''She Knows Y'Know'' is a 1962 black and white British comedy film directed by

Montgomery Tully Montgomery Tully (6 May 190410 October 1988) was an Irish film director and writer. Film career Born in Dublin, Tully studied at the University of London, and originally entered the film industry as a director of documentaries. Later, Tully wo ...

and starring comedienne

Hylda Baker Hylda Baker (4 February 1905 – 1 May 1986) was an English comedian, actress and music hall performer. Born and brought up in Farnworth, Lancashire, she is perhaps best remembered for her role as Nellie Pledge in the Granada ITV sitcom ...

. The film takes its title from Hylda Baker's best known catch-phrase. The

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

describes the film, which was made on a low-budget, as a "low life comedy, unfolded against an

industrial town An industrial city or industrial town is a town or city in which the municipal economy, at least historically, is centered around industry, with important factories or other production facilities in the town. It has been part of most countries' ...

backdrop".

Plot

In the North of England in the 1950s, the lives of two very different families become entwined. The Worswicks are a

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

family led by domineering mother Hylda (Hylda Baker) with husband Joe (Cyril Smith) and academically bright son Leslie (Peter Myers). Neighbours the Smallhopes are aspiring

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...

, led by mother Euphemia (Joan Sanderson), husband Clarence (Neil Wilson), with attractive daughter Marilyn (Linda Castle), whose sudden pregnancy is the catalyst for unfolding dramas involving both families.

Cast

as Hylda Worswick *

Cyril Smith Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a prominent British politician who after his death was revealed to have been a prolific serial sex offender against children. A member of the Liberal Party, he was Member of ...

as Joe Worswick * Joe Gibbons as Charlie Todger * Peter Myers as Leslie Worswick * Linda Castle as Marilyn Smallhope * Tim Connor as Terry Roy * Neil Wilson as Clarence Smallhope *

Joan Sanderson Joan Sanderson (24 November 1912 – 24 May 1992) was a British television and stage actress born in Bristol. During a long career, her tall and commanding disposition led to her playing mostly dowagers, spinsters and matrons, as well as intens ...

as Euphemia Smallhope *

Alfred Burke Alfred Burke (28 February 1918 – 16 February 2011) was an English actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Frank Marker in the drama series '' Public Eye'', which ran on television for ten years. Early life Born in London's south-east ...

as Mr Fox * Lucy Griffiths as Jenny Higginbottom *

Leonard Sachs Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor. Life and career Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated t ...

as John Dawson *

Patricia Shakesby Patricia Shakesby (born 6 November 1942) is an English actress and playwright, best known for her role as Polly Urquhart in '' Howards' Way''. She is also notable for being an original cast member of ''Coronation Street'', in which she played S ...

as Valerie

Critical reception

More recent reception, of the DVD re-issue, has been mixed. *''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' described it as a "mindless sex comedy...Typical ribald British innuendoes abound." * AllMovie described it as a "lively British sex farce."

Restoration

In an article in the ''

Blackpool Gazette The ''Blackpool Gazette'' (locally marketed as simply ''The Gazette'') is an English daily newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast. It was founded as '' ...

'', Jacqui Morley wrote about the film restoration by Eurwyn Jones:

References

External links

* {{Montgomery Tully 1962 films 1962 comedy films British comedy films British black-and-white films British independent films Films directed by Montgomery Tully Films scored by Ken Thorne 1960s English-language films 1960s British films