Will Any Gentleman...?

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Will Any Gentleman...?
Will Any Gentleman (1953).jpg
Directed byMichael Anderson
Written byVernon Sylvaine
Based onWill Any Gentleman? by Vernon Sylvaine
Produced byHamilton G. Inglis
StarringGeorge Cole
Veronica Hurst
Heather Thatcher
Jon Pertwee
William Hartnell
CinematographyErwin Hillier
Edited byMax Benedict
Music byWally Stott
Production
company
Distributed byAssociated British-Pathé
Release date
24 August 1953
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office£128,522 (UK)[1]

Will Any Gentleman...? is a 1953 British comedy film directed by Michael Anderson and starring George Cole, Veronica Hurst Heather Thatcher, Jon Pertwee, and William Hartnell. It was based on a 1950 play of the same name by Vernon Sylvaine.[2] It was made at Elstree Studios with sets designed by the art director Terence Verity and shot in Technicolor by cinematographer Erwin Hillier. It was the first of five movies Michael Anderson made for ABPC and was reasonably successful at the box office.[3]

It is notable for featuring both William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee onscreen together. Both actors would later go on to play The Doctor in Doctor Who.

Synopsis

Henry Sterling, a mild-mannered bank clerk, visits a music hall to pay the manager a debt owed by his cheque-bouncing philandering brother. He is persuaded to stay and become the subject of a stage hypnotist, The Great Mendoza. Fleeing back home, he cannot remember where he's been and what he's done.

His now-twin personas come and go at random. When in the hypnotised state, he becomes very reckless, both in chatting up women he would never normally dare approach, and spending money he has not got.

After he insults his domineering mother-in-law, his wife leaves him. He robs his boss of £300, but his brother realises what has happened and persuades the hypnotist to get him back to normal. [2]

Cast

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote, "Although the British movie makers have been known to make the most of humor, their infrequent lapses in this genre can be deadly dull. And Will Any Gentleman . . . ?, the farce by that cryptic title, which landed at the Plaza yesterday, falls flatly into the latter niche...All that may be said of Michael Anderson, a young and respected director, is that he has kept his cast, if not his story, moving. George Cole is largely bewildered and woebegone as the transformed bank teller. Jon Pertwee, who looks a bit like Danny Kaye, adds an occasional comic touch as his energetic, scapegrace brother....As the film's confused detective, William Hartnell delivers the script's most ambitious line when he says, "there's something funny going on around here!" ;[4] while more recently, Cineoutsider described the film as "an adaptation that manages to maintain a certain level of energy throughout its running time. Although the main premise may be a little tired, the witty dialogue and superb acting keep the pace up despite the stilted direction and the occasional dud routine. For the most part its essentially filmed theatre, but that is no reason for it to be dismissed out of hand."[5]

References

  1. ^ Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p502
  2. ^ a b "Will Any Gentleman...? (1953)". Archived from the original on 2009-01-15.
  3. ^ Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (2003). British Cinema of The 1950s The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press USA. p. 82.
  4. ^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 6 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Will Any Gentlemen? DVD review - Cine Outsider".

External links

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