''Please Sir!'' is a 1971 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 o ...

directed by Mark Stuart and starring

John Alderton John Alderton (born 27 November 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Thomas & Sarah'', '' Wodehouse Playhouse'', ''Little Miss'' (original television series), '' Please Sir!'', '' No, Hones ...

, Deryck Guyler and

Carol Hawkins Carol Hawkins (born 31 January 1949 in Barnet, Hertfordshire) is an English actress, best known for her various comic roles in numerous TV sitcoms and films in the 1970s and 1980s. She played the roles of Sharon Eversleigh in the film of the t ...

. It is a spin-off from the ITV television series of the same name which ran from 1968 to 1972. The film was shot at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

and on location in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Primrose Hill Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park located north of Regent's Park in London, England, first opened to the public in 1842.Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) It was named after the natural hill in the centre of ...

and

Willesden Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has forme ...

. The country park scenes were shot at Black Park, close to Pinewood in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

. Produced by L.W.I. Productions, it was released by the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...

on 10 September 1971.

Plot

Mr. Hedges, the somewhat naive and idealistic teacher of the rebellious Class 5C of Fenn Street School lobbies to have his class allowed on the annual school camping trip despite opposition from the head teacher Mr. Cromwell, the fastidious and officious school caretaker Mr. Potter, snobbish teacher Miss Ewell and the world-weary Mr. Price. Eventually (with Mr. Hedges having won the hearts and minds of Mr. Cromwell and Miss Ewell with a speech about giving Class 5C a helping hand with the benefits of the trip to the countryside) Class 5C get to go on the trip - providing Mr. Hedges comes along to supervise his unruly class. Once on the camping trip Mr. Hedges pursues Penny Wheeler, a local part-time barmaid, and the class indulge in their usual activities, eg. Dennis relishes the clean air and rural surroundings and befriends a gypsy boy named Nobbler. Meanwhile 5c engage in a feud with stereotypical upper-class pupils from the posh Boulters School, which is resolved after a false rape allegation from Sharon. A case of stolen money is resolved through Mr. Hedges trusting the class. At the final dance Mr. Hedges is ensnared in the romantic clutches of teacher Miss Cutforth, contrary to his wishes.

Music

The film's closing theme - ''La La La Lu''- was written by

Mike Vickers Michael Graham Vickers (born 18 April 1940) is an English musician who came to prominence as the guitarist, flautist, and saxophonist with the 1960s band Manfred Mann. He was born in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey. At the age of seven, his famil ...

and performed by

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...

. Black and her manager/husband Bobby Willis claimed they had been led to believe the song would open and close the film, but it was instead used over the final scenes of the pupils dancing and then partially over the closing credits. The planned release of the single was consequently abandoned by Black, who instead used the track as the 'B Side' of her single ''

Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight) "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight)" is a song by English recording artist Cilla Black, released in 1971. Background Written by songwriters Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook, "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight) ...

'', which became her final top 10 single in the UK

Cast

as Bernard Hedges * Deryck Guyler as Norman Potter * Noel Howlett as Maurice Cromwell * Joan Sanderson as Doris Ewell * Richard Davies as Mr. Price *

Erik Chitty Erik Chitty (8 July 1907 in Dover, Kent – 22 July 1977 Brent, Middlesex), was an English stage, film and television actor. Early life Chitty was the son of a flour miller, Frederick Walter Chitty and his wife Ethel Elsie Assistance née Fra ...

as Mr. Smith *

Patsy Rowlands Patricia Amy Rowlands (19 January 1931 – 22 January 2005) was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom '' Bless This House'', and as Alice Meredit ...

as Angela Cutforth *

Peter Cleall Peter Cleall (born 16 March 1944 in Finchley, Middlesex) is an actors' agent and former actor who is probably best known for playing wise-cracking Eric Duffy in the London Weekend Television comedy series ''Please Sir!'' which ran from 1968 to ...

as Eric Duffy *

as Sharon Eversleigh * Liz Gebhardt as Maureen Bullock * David Barry as Frankie Abbott *

Peter Denyer Peter John Denyer (20 August 1947 – 18 September 2009) was an English actor who played Dennis Dunstable in London Weekend Television's ''Please Sir!'', and its spin-off series ''The Fenn Street Gang'', taking on the role of a teenager when a ...

as Dennis Dunstable *

Malcolm McFee Malcolm Raymond McFee (16 August 1949 – 18 November 2001) was an English actor best known for his role as Peter Craven in the TV series ''Please Sir!'', the film of the same name, and the spin-off TV series '' The Fenn Street Gang''. Career M ...

as Peter Craven * Aziz Resham as Feisal *

Brinsley Forde Brinsley Forde MBE (born 16 October 1953) is a British singer and actor of Guyanese parentage who is best known as the founder member of the reggae band Aswad and as a child actor in the children's television series '' Here Come the Double D ...

as Wesley * Jill Kerman as Penny Wheeler *

Norman Bird John George Norman Bird (30 October 1924 – 22 April 2005) was an English character actor. Early life Bird was born in Coalville, Leicestershire, England. A RADA graduate, he made his West End debut in Peter Brook's production of ''The Wi ...

as Reynolds *

Barbara Mitchell Barbara Mitchell (4 October 1929 – 9 December 1977, Kingston Upon Thames) was an English actress who became a familiar face on British television in the 1960s and 1970s, best known for her work in many classic sitcoms of the period. Care ...

as Mrs. Abbott *

Peter Bayliss Peter Bayliss (27 June 1922 – 29 July 2002) was an English actor. Bayliss was born in Kingston upon Thames and trained at the Italia Conti Academy and the John Gielgud Company. More than six feet tall, with a voice to match, he supplemente ...

as Mr. David Dunstable *

Eve Pearce Eve Pearce (17 April 1929 – 13 January 2023) was a Scottish actress. She performed in many Royal Shakespeare Company productions. Early life Eve Pearce was born in Aberdeen to a very poor family and was brought up in a one-roomed tenement, h ...

as Mrs. Daphne Dunstable *

Jack Smethurst John Smethurst (9 April 1932 – 16 February 2022) was an English television and film comic actor. He was best known for his role as Eddie Booth in the British television sitcom '' Love Thy Neighbour''. Early life Smethurst was born on 9 Apri ...

as Bus Driver *

Brenda Cowling Brenda Rose Cowling (23 April 1925 – 2 October 2010) was an English actress from London. Cowling wanted to be a film actress from the time she was a child; however, upon leaving school, she trained instead as a shorthand typist. Biography Aft ...

as Mrs. Duffy

Reception

The film was one of the most popular movies of 1972 at the British box office.

References

External links

* {{Esmonde Larbey 1971 films 1971 comedy films British comedy films Films based on television series Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films set in schools Films shot in London Films set in London 1970s English-language films 1970s British films