The Time of His Life

Last updated

The Time of His Life
"The Time of His Life" (1955).jpg
DVD cover
Directed by Leslie S. Hiscott
Written byLeslie S. Hiscott
Richard Hearne
Story byLeslie S. Hiscott & Brock Williams
Produced byElizabeth Hiscott
W. A. Smith
Starring Richard Hearne
Ellen Pollock
Richard Wattis
Frederick Leister
CinematographyKenneth Talbot
Edited byErwin Reiner
Music byElizabeth Hiscott
Production
company
Shaftesbury Films
Distributed by Renown Pictures Corporation
Release date
1955
Running time
74 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Time of His Life is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Richard Hearne, Ellen Pollock, Richard Wattis and Robert Moreton. The screenplay concerns a man who is released from prison and goes to live with his socialite daughter. [1]

Contents

Plot

When newly released prisoner Mr. Pastry (Richard Hearne) arrives to stay, he proves an embarrassment to his social climbing daughter Lady Florence (Ellen Pollock). As president of the society for the rehabilitation of ex-convicts, she attempts to hide the fact her father is an ex-con. She locks Mr. Pastry in his bedroom, and even plots to have him sent to Australia. But Lady Florence's children see Mr. Pastry differently, and he helps them through a problem, prompting even his daughter to see Mr. Pastry in a new light.

Cast

Critical reception

TV Guide gave the film two out of five stars, calling it a "simple comedy with likable characters"; [2] the Radio Times rated the film three out of five stars, and wrote, "Though not a patch on Pastry's many TV shows, it's still a nostalgic treat"; [3] and Sky Movies also rated the film three out of five stars, writing, "Both comedy and pathos come off well in an unpretentious little film that has likeable characters, an acceptable story and some amusing situations. In the supporting cast: two other music-hall comedians – Robert Moreton, once famous for his 'Bumper Fun Book' and Peter Sinclair." [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dentist on the Job</i> 1961 British comedy film

Dentist on the Job is a 1961 British comedy film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards, the sequel to Dentist in the Chair (1960). It was released in the US with the title Get On with It!. The film was co-written by Hugh Woodhouse and Hazel Adair. It stars Bob Monkhouse, Kenneth Connor, Ronnie Stevens and Eric Barker repeating their roles from the previous film. Other actors appearing in the film include Shirley Eaton, Richard Wattis and Charles Hawtrey. Monkhouse, Eaton, Connor, Barker and Hawtrey had all previously acted together in unrelated 1958 comedy Carry On Sergeant.

<i>Doctor in the House</i> 1954 British film

Doctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the 1952 novel by Gordon, and follows a group of students through medical school.

<i>The Happiest Days of Your Life</i> (film) 1950 film by Frank Launder

The Happiest Days of Your Life is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder, based on the 1947 play of the same name by John Dighton. The two men also wrote the screenplay. It is one of a stable of classic British film comedies produced by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat for British Lion Film Corporation. The film was made on location in Liss and at Riverside Studios, London. In several respects, including some common casting, it was a precursor of the St. Trinian's films of the 1950s and 1960s.

<i>Lady Godiva Rides Again</i> 1951 British film

Lady Godiva Rides Again is a 1951 British comedy film starring Pauline Stroud, George Cole and Bernadette O'Farrell, with British stars in supporting roles or making cameo appearances. It concerns a small-town English girl who wins a local beauty contest by appearing as Lady Godiva, then decides to pursue a higher profile in a national beauty pageant and as an actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Hearne</span>

Richard Lewis Hearne was an English actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best remembered for his stage and television character Mr Pastry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Wattis</span> English actor (1912–1975)

Richard Cameron Wattis was an English actor, co-starring in many popular British comedies of the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gordon (English author)</span>

Richard Gordon, was an English ship's surgeon and anaesthetist. As Richard Gordon, Ostlere wrote numerous novels, screenplays for film and television and accounts of popular history, mostly dealing with the practice of medicine. He was best known for a long series of comic novels on a medical theme beginning with Doctor in the House, and the subsequent film, television, radio and stage adaptations. His The Alarming History of Medicine was published in 1993, and he followed this with The Alarming History of Sex.

<i>Finders Keepers</i> (1966 film) 1966 film by Sidney Hayers

Finders Keepers is a 1966 British musical film directed by Sidney Hayers, written by Michael Pertwee and starring Cliff Richard and The Shadows. It was released in the U.S. the following year. A search was made to find an actress to play the Spanish girl who falls for Cliff, and the 21-year-old Viviane Ventura won the role: born in London, but fluent in Spanish, she sang a spirited duet with Cliff on "Paella".

<i>The Alphabet Murders</i> 1965 British film

The Alphabet Murders is a 1965 British detective film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot. It is based on the 1936 novel The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie.

<i>I Thank You</i> (film) 1941 British film

I Thank You is a 1941 black and white British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott. It was produced by Edward Black at Gainsborough Pictures.

Reluctant Bride is a 1955 British comedy film.

<i>Tons of Trouble</i> 1956 British film

Tons of Trouble is a 1956 black and white British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Richard Hearne, William Hartnell and Austin Trevor.

<i>The Butlers Dilemma</i> 1943 British film

The Butler's Dilemma is a 1943 black-and-white British comedy film, directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Richard Hearne in a dual role as Rodney Playfair and a Butler called Chapman, Ronald Shiner as Ernie, Ian Fleming, Francis L. Sullivan, Judy Kelly and Hermione Gingold. It was produced by Elisabeth Hiscott, Graham Cutts for Shaftesbury Films, and filmed at British National Studios.

<i>Left Right and Centre</i> 1959 British film

Left Right and Centre is a 1959 British satirical comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Ian Carmichael, Patricia Bredin, Richard Wattis, Eric Barker and Alastair Sim. It was produced by Frank Launder. A political comedy, it follows the events of a by-election in a small English town.

<i>Madame Louise</i> 1951 British film

Madame Louise, is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and produced by Ernest G. Roy and starring Richard Hearne, Petula Clark, Garry Marsh and Richard Gale. It is loosely based on the 1945 play Madame Louise by Vernon Sylvaine, which had featured Alfred Drayton and Robertson Hare, but was extensively reworked to suit the different stars of the film production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Pollock</span> British actress

Ellen Pollock, daughter of Raymond Anselmo Pollak, an Austrian businessman, and Elsie Julia Harris, a New Zealander, was a British character actress who mainly appeared on stage in London's West End. She also appeared in several films and TV productions.

<i>The Farmers Wife</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Norman Lee

The Farmer's Wife is a 1941 British comedy drama film directed by Norman Lee and Leslie Arliss and starring Basil Sydney, Wilfrid Lawson and Nora Swinburne. It is based on the play The Farmer's Wife by Eden Phillpotts which had previously been adapted by Alfred Hitchcock for a 1928 film of the same name. It was produced by ABPC at Welwyn Studios, at a time when the company's main Elstree Studios had been requisitioned for wartime use. The film is not widely known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Tonge</span>

Philip Asheton Tonge was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he was a child actor, making his stage debut at the age of five. Among the stars with whom he performed while he was a boy were Henry Irving, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Ellen Terry and Johnston Forbes-Robertson. His colleagues as child actors included Hermione Gingold, Mary Glynne, Esmé Wynne-Tyson and Noël Coward.

<i>Splinters in the Air</i> 1937 film

Splinters in the Air is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Alfred J. Goulding and starring Sydney Howard and Richard Hearne. It is a loose sequel to the films Splinters (1929) and Splinters in the Navy (1931). It was made at Pinewood Studios.

<i>Something in the City</i> 1950 film

Something in the City is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Richard Hearne, Garry Marsh and Ellen Pollock. It includes an early uncredited performance by Stanley Baker as a police constable.

References

  1. "The Time of His Life (1955)". Archived from the original on 27 September 2016.
  2. "The Time Of His Life".
  3. "The Time of His Life – Film from RadioTimes".
  4. "The Time of His Life".