Kurt at 16:55, 15 March 2023

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Kurt at 21:46, 14 March 2023

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← Older revision		Revision as of 16:46, 14 March 2023
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	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=April 2016}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=April 2016}}~~
	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	~~\| name = The Square Peg~~
	\| director = [[John Paddy Carstairs]]		\| director = [[John Paddy Carstairs]]
	\| image = The Square Peg ~~FilmPoster~~.~~jpeg~~		\| image = The Square Peg Film Poster.jpg
	\| writer = [[Jack Davies (screenwriter)\|Jack Davies]]<br>Henry Blyth<br>[[Norman Wisdom]]<br>[[Eddie Leslie]]		\| writer = [[Jack Davies (screenwriter)\|Jack Davies]]<br>Henry Blyth<br>[[Norman Wisdom]]<br>[[Eddie Leslie]]
	\| starring = [[Norman Wisdom]]<br>[[Honor Blackman]]<br>[[Edward Chapman (actor)\|Edward Chapman]]<br>[[Campbell Singer]]		\| starring = [[Norman Wisdom]]<br>[[Honor Blackman]]<br>[[Edward Chapman (actor)\|Edward Chapman]]<br>[[Campbell Singer]]
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	* {{tcmdb title\|id=17781}}		* {{tcmdb title\|id=17781}}
	* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/826040/index.html ''The Square Peg'' at BFI Screenonline]		* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/826040/index.html ''The Square Peg'' at BFI Screenonline]

	~~{{John Paddy Carstairs}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Square Peg, The}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Square Peg, The}}
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Kurt: 1 revision imported

2023-03-14T20:44:05Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Square Peg
| director = [[John Paddy Carstairs]]
| image = The Square Peg FilmPoster.jpeg
| writer = [[Jack Davies (screenwriter)|Jack Davies]] Henry Blyth [[Norman Wisdom]] [[Eddie Leslie]]
| starring = [[Norman Wisdom]] [[Honor Blackman]] [[Edward Chapman (actor)|Edward Chapman]] [[Campbell Singer]]
| producer = [[Hugh Stewart (film editor)|Hugh Stewart]]
| music = [[Philip Green (composer)|Philip Green]]
| cinematography = [[Jack E. Cox]]
| editing = Roger Cherrill
| studio = [[The Rank Organisation]]
| distributor = Rank Film Distributors
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1959|1|4}}
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
}}
'''''The Square Peg''''' is a 1959 British war comedy film directed by [[John Paddy Carstairs]] and starring [[Norman Wisdom]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/52475 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114090051/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/52475 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-01-14 |title=The Square Peg (1959) |publisher=[[British Film Institute]]}}</ref> Norman Wisdom plays two different characters: a man who digs and repairs roads, and a Nazi general.

==Plot==
During the [[World War II|Second World War]], Norman Pitkin, a roadmender with the St Godric's Borough Council, enjoys annoying the soldiers of the nearby British Army camp, even a general. Despite the efforts of his boss, Borough Engineer Mr Grimsdale, Colonel Layton (the camp commander) has both of them called up for service in the [[Royal Pioneer Corps|Pioneer Corps]] to exact retribution. They begin training at the same camp under the supervision of one of Pitkin's former victims, Sergeant Loder. The only bright spot for Pitkin is falling in [[love at first sight]] with the beautiful [[Auxiliary Territorial Service|ATS]] officer Lesley Cartland, who is preparing to go behind enemy lines in [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|Nazi-occupied France]].

Pitkin and Grimsdale board the wrong lorry and end up parachuting into France, where they are put to work on road repairs. They inadvertently advance four miles into enemy territory, and Grimsdale is captured and taken to local headquarters in a [[chateau]]. Meanwhile, Pitkin (out of uniform) goes to the nearby town of Fleury to purchase sugar and eggs, but does not notice German soldiers standing to attention and saluting him. It transpires that he is looks exactly like the ruthless local commander, General Otto Schreiber. In a cafe, he recognises the waitress as Lesley Cartland. She is working with the local resistance group, but Pitkin inadvertently blows her cover and she is arrested, along with the cafe owner.

Pitkin and Henri Le Blanc, the local resistance leader, break into the chateau through a tunnel that Pitkin digs to try to rescue them, but Henri is himself captured. Pitkin, unaware of this, climbs into Schreiber's suite. When Gretchen, the general's girlfriend (an opera singer of Wagnerian proportions), arrives, Schreiber leaves strict orders not to be disturbed, no matter what. In the next room, Pitkin dresses in one of Schreiber's uniforms and awaits his chance. He watches through a keyhole as the couple dine, then unexpectedly sing a duet. When Schreiber leaves the room to attend to his throat, Pitkin is mistaken for him by Gretchen and has to attempt to sing Schubert [[lieder]] with her. Luckily, Schreiber has locked himself in the bathroom. Eventually he gets out, but after some further hijinks, including a rendition of the [[Duck Soup (1933 film)#Mirror scene|Marx Brothers' mirror routine from ''Duck Soup'']], Pitkin knocks Schreiber out (Gretchen having fainted after seeing two Schreibers). By pretending to be Schreiber, Pitkin manages to free the prisoners. They escape, but Pitkin is caught and sentenced to be shot at dawn. As the execution is about to be carried out, he inadvertently falls into the camouflaged tunnel he dug and escapes. He ties up Schreiber (off-camera).

After the war ends,Schreiber puts on his glasses and Turns back into Mr Grimsdale and he is still Borough Engineer, but Pitkin is now the [[mayor]].

==Cast==
* [[Norman Wisdom]] as Norman Pitkin/General Schreiber
* [[Honor Blackman]] as Lesley Cartland
* [[Edward Chapman (actor)|Edward Chapman]] as Mr. Grimsdale
* [[Campbell Singer]] as Sergeant Loder
* [[Hattie Jacques]] as Gretchen
* [[Brian Worth]] as Henri Le Blanc
* [[Terence Alexander]] as Captain Wharton
* [[John Warwick]] as Colonel Layton
* [[Arnold Bell]] as General Hunt
* [[André Maranne]] as Jean-Claude
* [[Victor Beaumont]] as Jogenkraut
* [[Frank Williams (actor)|Frank Williams]] as Captain Ford
* [[Oliver Reed]] (uncredited)
* [[Eddie Leslie]] as Medical Officer

==Reception==
The popularity of Norman Wisdom films had declined through the 1950s but ''The Square Peg'' halted the trend.<ref name="rank">[https://books.google.com/books?id=UyYTDAAAQBAJ&dq=vincent+porter+sue+harper&pg=PA386 ''British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference'' by Sue Harper, Vincent Porter Oxford University Press, 2003 p 50]</ref> The film was the 7th most popular movie at the British box office in 1959.<ref>"Year Of Profitable British Films." Times [London, England] 1 Jan. 1960: 13. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.</ref> According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'' the film performed "better than average" at the British box office in 1959.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Josh|last=Billings|magazine=Kinematograph Weekly|title=Other better-than-average offerings|date=17 December 1959|page=7}}</ref>

It also gained a 3.3/5 on [[Letterboxd]] according to 123 ratings.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Square Peg 1958 Directed by John Paddy Carstairs |url=https://letterboxd.com/film/the-square-peg/ |website=Letterboxd.com |accessdate=2 June 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0052233}}
* {{amg movie|111508}}
* {{tcmdb title|id=17781}}
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/826040/index.html ''The Square Peg'' at BFI Screenonline]

{{John Paddy Carstairs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Square Peg, The}}
[[Category:1959 films]]
[[Category:1959 comedy films]]
[[Category:British comedy films]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Paddy Carstairs]]
[[Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios]]
[[Category:Military humor in film]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:1950s British films]]

The Square Peg - Revision history

Kurt at 16:55, 15 March 2023

Kurt at 21:46, 14 March 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

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