See How They Run (1955 film)

Last updated

See How They Run
"See How They Run" (1955).jpg
British trade ad
Directed by Leslie Arliss
Written by Leslie Arliss
Roy Miller
Val Valentine
Based onthe play See How They Run by Philip King
Produced by Bill Luckwell
Derek Winn
Starring Ronald Shiner
Greta Gynt
James Haytor
CinematographyKenneth Talbot
Edited by Sam Simmonds
Music byJohn Bath
Production
company
Winwell
Distributed by British Lion Films (UK)
Release date
  • June 1955 (1955-06)(U.K.)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office£123,586 (UK) [1]

See How They Run is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Ronald Shiner, Greta Gynt, James Hayter and Wilfrid Hyde-White. [2] [3] It was written by Arliss, Philip King, Roy Miller and Val Valentine, based on the King's 1944 play of the same name. It was produced by Bill Luckwell and Derek Winn for Winwell.

Contents

Plot

In this crazy farce, Cockney corporal Wally Winton desires promotion so that he can finally receive an inheritance. He dresses up as a priest and goes out one night with Penelope Toop, the vicar's attractive blonde wife. To add to the theme of mistaken identity, there are several priests running around, some real, some fake. One of these, Basher, is discovered by Winton to be an escaped convict, and is placed under arrest. The corporal is then promoted and becomes eligible for his inheritance.

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This screen adaptation of Philip King's popular stage farce feverishly exploits all the stock mechanics of low comedy without much success. The players do all that could be expected in the circumstances." [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hayter (actor)</span> British actor (1907–1983)

Henry James Hayter was a British actor of television and film. He is best remembered for his roles as Friar Tuck in the film The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) and as Samuel Pickwick in the film The Pickwick Papers (1952), the latter earning him a BAFTA Award for Best British Actor nomination.

<i>Privates Progress</i> 1956 British film by John Boulting

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfrid Hyde-White</span> British actor (1903–1991)

Wilfrid Hyde-White was an English actor. Described by Philip French as a "classic British film archetype", Hyde-White often portrayed droll and urbane upper-class characters. He had an extensive stage and screen career in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and portrayed over 160 film and television roles between 1935 and 1987. He was twice nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, in 1957 for The Reluctant Debutante and in 1973 for The Jockey Club Stakes.

<i>Carry On Nurse</i> 1959 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas

Carry On Nurse is a 1959 British comedy film, the second in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). Of the regular team, it featured Joan Sims, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawtrey, with Hattie Jacques and Leslie Phillips. The film was written by Norman Hudis based on the play Ring for Catty by Patrick Cargill and Jack Beale. It was the top-grossing film of 1959 in the United Kingdom and, with an audience of 10.4 million, had the highest cinema viewing of any of the "Carry On" films. Perhaps surprisingly, it was also highly successful in the United States, where it was reported that it played at some cinemas for three years. The film was followed by Carry On Teacher 1959.

<i>See How They Run</i> (play) 1944 play by Philip King

See How They Run is an English comedy in three acts by Philip King. Its title is a line from the nursery rhyme "Three Blind Mice". It is considered a farce for its tense comic situations and headlong humour, heavily playing on mistaken identity, doors, and vicars. In 1955 it was adapted as a film starring Roland Culver.

<i>The Man in Grey</i> 1943 film by Leslie Arliss

The Man in Grey is a 1943 British film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures; it is considered to be the first of a series of period costume dramas now known as the "Gainsborough melodramas". It was directed by Leslie Arliss and produced by Edward Black from a screenplay by Arliss and Margaret Kennedy that was adapted by Doreen Montgomery from the 1941 novel The Man in Grey by Eleanor Smith. The film's sets were designed by Walter Murton.

<i>Mickeys Gala Premier</i> 1933 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Mickey's Gala Premier is a Walt Disney cartoon produced in 1933, directed by Burt Gillett, and featuring parodies of several famous Hollywood film actors from the 1930s. It was the 58th Mickey Mouse short film, and the eighth of that year.

Philip King was an English playwright and actor, born in Yorkshire. He is best known as the author of the farce See How They Run (1944). He lived in Brighton and many of his plays were first produced in nearby Worthing. He continued to act throughout his writing career, often appearing in his own plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Shiner</span> British stand-up comedian and comedy actor (1903-1966)

Ronald Alfred Shiner was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Gynt</span> Norwegian actress (1916–2000)

Greta Gynt was a Norwegian dancer and actress. She is remembered for her starring roles in the British classic films The Dark Eyes of London, Mr. Emmanuel, Take My Life, Dear Murderer and The Ringer.

<i>Dry Rot</i> (film) 1956 British film by Maurice Elvey

Dry Rot is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey, and starring Ronald Shiner, Brian Rix, Peggy Mount, and Sid James. The screenplay is by John Chapman, adapted from his 1954 Whitehall farce of the same name.

<i>John and Julie</i> 1955 film

John and Julie is a 1955 British comedy film written and directed by William Fairchild for Group 3 Films and distributed by British Lion Films. The cast includes Colin Gibson and Lesley Dudley as John and Julie respectively. Other stars include Noelle Middleton and Moira Lister, and featuring Peter Sellers and Sid James in early screen roles. It marked the film debut of Valerie Buckley. In 1953, two children are determined to see the Queen and decide to make their way to London.

<i>On the Fiddle</i> 1961 British film by Cyril Frankel

On the Fiddle is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Sean Connery, Alfred Lynch, Cecil Parker, Stanley Holloway, Eric Barker, Mike Sarne, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Kathleen Harrison, Victor Maddern and John Le Mesurier. It was based on the 1961 novel Stop at a Winner by R.F. Delderfield who served in the RAF in World War II.

<i>Appointment with Crime</i> 1946 British film by John Harlow

Appointment with Crime is a 1946 British crime film directed by John Harlow and starring William Hartnell, Raymond Lovell, Joyce Howard and Robert Beatty.

<i>The Middle Watch</i> (1940 film) 1940 film by Thomas Bentley

The Middle Watch is a 1940 British comedy film, directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Jack Buchanan, Greta Gynt, Fred Emney and Kay Walsh. It was produced by Associated British Picture Corporation at their Welwyn Studios. It was based on a play of the same title by Ian Hay and Stephen King-Hall which had previously been adapted as a film in 1930, and which was adapted again in 1958.

<i>The Ghosts of Berkeley Square</i> 1947 British film

The Ghosts of Berkeley Square is a 1947 British comedy film, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Robert Morley and Felix Aylmer. The film is an adaptation of the 1944 novel No Nightingales by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon, inspired by the enduring reputation of the property at 50 Berkeley Square as "the most haunted house in London". Despite its stellar cast of highly respected character actors and its inventive use of special effects, the film proved less successful at the box-office than had been hoped.

<i>Girls at Sea</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film by Gilbert Gunn

Girls At Sea is a 1958 British comedy film directed by Gilbert Gunn and starring Guy Rolfe, Ronald Shiner, Alan White, Michael Hordern and Anne Kimbell. It was based on the 1930 play The Middle Watch by Ian Hay and Stephen King-Hall, previously filmed as The Middle Watch in 1930 and under the same title in 1940.

<i>To Dorothy a Son</i> 1954 film

To Dorothy a Son is a black and white 1954 British gentle comedy film in the form of a farce directed by Muriel Box and starring Shelley Winters, John Gregson and Peggy Cummins. Known in the U.S. as Cash on Delivery, it is based on the 1950 play To Dorothy, a Son by Roger MacDougall which had enjoyed a lengthy run in the West End. It was shot at Elstree Studios near London with sets designed by the art director George Provis. It was distributed in America by RKO Pictures in January 1956.

<i>King Solomons Treasure</i> 1979 Canadian film

King Solomon's Treasure is a 1979 British-Canadian low-budget film based on the novels King Solomon's Mines (1885) and Allan Quatermain (1887) by H. Rider Haggard. It stars John Colicos as Allan Quatermain, as well as David McCallum, Britt Ekland, and Patrick Macnee who replaced Terry-Thomas.

<i>Expresso Bongo</i> (film) 1959 British film by Val Guest

Expresso Bongo is a 1959 British drama musical film directed by Val Guest, shot in uncredited black & white Dyaliscope and starring Laurence Harvey, Cliff Richard, and Yolande Donlan. It is adapted from the stage musical of the same name, which was first produced on the stage at the Saville Theatre, London, on 23 April 1958.

References

  1. Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p506
  2. "See How They Run". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  3. "See How They Run (1955)". Archived from the original on 16 April 2016.
  4. "See How They Run". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 22 (252): 125. 1 January 1955 via ProQuest.