''Reluctant Heroes'' is a 1952 British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Jack Raymond Jack Raymond (1886–1953) was an English people, English actor and film director. Born in Wimborne, Dorset in 1886, he began acting before the First World War in ''A Detective for a Day''. In 1921, he directed his first film and gradually he wo ...

and starring Ronald Shiner, Derek Farr and Christine Norden. It is based on the popular farce of the same title by Colin Morris. The play, which had its West End premiere at the Whitehall Theatre in September 1950, was the first of the Brian Rix company's Whitehall farces. The film was shot at the

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the north bank of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having opened in May 1976, th ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

in West London. Its sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Wilfred Arnold.

Plot summary

This comedy is set in an army boot camp. It displays a drill sergeant who must somehow turn an inept group of recruits into real soldiers.

Cast

* Ronald Shiner as Sergeant Bell * Derek Farr as Michael Tone * Christine Norden as Gloria Dennis * Brian Rix as Horace Gregory * Larry Noble as Trooper Morgan * Betty Empey as Pat Thompson * Angela Wheatland as Penny Roberts *Anthony Baird as Sgt. McKenzie * Colin Morris as Captain Percy - * Elspet Gray as Lieutenant Virginia

Reception

Box office

The film is listed in the 12 most popular films at the British box-office in 1952, in an article in the Sydney ''Sunday Herald'' that cited Ronald Shiner as the UK's favourite film star of the year. It earned ten times its budget. Brian Rix asserts in his autobiography that it was the UK's top box office film of the year.Rix, B. (1975) My Farce From My Elbow, Secker & Warburg, London.

References

External links

''Reluctant Heroes''
at the

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

* 1952 films 1952 comedy films British comedy films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Jack Raymond British films based on plays Military comedy films 1950s British films Films shot at Riverside Studios English-language comedy films {{1950s-UK-comedy-film-stub