Just William's Luck (film)
| Just William's Luck | |
|---|---|
.png) Cover of the "making of" book | |
| Directed by | Val Guest |
| Written by | Richmal Crompton Val Guest |
| Produced by | James A. Carter (as James Carter) |
| Starring | William Graham Garry Marsh |
| Cinematography | Leslie Rowson (uncredited) |
| Edited by | Anne Barker |
| Music by | Robert Farnon |
| Distributed by | United Artists Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Just William's Luck is a 1947 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham, Garry Marsh and Jane Welsh.[1] The film was based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. Crompton was impressed with the film and wrote a novel Just William's Luck based on the events of the film. The following year a second film William Comes to Town was made.[2]
Plot[edit]
William Brown, leader of his gang, "The Outlaws", while exploring/playing in a "haunted house", stumble across a gang of fur thieves. The children are kidnapped and are bundled into the back of a lorry which drives off. Spotting a large bag of flour, the boys proceed to kick it open. Its contents spill through a gap in the floorboards of the truck's cargo bay. This leaves a trail on the road for the police to follow who ultimately catch and foil the gang of fur robbers.[3]
Cast[edit]
- William Graham - William Brown
- Garry Marsh - Mr. Brown
- Jane Welsh - Mrs. Brown
- Hugh Cross - Robert Brown
- Kathleen Stuart - Ethel Brown
- Leslie Bradley - The Boss
- A. E. Matthews - The Tramp
- Muriel Aked - Emily, the Maid
- Brian Roper - Ginger
- Brian Weske - Henry
- Audrey Manning - Violet Elizabeth
- Hy Hazell - Gloria Gail
- Patricia Cutts - Gloria's Secretary
- James Crabbe - Douglas
- Michael Balfour - Jenks
- Ivan Hyde - Glazier
- Joan Hickson - Hubert's Mother
- John Powe - Policeman
- Anne Marie - Masseur
- Leslie Hazell - Hubert's Gang
- Peter David - Hubert's Gang
- John O'Hara - Hubert's Gang
- Michael Medwin - The Boss's Gang
- John Martell - Johnnie
- Ivan Craig - The Boss's Gang
Production[edit]
Val Guest had some troubles working with children but said otherwise production went smoothly and both William films were "very successful."[2]
Critical reception[edit]
Radio Times wrote, "while William Graham captures something of the scruffy boisterousness of Richmal Crompton's timeless comic creation, director Val Guest's screenplay smoothes away the rougher edges to produce a sanitised tale of childhood mayhem, suitable for young eyes. The same paternalism dogged the sequel, William at the Circus";[4] while Sky Movies wrote, "it's a lively romp with a jolly knockabout climax in a house that William and his gang of `outlaws' are trying to haunt."[5]
References[edit]
- ^ "Just William's Luck (1947) - BFI". BFI. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012.
- ^ a b Fowler, Roy (1988). "Interview with Val Guest". British Entertainment History Project.
- ^ Best Of British (magazine); June 2022 issue; Page 16
- ^ David Parkinson. "Just William's Luck". RadioTimes.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Bibliography[edit]
- Collins, Fiona & Ridgman, Jeremy. Turning the Page: Children's Literature in Performance and the Media. Peter Lang, 2006.
External links[edit]
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