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Bless 'Em All (film)

1948 British film by Robert Jordan Hill From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bless 'Em All (film)
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Bless 'Em All is a 1948 British musical comedy second feature (B movie)[1] film directed by Robert Jordan Hill and starring Hal Monty and Max Bygraves.[2][3] It was written by Aileen Burke, Leone Stewart and Arthur Dent. John Guillermin was an associate producer.[4]

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Plot

In the Second World War Skimpy, Tommy and Jock meet at their army call-up medical and are assigned to the same unit. Tommy is soon in trouble with bad-tempered Sergeant Willis. Later Tommy falls for ENSA singer Val, then discovers she has a date with Willis. Posted to France, Skimpy takes a fancy to Lisette, to find that Willis used to be her admirer. Returning to France after the 1940 retreat, the friends meet again.

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Cast

Production

It was the first of two Adelphi Films to star Hal Monty as Skimpy. It was also the screen debut of Max Bygraves.[5]

Music

The film contains the songs "Bless 'Em All", "I'll be Seeing You", "Siegfried Line", "Boom", "All's Well Mademoiselle", "Hi-Di-Hi", "Victory Waltz", "Maggie Cock-A-Bendy", I'm Afraid to Love You" and "What More Can I Say".[6]

Reception

The film appears to have been reasonably popular.[5]

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The film is a skit on the old Army life, and is extremely funny in the parts which are not too-long-drawn-out. Army entertainments serve to provide the three friends with a reason for doing individual variety acts which are really the best part of the film. Hal Monty's impersonation of a silent film audience is particularly good; but the film as a whole is amateurish and technically below average. Les Ritchie is excellent as the sergeant, but Hal Monty, Max Bygraves and Jack Milroy, as the three friends, are wasted in a badly photographed, sketchy production."[7]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Wildly incoherent but cheery low comedy musical extravaganza, dealing with Army life. Hal Monty, the popular radio and music-hall comic, is given his head and his lively interpretations effectively link the crazy strip of stock gags. A trifle long, but funny for the most part, it's a reliable rib-tickler for the industrial masses."[8]

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Preservation status

The film was included on the British Film Institute's 75 Most Wanted list of lost films, with only a two-and-a-half minute trailer known to survive.[3] In 2012 the BFI reported that they had been notified of a cut-down version titled Be Kind Sergeant available on eBay.[6]

References

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