Comedy

The Happiest Days of Your Life

Nutbourne College, an old established, all-boys, boarding school is told that another school is to be billeted with due to wartime restrictions. The shock is that it's an all-girls school that has been sent. The two head teachers are soon battling for the upper hand with each other and the Ministry. But a crisis (or two) forces them to work together.

Release Date : 1950-03-08

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Individual PicturesLondon Films ProductionsLondon FilmsBritish Lion Films

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Wetherby Pond

Original Name : Alastair Sim

Gender : Male

Character Name : Muriel Whitchurch

Original Name : Margaret Rutherford

Gender : Female

Character Name : Conrad Matthews: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : John Turnbull

Gender : Male

Character Name : Arnold Billings: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : Richard Wattis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Richard Tassell: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : John Bentley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Victor Hyde-Brown: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : Guy Middleton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Monsieur Joue: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : Percy Walsh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anthony Ramsden: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : Arthur Howard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rainbow: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : Edward Rigby

Gender : Male

Character Name : Edwin: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : Harold Goodwin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Hampstead: Staff of Nutbourne

Original Name : Gladys Henson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Miss Jezzard: Staff of St. Swithin's

Original Name : Muriel Aked

Gender : Female

Character Name : Miss Gossage: Staff of St. Swithin's

Original Name : Joyce Grenfell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Miss Harper: Staff of St. Swithin's

Original Name : Bernadette O'Farrell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Miss Chapel: Staff of St. Swithin's

Original Name : Myrette Morven

Gender : Female

Character Name : Miss Armstrong: Staff of St. Swithin's

Original Name : Patience Rentoul

Gender : Female

Character Name : Miss Curtis: Staff of St. Swithin's

Original Name : Lilian Stanley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sir Angus McNally

Original Name : Kenneth Downey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Collet

Original Name : Laurence Naismith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rev. Rich

Original Name : Stringer Davis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Parry

Original Name : Stanley Lemin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Parry

Original Name : Olwen Brookes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Ibbertson

Original Name : Alan Broadhurst

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Ibbertson

Original Name : Vivien Wood

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Jones

Original Name : Nan Munro

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. West

Original Name : Russell Waters

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Tripp

Original Name : George Benson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barbara Colhoun

Original Name : Angela Glynne

Gender : Male

Character Name : Angela Parry

Original Name : Patricia Owens

Gender : Female

Character Name : Alice

Original Name : Margaret Anderson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mary

Original Name : Betty Blackler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Metcalf

Original Name : Fred Marshall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cranbourne

Original Name : John Rhodes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Talbot

Original Name : Jim Davis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Unsworth

Original Name : Keith Faulkner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Oliver

Original Name : William Simonds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Junior Assistant Caretaker at Ministry of Education (Uncredited)

Original Name : George Cole

Gender : Male

Character Name : Political Canvasser (Uncredited)

Original Name : Beryl Ede

Gender : Male

Character Name : Assistant Cook (Uncredited)

Original Name : Gertrude Kaye

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ethel (Uncredited)

Original Name : Charlotte Mitchell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Young Girl (Uncredited)

Original Name : Pat Pleasance

Gender : Male

Character Name : Benson (Uncredited)

Original Name : Mackenzie Ward

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-04-25

"Wetherby Pond" (Alastair Sim) is the headmaster of a boy's school who really just wants a peaceable life with his miscreant pupils at "Nutbourne" school. It's the war, though, and the useless mandarins at Whitehall decide that he is going to have to share his premises with another school. Thing is, they get all caught up in their own red tape and next thing he finds the intimidating "Miss Whitchurch" on his doorstep, armed with hundreds of girls, luggage, hockey sticks - you name it. They are there and there to stay. Before he can blink, "Pond" and his staff have been outmanoeuvred and his shirts are now in the filing cabinet! A sort of truce breaks out, cemented a little more when they realise that their charges have pens and paper and stamps. Letters to the parents about sharing send shivers down their spines. They must collaborate. A sudden inspection spells disaster for both of their careers unless they can institute some facility sharing legerdemain in double quick time. Will it work? Can it? Well we spend much of the rest of this amiable comedy demonstrating a degree of precision the would have made the D-Day landings blush. Sim and Rutherford both had super comedy timing and Frank Launder and John Dighton have adapted the latter man's play to ensure they get ample opportunity to demonstrate that to us. A solid supporting cast including the always entertaining Joyce Grenfell help keep this eighty minutes of mischief and mayhem working well.