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235:, has a week to get himself arrested and jailed for exactly 28 days. Difficult, snobbish Agnes Russell has to find employment as a domestic servant in a middle-class home, again within a week, and keep her position for a month. Simon Russell, a penniless womanising con man, has to marry the first single woman he speaks to. Timid Herbert Russell has to hold up the bank manager he works for in his office, using a mask and a toy pistol, and obtain the bank keys for two minutes.
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Though the first single woman Simon speaks to is Frieda, a cigarette girl in a club he frequents, being in search of richer prey he breaks his promise. An attractive but suspiciously available young woman called
Lucille scoops him up and, once they are married, reveals that she is the penniless niece
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Agnes finds work with the irascible, demanding Gordon Webb. When Gordon sacks her, she begs to stay for a month, finally offering to pay him £1000. He does change his mind, if only for the enjoyment of tormenting her further. He also hires a private detective, Roger
Godfrey, to find out what she is
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Deniston is thwarted repeatedly in his attempts, but finally manages to complete his task by smashing a shop window and assaulting a policeman. It costs him his fiancée
Elizabeth when he is brought up before the magistrate, Elizabeth's father, but his secretary Sheila reveals her love for him and
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Then the executor gathers the four heirs together and informs them that there is in fact no money left. The whole exercise was Henry's last practical joke. Agnes, Deniston and
Herbert burst into laughter. Simon is annoyed at first, until he looks out of the window at his conniving and equally
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When
Herbert finally gathers the nerve to go through with his assignment, he inadvertently foils an actual robbery and becomes a hero, plastered across the front pages of the press. He is rewarded with a branch managership. Susan, a fellow bank employee, is proud and happy to be his girl.
482:, David Parkinson gave the film four out of five stars, and praised the "fantastic performance of Alastair Sim as the henpecked thriller writer", adding, "the scene in which he tries to shoplift is one of the funniest in a career overladen with choice comic moments," while
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up to. Roger falls in love with Gordon's long-suffering daughter Joan, who is unwilling to marry him as her father depends on her. After Agnes persuades the girl to seize the chance of happiness, Gordon first sacks her and then calls round to take her out to dinner.
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In his will, notorious practical joker Henry
Russell leaves £50,000 to each of his four surviving relatives, provided they first perform prescribed tasks that are completely contrary to their natures.
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This was
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unscrupulous wife, who is waiting for him with a bottle of champagne. Then he too joins in the merriment.
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called the film "a sure-fire
British comedy that's sprightly execution doesn’t leave many dull moments."
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Eleanor
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Law-abiding retired army officer
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in November 1951 called the film a "merely pleasant, not especially surprising, comedy".
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was the fourth most popular film at the British box-office in 1951.
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588:. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 29 December 1951. p. 1
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631:
British Import With Alastair Sim, at 60th St. Trans-Lux"
562:"The Emasculation of Anthony Steel: A Cold Streak Saga"
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504:Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television
406:as passenger in train with Herbert (uncredited)
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247:of his butler, in whom he unwisely confided.
502:Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account',
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194:is a 1951 British comedy film directed by
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922:Films shot at Associated British Studios
615:. Vol. 32, no. 3. p. 258.
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560:Vagg, Stephen (23 September 2020).
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580:"Vivien Leigh Actress of the Year"
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16:1951 British film by Mario Zampi
539:"Some Will – Some Won't (1969)"
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370:as Wagstaffe, the bank manager
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952:Films scored by Stanley Black
927:Films directed by Mario Zampi
917:British black-and-white films
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298:as Endicott, Henry's executor
942:1950s English-language films
719:(June, 1951) at screenonline
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388:as Frieda, a cigarette girl
376:as Stewart, a bank employee
364:as Police station constable
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358:as Police station sergeant
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585:Townsville Daily Bulletin
431:and a bit part in 1951's
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214:. The film was remade as
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447:The Audrey Hepburn Story
125:Associated British-Pathe
476:In modern reviews, the
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717:Contemporaneous Review
676:"Laughter in Paradise"
658:"Laughter in Paradise"
517:"Laughter in Paradise"
428:Dutch in Seven Lessons
352:as Ethel, Agnes's maid
139:13 June 1951
629:Laughter in Paradise,
453:Some Will, Some Won't
414:Some Will, Some Won't
394:as Clerk of the Court
322:as Sir Charles Robson
217:Some Will, Some Won't
932:Films set in England
912:British comedy films
815:Laughter in Paradise
698:Laughter in Paradise
682:on 29 November 2014.
465:Laughter in Paradise
439:Jennifer Love Hewitt
191:Laughter in Paradise
24:Laughter in Paradise
947:1950s British films
937:Films set in London
344:Eleanor Summerfield
316:as Elizabeth Robson
268:as Deniston Russell
807:Shadow of the Past
799:Come Dance with Me
753:Films directed by
637:. 12 November 1951
635:The New York Times
470:The New York Times
400:as Store detective
350:Charlotte Mitchell
304:as Lucille Grayson
286:as Herbert Russell
907:1951 comedy films
889:
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879:Five Golden Hours
656:David Parkinson.
346:as Sheila Wilcott
302:Beatrice Campbell
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863:Too Many Crooks
839:Happy Ever After
783:The Phantom Shot
767:13 Men and a Gun
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340:as Roger Godfrey
292:as Henry Russell
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441:in the 2000
434:One Wild Oat
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392:Noel Howlett
362:Colin Gordon
356:Leslie Dwyer
334:as Joan Webb
266:Alastair Sim
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200:Alastair Sim
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155:Running time
132:Release date
106:Giulio Zampi
77:Alastair Sim
18:
755:Mario Zampi
662:Radio Times
479:Radio Times
368:Ronald Adam
326:John Laurie
284:George Cole
272:Fay Compton
208:George Cole
204:Fay Compton
198:, starring
196:Mario Zampi
85:George Cole
81:Fay Compton
68:Mario Zampi
65:Produced by
55:Jack Davies
45:Mario Zampi
41:Directed by
902:1951 films
896:Categories
871:Bottoms Up
823:Top Secret
490:References
421:Production
180:Box office
159:93 minutes
143:1951-06-13
51:Written by
641:26 August
484:Britmovie
460:Reception
233:pen names
220:in 1970.
103:Edited by
592:24 April
172:Language
111:Music by
73:Starring
566:Filmink
175:English
164:Country
141: (
882:(1961)
874:(1960)
866:(1959)
858:(1957)
850:(1956)
842:(1954)
834:(1953)
826:(1952)
818:(1951)
810:(1950)
802:(1950)
794:(1948)
786:(1947)
778:(1940)
770:(1938)
613:Screen
443:biopic
210:, and
703:IMDb
643:2019
594:2012
259:Cast
224:Plot
701:at
543:BFI
521:BFI
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