Tons of Trouble

Tons of Trouble
Junia Crawford & Richard Hearne
Directed byLeslie S. Hiscott
Written byRichard Hearne
Leslie S. Hiscott
Based ona story by John Barrow
Produced byRichard Hearne
Elizabeth Hiscott
StarringRichard Hearne
William Hartnell
Austin Trevor
CinematographyNorman Warwick
Edited byCarmen Beliaeff
Music byElizabeth Hiscott
Production
company
Shaftesbury Films
Distributed byRenown Pictures Corporation (UK)
Release date
  • 1956 (1956)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Tons of Trouble is a 1956 black and white British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Richard Hearne, William Hartnell and Austin Trevor.[1] It was written by Hearne and Hiscott.

Plot

The eccentric caretaker of a block of flats, Mr. Pastry, is in charge of two of its boilers, whom he lovingly calls "Mavis" and "Ethel." His affection for the pair leads him into unforeseen problems, and he's fired from his job. Meanwhile, wealthy Sir Hervey Shaw is searching for Mr. Pastry to close an important business deal. Mr. Pastry is found just in the nick of time to save both Sir Hervey's deal, and the temperamental "Ethel", who is on the verge of exploding.

Cast

  • Richard Hearne as Mr. Pastry
  • William Hartnell as Bert
  • Austin Trevor as Sir Hervey Shaw
  • Joan Marion as Angela Shaw
  • Robert Moreton as Jevons
  • Ralph Truman as Inspector Bridger
  • Ronald Adam as psychiatrist
  • Junia Crawford as Diana Little
  • Tony Quinn as Cracknell
  • John Stuart as doctor
  • Yvonne Hearne as matron
  • Angela Proctor as Sir Hervey's secretary
  • William Mervyn as Roberts (MI5)
  • Neil Wilson as Milligan
  • John Raikes as Sir Hervey's male secretary
  • Mary Calnan as B.E.A. girl
  • Sylvia Bidmead as Swissair girl
  • Cyril Rennison as plain clothes policeman
  • Harrington Brian as police doctor
  • John Adams as policeman

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Ingenuous but spirited farce, with Richard Hearne in his usual form as the comically pathetic Mr. Pastry. But it is the boilers, notably the temperamental Mavis, that steal the limelight."[2]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Homely, disarmingly ingenuous slapstick comedy. ... The majority of the laughs are telegraphed: but by weighting the scales in the little man's favour it gives a new slant to familiar situations. Richard Hearne clowns effectively in the lead and the supporting cast and staging, too, are up to scratch."[3]

TV Guide wrote, "Surprisingly, this offbeat story works with some good humor, the elements mixing with effectiveness."[4]

References

  1. ^ "Tons of Trouble". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Tons of Trouble". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 23 (264): 51. 1 January 1956 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ "Tons of Trouble". Kine Weekly. 468 (2538): 20. 5 April 1956 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ "Tons of Trouble". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016.


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