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Small Hotel

  • 1957
  • 59m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
280
YOUR RATING
Small Hotel (1957)
The unusual inmates of a not-too-prosperous hotel are worried when headquarters sends an efficiency expert to visit.
Play trailer2:05
1 Video
5 Photos
Comedy

Waiter Albert manages daily operations at the Jolly Fiddler Hotel. A representative from the hotel chain aims to fire Albert due to his age, causing tensions and conflicts with staff and gue... Read allWaiter Albert manages daily operations at the Jolly Fiddler Hotel. A representative from the hotel chain aims to fire Albert due to his age, causing tensions and conflicts with staff and guests over Albert's potential dismissal.Waiter Albert manages daily operations at the Jolly Fiddler Hotel. A representative from the hotel chain aims to fire Albert due to his age, causing tensions and conflicts with staff and guests over Albert's potential dismissal.

  • Director
    • David MacDonald
  • Writers
    • Wilfred Eades
    • Rex Frost
  • Stars
    • Gordon Harker
    • Marie Lohr
    • John Loder
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    280
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David MacDonald
    • Writers
      • Wilfred Eades
      • Rex Frost
    • Stars
      • Gordon Harker
      • Marie Lohr
      • John Loder
    • 11User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:05
    Trailer

    Photos4

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    Top cast15

    Edit
    Gordon Harker
    Gordon Harker
    • Albert
    Marie Lohr
    Marie Lohr
    • Mrs. Samson-Fox
    John Loder
    John Loder
    • Mr. Finch
    Irene Handl
    Irene Handl
    • Mrs. Gammon
    Janet Munro
    Janet Munro
    • Effie Wriggler
    Billie Whitelaw
    Billie Whitelaw
    • Caroline Mallet
    Ruth Trouncer
    • Sheila Pryor
    Francis Matthews
    Francis Matthews
    • Alan Pryor
    Frederick Schiller
    • Foreign Diner
    Derek Blomfield
    Derek Blomfield
    • Roland
    Dorothy Bromiley
    Dora Bryan
    Dora Bryan
    George Hilsdon
    George Hilsdon
    • American Airforce Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Murray Kash
    • American Airforce Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Dan Lester
    • Charlie - Barman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • David MacDonald
    • Writers
      • Wilfred Eades
      • Rex Frost
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    7.0280
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    Featured reviews

    8robert-temple-1

    Delightful small British comedy with superb performances

    This simple British comedy sparkles with wit, gentle satire, and affectionate good humour. The central performance by Gordon Harker, who was near the end of his career as one of Britain's best loved character actors, is a masterful display of full control of both the screen and of the story. The film is based upon a play by Rex Frost entitled SMALL HOTEL, which opened at the St. Martin's Theatre in London's West End on October 12, 1955. Very little information is recorded about Frost. We do know that in 1954, he wrote the script for a TV movie entitled THE JOLLY FIDDLER, and that is also the name of the hotel in this film. Whether the two works are essentially the same, or merely set in the same hotel, we do not know. It seems so difficult to find out even basic information about Frost that there is not much else to say of him. But he certainly was capable of writing some cracking one-liners, which are liberally sprinkled throughout the film and add greatly to its satirical bite. The film is thus not a farce but an intelligent comedy. Harker plays an elderly head waiter in the small establishment, where he has been in charge of the dining room (which he calls 'mine') for 40 years. Suddenly his position is threatened by a boorish and arrogant man from 'head office' (played by John Loder in obnoxious mode), who wants him replaced by an annoying and supercilious young woman waitress who is really his mistress and 'as common as dirt', as the expression used to go, or as one of the characters refers to her, a pumped-up trollop. She is played by the young Billie Whitelaw, who makes her suitably unsympathetic. The other highlight of the film is the splendid performance by Irene Handl as the cook, Mrs. Gammon. She lit up every film she ever appeared in, and this one has its celluloid scorched by her superb Cockney 'talking-back' and the blunt, bold, and grammatically imperfect tongue-lashings which she administers to anyone who messes with her. She can settle any conflict by saying sarcastically: 'Keep your wig on!' Comic support is given also by Janet Munro as the young waitress Effie, whose amusing and endearing hopelessness is the perfect complement and foil to Harker's effortless mastery of every situation. It is such a tragedy that this extremely talented actress died aged only 38, in 1972. She will always be remembered for her lead in role Val Guest's brilliant sci fi classic, THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE (1961, see my forthcoming review). Marie Lohr does an excellent job of playing a haughty lady with the sharpest of tongues. The film is well directed by David Macdonald, and it is a joy to watch such an intimate gem. It is very short, at only 57 minutes on the DVD (59 minutes according to its IMDb listing), which means that the play must have been cut by at least half an hour, and much of the film must have ended up on the cutting room floor as well. But never mind, whatever was lost is not missed, for the film works perfectly at its present length, and is marvellous. SMALL HOTEL may well have provided inspiration for the long-running TV series FAWLTY TOWERS (1975-1979), which dealt with a small hotel's misadventures as slapstick farce. But I prefer the more subtle approach, and this film certainly has it.
    8ftm68_99

    a gem

    I pretty much agree with the comments made by the first reviewer here.

    I watched this movie mainly because I'm a Janet Munro fan (this was her first movie). It was clear from the first few minutes, however, that being a Munro fan was not the sole reason for watching, as it's a well-observed, well thought-out little gem, filled with fun and completely unpretentious.

    As to Miss Munro, she did not disappoint, more than holding her own with seasoned actors such as Gordon Harker and Marie Lohr, themselves absolutely delightful in their roles.

    This one should be made more widely available in the U.S.

    No need to read this last line; I'm just adding it, since IMDb now insists that our reviews contain at least ten lines. Sheesh.
    8richardchatten

    The Jolly Fiddler

    I've nothing to add to the four previous reviews praising this neglected little gem other than observing that it's a crying shame that it's attracted only five posts in twenty years; and what an amazing medium the cinema is for it's ability to furnish pleasures like seeing wily old-timer Gordon Harker in his penultimate film paired with a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young Janet Munro in her debut (wearing her hair surprisingly long for the period and who sadly was only to outlive Harker by five years). And what a gift to posterity Talking Pictures is proving by making such pleasures available to the discerning viewer.
    9g-hbe

    Wonderful viewing.

    To say they don't make films like this anymore may be a cliche, but in this case it is delightfully true. 'The ups & down of the staff of a small country hotel' may sound boring, but this gem of a film makes every character shine, especially the sweet-as-anything Janet Munro, the wily Gordon Harker and the always excellent Irene Handl. There are some great 'bon mots' and calculated put-downs from Harker and Marie Lohr, and the whole thing leaves one happy and impressed. Charming.
    6malcolmgsw

    Great Ensemble Playing

    This film has a great cast for such a low budget film.The star is undoubtedly Gordon Harker.He started in the twenties in Hitchcock,s films and this was his penultimate film.Marie Lohr made her first film in 1916 and went on till 1971.Irene Handel started in the 1930s and 146 roles later was still acting when she died in 1997.John Loder was another with a long career.Perhaps best known for being Gracie Fields leading man in the 1930s.he was a rather wooden actor and here he is very true to form.On the younger side we have Janet Munro who quickly established herself as a leading lady only to die far too young.then there is Billie Whitelaw at the start of an illustrious career.With actors like these this B feature has an entertainment value which far exceeds its relatively short running time.Just shows what really good B features were being turned out by British studios in the 1950s.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Gordon Harker's last starring role in a film.
    • Quotes

      Mrs. Gammon: If I was to leave you might get someone soft, like the last one. Goodness only knows what you made on the fiddle when she was here, poor mutt!

      Albert: She wasn't soft, she was cooperative. And we went 50-50. And she didn't do so badly.

      Mrs. Gammon: Well I'm not colloperatin'!

    • Connections
      Remake of The Jolly Fiddler (1954)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1957 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Welwyn Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 59m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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