No Kidding

It comes as quite a shock to see a lynx-eyed young Geraldine McEwan scampering about this twee little piece of whimsy made in the summer of 1960 by 'Carry On' producers Peter Rogers & Gerald Thomas.

As usual it has an amazing cast ranging from a teenaged Francesca Annis to Earl Cameron (now 102 years old)! But the real star is probably Birchens Spring, near Beaconsfield, where the exteriors were shot (the interiors were filmed at Pinewood).

Designed in the thirties by John Campbell for a South African diamond merchant named Rissik, and set in about twelve acres on a rise alongside the road to Amersham, it was shortly afterwards bought for £12,000 by Dirk Bogarde who renamed it Raiding Hall before later selling it to - Peter Rogers!

Within 20 minutes of watching this film, which I can only describe as soppy and sugar coated, the notion of a married couple, played by Leslie Phillips and Geraldine McEwan, playing temporary surrogate parents to a motley crew of a large number of children from very different cultural & social backgrounds in a large, rambling country house invites disbelief. The children are frankly too good to be true, being simply caricatured as young people who are 'glacial' in terms of feelings and emotions. It's supposed to be a 'feel good' film where an ordinary, well intentioned middle class couple try to make a loving home, where liberal values of tolerance, love and care will create a happy community of young people, where everyone is taught duty, respect and a sense of responsibility. It has a strong cast, but sadly they're wasted, as the unfunny 'comedy scenes' are painful to watch, and despite the usual parade of British stereotypical characters bobbing in and out of the film, trying to enliven and inject life into the proceedings, it doesn't work, but simply makes the whole thing a tiresome experience. Give this film a miss!

You'd have thought that with such a good team behind it and a great cast on set this old British comedy could not fail. Sadly it does in just about every way. Such a waste of so much comedy acting talent yet with an idea which was so promising. Unfortunately, virtually nothing works here and you are left with the impression the whole is like a car breakers' yard with so many bits which can be better used elsewhere. I usually love watching Leslie Phillips, Julia Lockwood, Irene Handl et al but with such a poor script they had no chance. A miss I'm afraid.

David and Catherine Robinson inherit an estate and decide to run a summer camp for the children of wealthy parents who are looking for a nice place to dump their children for the summer. The children are a rambunctious lot, especially the American boy. You can tell he's American from the little tough guy American slang he uses, an affectation that quite rightly annoys David. The film and it's characters are engaging throughout although stereotypical. All of the actors were very good indeed but hands down the most memorable and funniest performance is that by Joan Hickson, who was a riot as the drunken cook. It was also interesting to see two Miss Marple's - Hickson and McEwan - in the same movie. Hickson was also in another movie, 'An Alligator Named Daisy,' that featured another Miss Marple, the eccentric Margaret Rutherford. An amusing and pleasant movie that's worth a watch.

A married couple (Phillips and McEwan) inherit a large old house, and quick as a wink, decide to turn it into a holiday home for rich kids. As the different children, and assorted staff descend, so the couple have to cope with adolescent yearnings, drunken domestics, troublesome teens and a busy-body alderman determined to secure the building for her own...

A strangely lack lustre effort from almost all concerned, with clunky juveniles, an intensely irritating McEwan, an unusually subdued Phillips and a shocking lack of pace. Only Irene Handl's delicious turn as the officious Miss Spicer, and Joan Hickson's gloriously bombed cook inject any interest. Most famous now as Agatha Christies's Miss Marple, it is indeed a crime of cinematic history that Hickson wasn't regularly nominated for best supporting actress gongs throughout her career. An unsung heroine of British moviedom if ever there was one, if you ask me!