the British governor of an island colony in the Mediterranean.
The Gentle Gunman is a 1950 thriller play by the British writer Roger MacDougall. A former IRA gunman attempts to renounce his violent past, as he is now convinced a non-violent approach is best.
Young Wives' Tale is a 1949 comedy play by the British writer Ronald Jeans. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Brighton before transferring to the Savoy Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 373 performances between 7 July 1949 and 27 May 1950. The original London cast included Naunton Wayne, Joan Greenwood, Derek Farr, Joan Haythorne and Margaret Scudamore.
For Better, for Worse is a comedy play by the British writer Arthur Watkyn. It was first performed at the Q Theatre in Kew Bridge in 1948. It enjoyed a lengthy and successful run at the Comedy Theatre in London's West End where it lasted for 618 performances between 17 December 1952 and 12 June 1954. The original West End cast included Leslie Phillips, Geraldine McEwan, Tom Macaulay, Anthony Sharp, Gwynne Whitby, Polly Elwes, Aimée Delamain, Charles Lamb and Dandy Nichols. It was directed by Kenneth Riddington who also appeared in the cast. The plot revolves around the trials and tribulations of a newly-married couple.
Wishing Well is a comedy play by the British writer Eynon Evans. It was first staged at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton in 1946. It ran for 44 performances at the Comedy Theatre between 4 September and 11 October 1952. The West End cast included Evans, Lupino Lane, Glyn Houston, Douglas Argent and Patsy Smart. The owner of the Wishing Well inn tries to solve various people's problems.
Seagulls Over Sorrento is a play by the writer Hugh Hastings, an Australian who had served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.