Please Sir! (film)

Please Sir! is a 1971 British comedy film starring John Alderton, spun off from the television series Please Sir![1][2]

Please Sir!
UK theatrical poster
Directed byMark Stuart
Produced byAndrew Mitchell
Written byJohn Esmonde
Bob Larbey
StarringJohn Alderton
Deryck Guyler
Noel Howlett
Joan Sanderson
Music byMike Vickers
CinematographyWilkie Cooper
Edited byRichard Best
Distributed byRank
Release date
10 September
  • 1971 (1971)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Mr. Hedges, the somewhat naive and idealistic teacher of the rebellious Class 5C of Fenn Street School lobbies to have his class allowed on the annual school camping trip despite much precedent to the contrary from the likes of head teacher Mr. Cromwell, the fastidious and officious school caretaker Mr. Potter, the snobby Miss Ewell and the world-beaten Mr. Price. Eventually with Mr. Hedges having won the hearts and minds of Mr. Cromwell and Miss Ewell with a speech about giving Class 5C a helping hand with the benefits of the trip to the countryside Class 5C eventually get to go on the trip - providing Mr. Hedges also comes along to supervise his unruly class. Once on the camping trip Mr. Hedges pursues Penny Wheeler, the local barmaid, and the class indulge in their usual activities where Dennis becomes at one with the clean air and natural surroundings of the countryside and he befriends a local gypsy boy named Nobbler and his family. A small feud with some stereotypical upper-class children from the posh Boulters School is resolved with a false rape allegation from Sharon. A case of some stolen money is resolved through Mr. Hedges trusting the class. At the final dance Mr. Hedges is ensnared in the romantic clutches of Miss Cutforth, contrary to his wishes.

The opening credits to the film were filmed in Primrose Hill in North-west London, with the junction of Chalcot Road and Fitzroy Road featuring where the kids from Fenn Street School mess about with the school crossing patrol officer and run amok across a zebra crossing in front of traffic. In reality the roads in this area are quiet residential streets, with Chalcot Road being located on a dead end and where the zebra crossing and the traffic island were used as fake props just for this particular opening scene in the film.

The film's closing theme was the song La La La Lu written by Mike Vickers and performed by Cilla Black. Black and her manager (her husband Bobby Willis) claimed they had been led to believe the song would open and close the film, but in fact, it is included in a very late scene in the movie where the students dance to the track and partially over the closing credits. The planned release of the single was thus abandoned by Black, switching the track to the 'B Side' of her single Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight), which became her final top 10 single in the UK[3][4]

Cast

Reception

The film was one of the most popular movies of 1972 at the British box office.[5]

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References
  1. "Please Sir! (1972)". Archived from the original on 28 January 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  2. "Please Sir (1971) - Mark Stuart - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
  3. Black, Cilla. 'What's It All About?'. Ebury Press; New Ed edition (1 July 2004). ISBN-13: 978-0091890353
  4. https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/something-tells-me-(something-is-gonna-happen-tonight)/
  5. Harper, Sue (2011). British Film Culture in the 1970s: The Boundaries of Pleasure: The Boundaries of Pleasure. Edinburgh University Press. p. 270.


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