Publisher: CinemaSerf December 1, 2024
OK, so it's maybe a bit on the long side this film, but I always enjoyed the on-screen dynamic between Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison as "Joe" and "Ethel" as they take us through some fairly monumental family moments in the lives of their family. Though it wasn't in 1948, I do remember when we first got a telephone and yes - it was quite an event and equally, yes, my dad could never get near the thing. All "Joe" wants is to arrange a peaceful pint and a game of snooker! The UK is recovering from the travails of WWII and with HRH The Princess Elizabeth about to marry her dashing naval officer, the family quickly move on from the excitement of their new gadget to planning how and where they are going to see the procession. Their invitations to the abbey clearly lost in the post. Then there's a fire at the adjacent factory - poor old "Joe" can't even get a decent night's sleep... Oh yes, and underpinning this whole series of minor catastrophes is "Diana" (Diana Dors) who is the niece of "Ethel" and who has come to stay for a few days whilst her mother "Edie" (Dandy Nichols) is under the knife. Turns out she's a bit of a selfish lass who does nobody any favours, least of all her uncle when he rather foolishly gets her a job at his factory. Daughters "Jane" (Jane Hylton), "Susan" (Susan Shaw) and "Pet" (Petula Clark) are all having, to varying degrees, man trouble and by the end of this engaging story of ordinary Brits, their trauma around the telephone proves the least of their worries. It does run out of steam a bit towards the end, but there's still plenty of light-heartedness, grumbling, panic and entertaining dialogue to keep this observation of a lifestyle long since passed well worth a gander.