School for Randle
{{Short description|1949 British film by John E. Blakeley}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name = School for Randle
| image = School_for_Randle_film_Theatrical_release_poster_(1949).png
| caption =
| director = John E. Blakeley
| producer = John E. Blakeley
| writer = {{ubl|Harry Jackson|Frank Randle|John E. Blakeley}}
| narrator =
| starring = {{ubl|Frank Randle|Dan Young|Alec Pleon|Terry Randall}}
| music = Fred Harris
| cinematography = Ernest Palmer
| editing = Dorothy Stimson
| studio = Mancunian Films
| distributor = Mancunian Films
| released = {{Film date|1949}}
| runtime = 89 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
School for Randle is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Dan Young and Alec Pleon.{{Cite web |title=School for Randle |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150268558 |access-date=6 January 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}} It was written by Randle, Harry Jackson and John E. Blakeley. It was made at the Manchester Studios, and was one of a string of cheaply made and profitable films starring Randle during the era.{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/506704/|title=BFI Screenonline: Blakeley, John E. (1888-1958) Biography|publisher=}} The title is a reference to the Richard Brinsley Sheridan play The School for Scandal.
A school caretaker turns out to be the father of one of the pupils.
Plot
Former Music-Hall act "Flatfoot" Mason is caretaker at a school where one of the pupils, and unbeknownst to her, is his daughter, Betty; who was put up for adoption when his wife died. She is now a teenager and this causes concern, as the staff feel "Flatfoot" is being over attentive to her. Told to pay her less attention, "Flatfoot" reluctantly obeys, but Betty thinks he's rejecting her and decides to run away to make her name in show business. Along with fellow caretakers, "Flatfoot" tracks her down to a seedy cabaret club. In disguise as a Chinese acrobatic troupe, "The Three Who Flungs", "Flatfoot" and friends attempt to persuade Betty to come home.
Cast
- Frank Randle as "Flatfoot" Mason
- Dan Young as Clarence
- Alec Pleon as Blockhead
- Terry Randall as Betty Andrews
- Hilda Bayley as Mrs. Andrews
- Frederick Bradshaw as Mr. Andrews
- Jimmy Clitheroe as Jimmy
- Maudie Edwards as Bella Donna
- John Singer as Ted Parker
- Elsa Tee as Miss Weston
Critical reception
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Usual Randle slapstick antics; some good belly-laughs, but on the longish side."{{Cite book |last=Quinlan |first=David |title=British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 |publisher=B.T. Batsford Ltd. |year=1984 |isbn=0-7134-1874-5 |location=London |pages=244}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0176123}}
Category:Films directed by John E. Blakeley
Category:British black-and-white films
Category:Films shot in Greater Manchester
Category:1940s English-language films
{{1940s-UK-comedy-film-stub}}