''Small Hotel'' is a 1957 British 'B'

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 David MacDonald and starring

Gordon Harker William Gordon Harker (7 August 1885 – 2 March 1967) was an English stage and film actor. Harker was one of the sons of Sarah Elizabeth Harker, née Hall, (1856–1927), and Joseph Harker (1855–1927), a much admired set painter for the ...

Marie Lohr Marie Kate Wouldes Lohr (28 July 1890 – 21 January 1975) was an Australian-born actress, active on stage and in film in Britain. During a career of more than 60 years she created roles in plays by, among others, Bernard Shaw, J. M. Barrie, ...

, John Loder, and Janet Munro. It was written by Wilfred Eades based on the 1955 play of the same name by Rex Frost.

Premise

Albert, a crafty old waiter in a country hotel known as ''The Jolly Fiddler'', teaches the younger staff how to maximise their tips and get rid of surplus food in the kitchen. He suddenly finds he must work new tricks on management after being told he is too old for the job and will be replaced by a hard-nosed young waitress, named Miss Mallet.

Cast

as Albert *

as Mrs Samson-Fox * John Loder as Mr. Finch *

Irene Handl Irene Handl () (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films; she also wrote novels. Life Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the younger of two daughters of an Aus ...

as Mrs Gammon * Janet Munro as Effie Rigler *

Billie Whitelaw Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was als ...

as Caroline Mallet * Ruth Trouncer as Sheila * Francis Matthews as Alan Pryor * Frederick Schiller as foreigner peaking in German and then in English*

Derek Blomfield Derek Blomfield (31 August 1920 – 23 July 1964) was a British actor who appeared in a number of stage, film and television productions between 1935 and his death in 1964. Career He trained at LAMDA and made his first stage appearance a ...

as Roland * Dorothy Bromiley as Rosemary

Production

Gordon Harker starred in Rex Frost's play originally called ''The Jolly Fiddler'' which debuted in Liverpool 1954. Frost had once been a waiter and he and his wife had managed a small hotel. ''Variety'' called it "a pleasant vehicle for the thesping talents of Gordon Harker." The play was produced again in 1955 under the title ''Small Hotel'', eventually travelling to London in October where it ran until January and then had a long life in amateur companies. ''The Guardian'' called it "a gentle, pensive comedy". ''Variety'', reviewing it again, called it "modest, but amusing." Peggy Ramsay, who was the agent for the play, attributed most of its success to Gordon Harker. The film was shot at Elstree Studios. Janet Munro says she took the role because she was bored in her marriage to Tony Wright and that her performance led to her casting in '' The Young and the Guilty''.

Critical reception

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'' gave the film two out of five stars and called it an "Average comedy." ''Filmink'' said Munro was "very sweet". In the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'', David McGillivray rated the film two out of five stars, calling it "no great shakes as comedy, but interesting as a vehicle built around a much-loved British star at the end of his career." ''Britmovie'' noted, "Twenty years after appearing on stage in this lively Rex Frost play, in his penultimate film Gordon Harker reprises the role of a belligerent hotel waiter having to use all his wit and cunning to save his job. This low-budget film features Harker in typically jovial form, dominating comic proceedings with typical polished expertise, and with a less assured cast this thin comedy wouldn’t be worthwhile. There are early roles for Billie Whitelaw and Janet Munro, and the doughty Irene Handl is cast as the hotel’s spirited cook." It was one of 15 films selected by Steve Chibnall and

Brian McFarlane Brian McFarlane is a Canadian television sportscaster and author. He is best known as a broadcaster on Hockey Night In Canada and as an author of hockey books. He is also the honorary president of the Society for International Hockey Researc ...

in ''The British 'B' Film'', as among the most meritorious of the B films made in Britain between

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and 1970. They especially praised the performances of Lohr, Handl and Harker.Steve Chibnall &

, ''The British 'B' Film'', Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2009, pp. 272–73.

References

External links

*
Copy of play

Review of filnm
at The Spinning Image 1957 films 1957 comedy films British comedy films Films shot at Associated British Studios Films directed by David MacDonald (director) British films based on plays British black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films Films scored by Louis Levy {{1950s-UK-comedy-film-stub