This is a delightful whimsical comedy with an excellent cast led by Richard Hearne. Best known for his portrayal as the bumbling Mr Pastry here he efficiently plays Mr Wrigley, writer of the 'Miss Robin Hood' stories in the children's comic The Teenager. He meets aged fan Miss Honey (Margaret Rutherford) and aids her in her quest to recover her family's recipe for Honey-Cup ale which was stolen long ago by a rival brewery. They recover some cash as well which helps Miss Honey run her orphanage and gives Mr Wrigley a new lease of life.
Various comic scenes follow in particular a chase though London's streets at night and a marvelous scene where Mr Wrigley, fueled by Honey-Cup, resigns from his job at The Teenager. The story perhaps slightly looses its way but has a charming ending borrowed from Ealing's Hue and Cry, where children converge on the head office of The Teenager to demand that the writer of 'Miss Robin Hood' be reinstated.
The most unexpected element of the film is the unusual use of avant garde photography. The director was clearly an Orson Welles fan as the numerous upward angular shots and starkly-lit scenes have more in common with Citizen Kane or The Third Man than any Ealing effort. Of particular note is a beautiful set up where fellow employees at the publishers search for Mr Wrigley on the premises and we see a superb shot of a circular stairwell looking up where various heads pop out of the banister rail calling for our hero.
This is now available on DVD at a budget price and can once again be enjoyed by fans of British comedy.
Various comic scenes follow in particular a chase though London's streets at night and a marvelous scene where Mr Wrigley, fueled by Honey-Cup, resigns from his job at The Teenager. The story perhaps slightly looses its way but has a charming ending borrowed from Ealing's Hue and Cry, where children converge on the head office of The Teenager to demand that the writer of 'Miss Robin Hood' be reinstated.
The most unexpected element of the film is the unusual use of avant garde photography. The director was clearly an Orson Welles fan as the numerous upward angular shots and starkly-lit scenes have more in common with Citizen Kane or The Third Man than any Ealing effort. Of particular note is a beautiful set up where fellow employees at the publishers search for Mr Wrigley on the premises and we see a superb shot of a circular stairwell looking up where various heads pop out of the banister rail calling for our hero.
This is now available on DVD at a budget price and can once again be enjoyed by fans of British comedy.