Bottoms Up

Jimmy Edwards is the headmaster of a third-rate public school -- for Americans, that means a private school. He believes in beating the boys for any offense and none. Eventually, they revolt.

It's a feature-length version of Edwards' TV show, WHACK-O. I've never seen it, but found that his blustery character palled on me over ninety minutes. It's certainly possible that at the shorter length of TV sitcom, it was more palatable. Apparently, the show, which ran eight seasons from 1956 through 1972, for a total of 60 episodes, would have Edwards attempting to steal the boys' pocket money, like a futile Sgt. Bilko.

Other notable players include Martitia Hunt, Sidney Taffer and John Stuart.

I never saw the movie until now, 2020, and 60 years hasn't aged it one bit. I remember seeing the TV show but, have never seen the movie.

Thanks to political correctness (the laws of which I've yet to see), movies have had to constrain themselves at times. Stupidity is allowed ala American tripe yet, intelligent, comedic movies are torn to shreds because they speak of, everything.

Thankfully modern comedians, male and female, are speaking about everything, and making everything normal and funny once more, something that has been lacking over the past 20 years or so.

This movie is bloody funny, if one looks closely enough. One will see the boys trying to hide smiles while working against a giant peer of his time. Everything works if one has an open mind. Like everything else, if the mind is closed, it sees nothing.

I loved it.

When this film was shown recently on TV there was an apologetic announcement before the start, to say that it contained some racist elements which would be frowned on today. Fortunately I wasn't put off. In fact the fake Arabian prince, who is in reality a Cockney, is a thieving little bully, while the real prince is polite and charming; how this is racist, I fail to understand. That apart, all I can say is that I laughed out loud all through the film, which is witty, entertaining and fast-paced, as well as an excellent showcase for Jimmy Edwards's comic talents and those of the rest of the cast. Strongly recommended.

I would like to know why such a good film never gets put on the television anymore. It was a good old classic comedy and if anyone from the BBC sees this perhaps they would show it for us all again to watch instead of seeing the other movies time and time again. come on please help us to have it shown again.

Sadly neglected, this film proves to be one of the best of British comedies, with a superb script by Muir and Norden,based on their hit TV series "Whacko", that produces endless laughs from fine comic performances from Jimmy Edwards as the rascally headmaster ,from Arthur Howard as the put-upon "Mr Pettigrew" and from the rest of the supporting cast of British character actors and actresses. The battle by the headmaster to wring money out of the finances at Chiselbury School for his own hedonistic ends and at the same time bully,connive and cheat the pupils led by the wily "Wendover" gives rise to some classic comedy situations exploited to the full by the script and rich comic talents of Jimmy Edwards, who was born to play the outrageous headmaster. This film is home-grown British comedy at its best and is better than "The Belles of St.Trinian's" and "The Happiest Days of Your Life", other excellent comedy films based on school-life. Most films made from successful TV comedies have proven to be great disappointments, this film is the exception.