Children Galore

This is an attempt to duplicate an Ealing comedy.Lots of eccentric and dotty characters trying to be all rather twee.The trouble is that to be successful you need to have a writer who is both brilliant and original,which is clearly not the case here.A lot of films of this era used a variation on this same idea so it was not very original even then.

Richard Leech and June Thorburn get married. This puts paid to a feud their families have been involved in for fifty years. However, now there's a new reason for the elders to fight. Evan Thomas and Marjorie Hume, the local aristocracy, announce a cottage for the couple with the most grandchildren. That's Eddie Byrnes and Marjorie Rhodes, but Leech's family and Miss Thorburn family are neck and neck for second place, and might edge out the leading couple... especially as Miss Thorburn is expecting.

It's a bit of a nasty comedy, as the old ladies snipe at each other and try to tweak the numbers so each will win. With the film's title, it looks like the producers were trying to suggest that was an Ealing-style comedy, and there's certainly a bit of that in the intentions. Mostly, though, it's watching the old people be funny or charming as the situation calls for it, and the young couple, with some nice chemistry, be in love.

June Thorburn is a particularly winsome young woman. She had hit the big screen with a role in THE PICKWICK PAPERS three years earlier, and by the time she retired from the movies in 1963, she had appeared in almost two dozen. She was married twice, with a child from each marriage. She was killed carrying her third in a plane crash in 1967, 36 years old.

Lord and Lady Redscarf announce they will be giving a cottage to the married couple in the village who have the most grand children. Hot competition ensues between the three most prolific families.

Everything about this film is charming, it's a small snapshot of quaint village life from a time long past. All the side characters are utterly adorable, the two old men who have a secret trapdoor in their shed for late night chats; the overly nosey postmistress who spreads gossip, the bickering matrons of the families, the blacksmith and his new young wife who just want a cottage of their own. The plot twists and turns with many surprising revelations to keep you guessing who will get the cottage in the end.

Butter some crumpets, make a nice cup of tea and enjoy this sweet and cheerful little comedy.

Terence Fisher made some rum films between the end of his brief tenure at Gainsborough and finding his niche at Hammer, of which this must be the rummest; and although previous writers have compared it to Ealing it obviously owes more to Group 3.

Despite the cute title, the relaxed treatment, the attractive location work by Jonah Jones and the pretty score (the author of which is uncredited) the subject matter is bizarre to say the least and the infighting among the predominantly female cast rather nasty (with even illegitimacy briefly mentioned at one point).

Like so many films from this era it all seems to belong to a totally vanished age; yet our present Queen's portrait on the wall of the village hall once again reminds us this all hails from just within living memory.

I accidentally stumbled across this little film whilst up late studying one night. As I am already a huge fan of the old black and white classics, particularly those from England, this film quickly caught my eye. I was immediately taken with the beautiful scenery of the gorgeous little quintessential English village however, I was also intrigued by the unusual plot and the feisty characters. Naturally I was also drawn to June Thorburn's beauty and the romance between her and her sweetheart that was being conducted in secret against the backdrop of their warring families. I loved this film. It was simple yet quirky and delightfully refreshing. I really hope that this film is released on DVD as it is a lovely little classic that should not be banished to the vault to be forgotten forever.