''Just William's Luck'' is a 1947 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Val Guest Val Guest (born Valmond Maurice Grossman; 11 December 1911 – 10 May 2006) was an English film director and screenwriter. Beginning as a writer (and later director) of comedy films, he is best known for his work for Hammer, for whom he direct ...

and starring William Graham,

Garry Marsh Garry Marsh (21 June 1902 – 6 March 1981) was an English stage and film actor. Born Leslie Marsh Gerahty in St Margarets, Surrey, his parents were George and Laura. His elder brothers were the author Digby George Gerahty and the journalist ...

and

Jane Welsh Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

. The film was based on the

Just William ''Just William'' is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for ...

series of books by

Richmal Crompton Richmal Crompton Lamburn (15 November 1890 – 11 January 1969) was a popular English writer, best known for her ''Just William'' series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books. Life Richmal Crompton Lambu ...

. 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 ''William Comes to Town'' is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham and Garry Marsh. It was based on the Just William series of novels by Richmal Crompton. It served as a loose sequel to 1947 film '' Just ...

'' was made.

Plot

William Brown, leader of his gang, "The Outlaws", while exploring/playing in a "

haunted house A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the prope ...

", 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.

Cast

* William Graham - William Brown *

- Mr. Brown *

- Mrs. Brown *

Hugh Cross Hugh Cross (24 September 1925 – 14 May 1989) was a British television and film actor. Selected filmography * '' Just William's Luck'' (1947) * ''William Comes to Town'' (1948) * ''Warning to Wantons'' (1949) * ''Seven Days to Noon'' (1950 ...

- Robert Brown * Kathleen Stuart - Ethel Brown *

Leslie Bradley Leslie Ernest Bradley (1 September 1907 – 20 July 1974) was an English actor. He died in Desert Hot Springs, California. Filmography * '' The Way of Youth'' (1934) as Lieut. Burton (film debut) * ''Play Up the Band'' (1935) as Jack Heck ...

- The Boss *

A. E. Matthews Alfred Edward Matthews (22 November 186925 July 1960), known as A. E. Matthews, was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades. Already middle-aged when films began production, he enjoyed inc ...

- The Tramp *

Muriel Aked Muriel Aked (9 November 1883 – 21 March 1955) was an English film actress. Early life, family and education Aked was born in Bingley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England to George Henry Aked and his wife Emma (née Bairstow). She was a student ...

- Emily, the Maid * Brian Roper - Ginger *

Brian Weske Brian Weske (23 December 1932 – 15 October 2001) was a British film and television actor. He was born in Stockwell, London, England and died in London, England aged 68. He married Italian actress and Italian translator speech artist for BBC Reco ...

- Henry * Audrey Manning - Violet Elizabeth *

Hy Hazell Hyacinth Hazel O'Higgins (4 October 1919 – 10 May 1970), stage name Hy Hazell, was a British actress of theatre, musicals and revue as well as a contralto singer and film actress. AllMusic described her as "an exuberant comic actor and lively ...

- Gloria Gail *

Patricia Cutts Patricia Cutts (20 July 1926 – 6 September 1974)Patricia Cu ...

- Gloria's Secretary * James Crabbe - Douglas * Michael Balfour - Jenks * Ivan Hyde - Glazier *

Joan Hickson Joan Bogle Hickson, OBE (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series ''Miss Marple''. She also narrated a number ...

- Hubert's Mother * John Powe - Policeman * Anne Marie - Masseur * Leslie Hazell - Hubert's Gang * Peter David - Hubert's Gang *

John O'Hara John Henry O'Hara (January 31, 1905 – April 11, 1970) was one of America's most prolific writers of short stories, credited with helping to invent ''The New Yorker'' magazine short story style.John O'Hara: Stories, Charles McGrath, ed., The L ...

- Hubert's Gang *

Michael Medwin Michael Hugh Medwin, OBE (18 July 1923 – 26 February 2020) was an English actor and film producer. Life and career Medwin was born in London. He was educated at Canford School, Dorset, and the Institute Fischer, Montreux, Switzerland. He ...

- The Boss's Gang * John Martell - Johnnie *

Ivan Craig Walter Ivan Sackville Craig (22 February 1912 – 7 March 1995) was a British (Scottish) actor, the son of Dr. Eric S. Craig and Dorothy Gertrude Meldrum. Ivan Craig was born in Edinburgh. In 1940 he married Lilian May Davies, a fashion mo ...

- The Boss's Gang

Critical reception

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' 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"; while

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema ...

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."http://skymovies.sky.com/just-williams-luck/review

References

Bibliography

* Collins, Fiona & Ridgman, Jeremy. ''Turning the Page: Children's Literature in Performance and the Media''. Peter Lang, 2006.

External links

* 1947 films Films directed by Val Guest Films based on children's books British comedy films Just William 1940s children's comedy films 1947 comedy films British black-and-white films 1940s British films {{1940s-UK-comedy-film-stub