''Raising the Wind'' is a 1961 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 Gerald Thomas. It starred

James Robertson Justice James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 – 2 July 1975) was a British actor. He is best remembered for portraying pompous authority figures in comedies including each of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. He also co-starred with Grego ...

, Leslie Phillips, Kenneth Williams, Liz Fraser, Eric Barker and Sid James. The storyline, screenplay and musical score of the film were the work of Bruce Montgomery. ''Raising the Wind'' uses a cast of actors drawn from the ''

Carry On Carry On may refer to: * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (novel), ...

'' and '' Doctor'' films that were popular at the time, although it is not an official member of either series. The premiere took place on 24 August 1961 at the Plaza Theatre in London's Piccadilly Circus. It is set in an elite music school.Whittle, David.
Bruce Montgomery/Edmund Crispin: A Life in Music and Books
' (2017), p.1 The title is typical British comedy

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

of the period: normally connected to the act of belching, but here also referring to the woodwind section of an orchestra. In the US, the title was changed to ''Roommates''.

Synopsis

Mervyn, Malcolm, Alex, Miranda and Jill are music students at the (fictional) London Academy of Music and the Arts. They decide to share a flat to pool their meagre grants and to find a place to practise. They suffer the put-downs of the acerbic Sir Benjamin Boyd, who conducts the student orchestra, and the antics of the other talented but eccentric teachers at the school. To raise some much-needed funds, the group offer to play a string quintet recital, but it's a disaster, with instrument strings breaking all the time. More successfully, they play in several performances of Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

''. Mervyn, a talented composer, writes a catchy tune and whilst drunk sells it for fifty pounds to Sid and Harry, advertising copywriters. Sober the next day, he realises that he has violated the terms of his grant; the two offer to sell it back to him for five hundred pounds, money he can't possibly raise. He then learns that the tune is an existing one, the 'Alexandra Waltz', which he probably remembered from his youth, so the true composer could theoretically sue the purchasers. Some of the students go up for a prestigious scholarship, the test for which includes conducting a professional orchestra

Sinfonia of London Sinfonia of London is a session orchestra based in London, England, and conducted by John Wilson. The current orchestra is the third of three distinct ensembles of this name. The original Sinfonia of London was founded in 1955 by Gordon Walker ...

. Mervyn makes a reasonable effort with music by

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

, but the supercilious know-it-all Harold annoys the musicians with constant criticism and they have their own back on him, with an over-fast rendition of Rossini's '' William Tell Overture''. To everyone's surprise, the scholarship is awarded to Miranda, but she confesses that she only wants to marry fellow student Mervyn, who likewise is in love with her. However, Malcolm is given a full time position in Sir Benjamin's orchestra (second

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

) and proposes to Jill. Alex leaves school in order to study violin in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Trivia

* The producers of the film credit the

for their assistance. * The exterior of the music school is filmed at University College, London, which also doubled for St Swithin's hospital in several of the 'Doctor' films. * The recital section of the film was based on anecdotes told to Bruce Montgomery by

Eric Coates Eric Francis Harrison Coates (27 August 1886 – 21 December 1957) was an English composer of light music and, early in his career, a leading violist. Coates was born into a musical family, but, despite his wishes and obvious talent, his pa ...

about the formation of the Celtic String Quartet, who performed only one concert, beset by disasters.Coates, Eric. ''Suite in Four Movements'' (1953), pp. 85-6

Cast

as Sir Benjamin Boyd * Leslie Phillips as Mervyn Hughes *

Paul Massie Paul Massie (born Arthur Dickinson Massé; July 7, 1932June 8, 2011) was a Canadian actor and academic. He later became a theater professor at the University of South Florida in the 1970s. He remained on faculty until his retirement as professor ...

as Malcolm Stewart * Kenneth Williams as Harold Chesney * Liz Fraser as Miranda Kennaway * Eric Barker as Dr. Morgan Rutherford *

Jennifer Jayne Jennifer Jayne (14 November 1931 – 23 April 2006) was an English film and television actress born in Yorkshire to theatrical parents. Born Jennifer Jayne Jones, she adopted her stage name of Jennifer Jayne to avoid confusion with the Holly ...

as Jill Clemons * Jimmy Thompson as Alex Spendlove * Sid James as Sid *

Esma Cannon Esma Ellen Charlotte Littmann (née Cannon) (27 December 1905 – 18 October 1972), credited as Esme or Esma Cannon, was a diminutive () Australian-born character actress and comedian, who moved to Britain in the early 1930s. Although she freque ...

as Mrs Deevens * Geoffrey Keen as Sir John *

Jill Ireland Jill Dorothy Ireland (24 April 1936 – 18 May 1990) was an English actress and singer. She appeared in 16 films with her second husband, Charles Bronson, and was additionally involved in two other of Bronson's films as a producer. Life and ca ...

as Janet * Victor Maddern as Removal Man * Lance Percival as Harry *

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 ...

as Mrs Bostwick * David Lodge as Taxi Driver * Ambrosine Phillpotts as Mrs Featherstone *

Brian Oulton Brian Oulton (11 February 1908 – 13 April 1992) was an English character actor. Biography Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, Oulton made his acting debut in 1939 as a lead actor. During the Second World War he served in the British Army, and ret ...

as Concert Agent * Christine Andres Coombs as Violin player * Leonard Hirsch as Orchestra leader violin * Jim Dale as Cheeky young trombonist * Ronald Waller as 1st Bassoon in the final orchestral clip * Eddie Wilson (Albert Edward Wilson) as the 2nd Bassoon in the final orchestra clip * Dorinda Stevens as Doris

References

External links

* {{Gerald Thomas Films directed by Gerald Thomas 1961 films British comedy films 1960s English-language films 1961 comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films produced by Peter Rogers Films set in London 1960s British films