- No Kidding (film)
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No Kidding Directed by Gerald Thomas Produced by Peter Rogers Written by Verily Anderson
Robin Estridge
Norman HudisStarring Leslie Phillips
Geraldine McEwan
Joan HicksonDistributed by Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors Release date(s) 1960 Running time 86 minutes Country United Kingdom Language English No Kidding is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Gerald Thomas featuring Leslie Phillips, Geraldine McEwan and Irene Handl, Noel Purcell and Julia Lockwood. The film is adapted from Verily Andersons novel Beware of Children.
Plot
David (Leslie Phillips) and Catherine Robinson (Geraldine McEwan) move into a rundown country house. After a number of failed ventures, they are looking to build a solid business. They strike upon the idea of setting up a summer home for the children of the wealthy. They attract a number of customers, and hire a matron (June Jago) and a cook (Joan Hickson), and immediately fall foul of a local counciller (Irene Handl) who does not believe they should be allowed to look after children.
The family arrive and drop off their children. They range from polite, scared and helpful to wild, spoilt, rebellious children led by an American brother and sister, and an English fantasist girl (Julia Lockwood) who tries to insist that she has been maltreated by her in fact kindly family.
As the children grow increasingly ill-disciplined, the staff and owners battle to keep them under control. The father advocates a tough approach while his wife beliefs that the children's freedom should be allowed to flourish. They are undermined by an increasingly drunken cook, and the wild antics of the children.
After an illicit midnight trip out to a nearby cafe, the children are grounded for two days. They also here that the local council are sending an inspector round, who is likely to close them down if they fail the test. They rally the staff and children, who behave correctly when the visitors come.
When the children's families come to collect them, they refuse to come down - wishing they could stay. They insist that in future they are treated better by their parents, to which the parents agree. The children depart. The Robinsons realising that they have now got financial security, they decided to fulfill their dream of having more children.
Cast
- Leslie Phillips - David Robinson
- Geraldine McEwan - Catherine Robinson
- Julia Lockwood - Fenella / 'Vanilla'
- Irene Handl - Mrs Spicer
- Noel Purcell - Tandy
- Joan Hickson - Cook
- June Jago - Matron
- Cyril Raymond - Colonel Matthews
- Esma Cannon - District Nurse
- Alan Gifford - Edgar Treadgold
- Sydney Tafler - Mr Rockbottom
- Brian Oulton - Vicar
- Eric Pohlmann - King
- Patricia Jessel - Queen
- Brian Rawlinson - Will
- Martin Stephens - Angus
External links
Categories:- British films
- English-language films
- 1960 films
- Films directed by Gerald Thomas
- 1960s comedy films
- 1960s British film stubs
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