Tons of Trouble
{{Short description|1956 British film by Leslie S. Hiscott}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Tons of Trouble
| image = "Tons_of_Trouble"_(1956).jpg
| caption = Junia Crawford & Richard Hearne
| director = Leslie S. Hiscott
| producer = Richard Hearne
Elizabeth Hiscott
| writer = Richard Hearne
Leslie S. Hiscott
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on = a story by John Barrow
| starring = Richard Hearne
William Hartnell
Austin Trevor
| music = Elizabeth Hiscott
| cinematography = Norman Warwick
| editing = Carmen Beliaeff
| studio = Shaftesbury Films
| distributor = Renown Pictures Corporation (UK)
| released = {{Film date|1956}}
| runtime = 77 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
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.{{Cite web |title=Tons of Trouble |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150056972 |access-date=24 December 2023 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}} 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
{{div col}}
- 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
{{div col end}}
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."{{Cite journal |date=1 January 1956 |title=Tons of Trouble |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1305819928/FDF4BF4FC2104215PQ/1 |journal=The Monthly Film Bulletin |volume=23 |issue=264 |pages=51 |via=ProQuest}}
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."{{Cite journal |date=5 April 1956 |title=Tons of Trouble |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2676992127/2E4A21E7BE7E4AE7PQ/1 |journal=Kine Weekly |volume=468 |issue=2538 |pages=20 |url-access=subscription |via=ProQuest}}
TV Guide wrote, "Surprisingly, this offbeat story works with some good humor, the elements mixing with effectiveness."{{Cite web |title=Tons of Trouble |url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/tons-of-trouble/review/120835/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011052724/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/tons-of-trouble/review/120835/ |archive-date=11 October 2016 |website=TV Guide}}
References
External links
- {{IMDb title|0197959}}
{{Leslie S. Hiscott}}
Category:1950s English-language films
Category:Films shot at Elstree Studios