A group of impecunious music students navigates a series of comic misadventures while preparing for their final exams in London.
A collection of music students, including the perpetually smooth Mervyn Hughes (Leslie Phillips), the frantic Harold Chesney (Kenneth Williams), and the streetwise Sid (Sid James), struggle with their finances and studies at a London music academy. Their path to graduation is overseen by the formidable conductor Sir Benjamin Boyd (James Robertson Justice), a peppery figure who demands excellence. The students’ chaotic living arrangements and constant schemes for cash lead to a variety of farcical situations, from runaway orchestras to troublesome landlords, all while trying to stay one step ahead of their imposing professor.
Produced and directed by the core team behind the Carry On series, this film applies that successful formula to the world of a classical music academy. Though not an official entry in the franchise, it functions as a close cousin, reuniting director Gerald Thomas with producer Peter Rogers and a cast of familiar British comics. The screenplay, from frequent Carry On composer Bruce Montgomery, provides a string of situational gags rather than a strong central plot. The comedy is anchored by a gallery of expert farceurs, most notably James Robertson Justice, whose turn as the conductor is a magnificent variation on his celebrated Sir Lancelot Spratt character from the Doctor film series.
Production Co: Anglo Amalgamated – GHW / 91 minutes / 1961
Director: Gerald Thomas
Producer: Peter Rogers
Screenplay: Bruce Montgomery
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Music: Bruce Montgomery
Main Cast: Leslie Phillips (Mervyn Hughes), James Robertson Justice (Sir Benjamin Boyd), Paul Massie (Malcolm Stewart), Kenneth Williams (Harold Chesney), Liz Fraser (Miranda Kennaway), Eric Barker (Dr. Morgan Rutherford), Jimmy Thompson (Alex Spendlove), Joan Hickson (Mrs. Bostwick), Sid James (Sid)
