Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property develo... Read allNorman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property developer (boo hiss!) who is also the chairman of the orphanage board wants to close the orphana... Read allNorman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property developer (boo hiss!) who is also the chairman of the orphanage board wants to close the orphanage and build a factory on the site. The children are sent to Brighton for the day and Norm... Read all
- Gunner Mac
- (as Ricky Mc Cullough)
- Martin
- (as Antony Green)
- Constable in Theatre
- (uncredited)
- Stagehand
- (uncredited)
- Boxing Spectator
- (uncredited)
- Minor Role
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
I loved the film, a wonderful story and always love a good laugh and norman's films never fail to do that for me even when ive seen them all many times.
There just don't make films like this anymore..
I'm not a huge Wisdom fan but I have seen many of this films. So I know that I do enjoy his brand of humour and know he can be really funny in a gentle way when the film allows him to be. Here the basic plot is only a step to several funny scenes Norman entered in a walking race, Norman fleeing the police in a toy car, Norman in a train carriage with a group of upper-class stiffs etc. Most of the film is little to do with the plot described above. It's only the final scene where the orphans repel the adults that brings it back to the central idea, however that doesn't mean it's no good. My personal favourite is the scene where Norman gets mistaken for a conductor because he's holding a candy floss stick and gets bungled in front of an orchestra at a concert- again little to do with the plot, but still funny!
The actual set-ups for Wisdom to do his stuff are all pretty funny and don't feel forced despite not fitting naturally into the plot. The humour is gentle and when Norman is doing it he really gives his all. He'll never be respected like some other comedians but here he shows that he is a genius and can work gags well in his own style. In other films he has suffered from a lack of a good support cast, but here he is pretty much carrying the whole thing and does it very well. Some may dislike the cute kids aspect of the film but it's only the end where they get much input. Rice and Abicair are OK but it's nice to see a young Thora Hird before her stair-lift adverts paid her way!
Overall this is funny, gentle comedy Wisdom style. Those that hate his basic style will dislike this but fans will love it and it's good enough to win over new viewers. Definitely one of Wisdom's better films and that's without the sterling support of regular's Desmonde and Chapman.
The illustration of the insubordinate behaviour of young people is also illustrated well in films such as for example;The Blue Lamp (1950), albeit in a more serious and as such cynical way where the youths of the era are labelled as potentially dangerous. But this film along with One Good Turn are mere reflections of social change.
For my money J.P. Carstairs is the director who brings more to bare to Wisdom's acting and comic timing. As such One Good Turn is a far superior Wisdom outing than many of his later ones. For this reason it is an excellent choice for viewing.
Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and has slotted into the furniture as the unpaid caretaker. The happiness and tranquillity of The Orphanage is greatly disrupted when it comes to light that the Orphanage chairman wants to sell it and turn it into a factory. Can the staff, the kids and the biggest kid of them all - Norman - stop the scheming rotter?
A delight for Wisdom fans, this monochrome piece finds the jumping bean that is Wisdom on fine form. There's nothing new in the narrative threads, it's Norman causing chaos when he's trying to do good, and those around him are affected either physically or emotionally. So watch Norman with a wasp up his trousers, bringing the tears with onions, a child's motor car chase, a charity walk, taking control of an orchestra and more! The kids are great, as is the wonderful as usual Hird, and there's even a couple of musical numbers to ease the flow of the ebullience.
We know where we are heading, but really who cares? The fun is in getting there and finding Wisdom doing what he does best - lifting those blues. 7/10
Did you know
- TriviaProducer Maurice Cowan made Norman Wisdom's first film, and wrote the story for his third film. He so disliked working with Wisdom on this film that he never produced another film for the comedian.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema: British Comedy (2021)
Details
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1