Orders Are Orders

I saw this film in the cinema with my parents in 1954 and I'm obliged to confess that we thought it quite funny at the time. Tony Hancock's voice was familiar to us, but it was the first time we'd ever seen him on screen; apart from the Goon shows, Peter Sellars was best known to the general public for a variety of characters he played in the radio series 'Ray's a Laugh'. They both came across as quite amusing. The tastes of the viewing-public are now far more sophisticated, and it is easy to berate the director for not having made better use of the (potentially) huge pool of talent he had at his command. Hindsight is a wonderful thing! Sixty-six years ago, it wasn't such a bad comedy as all that

Having visited a plague upon us called 'Keep it Clean', director (I use the term loosely) David Paltenghi has again committed celluloid crime with 'Orders are Orders'. This is the film that introduced Tony Hancock to the silver screen. Based upon this performance he was lucky to work again. Thank God for Galton and Simpson! Sid James, who was destined to play such a pivotal role in Hancock's career has the worst American accent I have ever heard whilst Peter Sellers is simply underwhelming. What is amazing about Sellers is how he transformed himself physically in his perverse desire to be a sex symbol! Where on earth Brian Reece came from and where he went is of little or no interest. Stalwarts Raymond Huntley and Clive Morton are among those taking the money and running. The ghastliness of the female contingent beggars belief. It is now my avowed intention to avoid this dreadful director's output entirely or I shall be carried out screaming and not with laughter!

This is a remake of the 1934 film made by Gaumont British starring James Gleason and Charlotte Greenwood.Not exactly star but actors with substantial careers on the American stage and screen.This film has a very similar script and no American stars.However it has three iconic comedy actors,James,Hancock and Sellars.However they are all defeated by the script.Hancock seems to be enjoying himself I charge of the army band.James is wildly unconvincing as the American director,and Sellers has a small part ad a bar steward.There are a lot of familiar faces such as Raymond Huntley in supporting roles,however this is is definitely a film to miss.

ORDERS ARE ORDERS is another army-focused British comedy from the 1950s and another let down. CARRY ON SERGEANT is still the best that I've seen from this era while all others feel somewhat strained and clumsy, not to mention dated. This film has a good story but not many good jokes unless exaggerated character humour is your idea of a good time.

The story is about a film crew who arrive at an army barracks to shoot a science fiction movie and have various run-ins with the soldiers there. The wobbly special effects we see them filming with are funny and reminiscent of an Ed Wood movie. There's a lot of skirt-chasing and various encounters on and off the base between the characters. One of my main problems is that the film crew characters are exaggerated buffoons while the soldiers, in particular the officers, are all prim and proper and dull. The ensuing situations simply aren't all that funny in the face of it.

While the likes of Margot Grahame and Raymond Huntley bag the dull lead roles, it's the supporting players who are the most interesting. Tony Hancock bags an 'introducing' credit and is his typical world-weary character. Sid James is the brash film director but struggles with his unconvincing American accent throughout. Peter Sellers plays his usual part in this and the best I can say about him is that he's better than he was in DOWN AMONG THE Z MEN. There are nice cameos for young 'uns like Donald Pleasence and Eric Sykes. The best participant is the gorgeous Maureen Swanson whose eye-popping introduction scene is the highlight of the whole movie.

Maybe Orders are orders, but service comedies are about disorder. An American film company invades a a British army base to make a Martian-Invasion movie, and proceeds to flimflam the people in charge to get their own way. It's a bit odd to hear Sid James essay a Brooklyn accent as the sleazy producer-director, but he's also got Margot Grahame as his star in a constantly changing role, as Colonel Raymond Huntley's wife,, and gum-chewing Britons of both sexes and scanty costumes abounding. With a rat in the barracks, Tony Hancock trying to practice a military band for a coming competition, Peter Sellers trying to make a few bob on the deal and a general coming to inspect the base, it's extremely frantic and even occasionally funny.

It's clearly a movie made for the British market, and how they landed Miss Grahame for this role is a bit of a mystery to me. It was her last regular film role. Three years later, she would take a part in Preminger's ambitious but ill-fated SAINT JOAN. She had been Britain's highest paid film actress in the 1930s, England's answer to Jean Harlow. Perhaps she had simply had enough and wanted to retire. She died in 1982 at age 80.