The Good Companions (1957 film)

The Good Companions is a 1957 British musical film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Eric Portman and Celia Johnson.^[2][3] It was written by J.L. Hodson, T.J. Morrison and J.B. Priestly based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Priestley and is a remake of the 1933 film version.

The Good Companions
Film poster
Directed by	J. Lee Thompson
Written by	J. L. Hodson T. J. Morrison J. B. Priestley
Produced by	Hamilton G. Inglis J. Lee Thompson
Starring	Eric Portman
Cinematography	Gilbert Taylor
Edited by	Gordon Pilkington
Music by	Laurie Johnson
Release date	9 January 1957 (1957-01-09) [1]
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot

The story of the “Dinky Doos”, a down-at-heel touring concert party, where the arrival of new members helps to improve the company’s luck.

Cast

• Eric Portman as Jess Oakroyd
• Celia Johnson as Miss Trant
• Hugh Griffith as Morton Mitcham
• Janette Scott as Susie Dean
• John Fraser as Inigo Jollifant
• Joyce Grenfell as Lady Parlitt
• Bobby Howes as Jimmy Nunn
• Rachel Roberts as Elsie and Effie Longstaff
• John Salew as Mr. Joe
• Mona Washbourne as Mrs. Joe
• Shirley Anne Field as redhead
• Carole Lesley as film star

Production

It was one of the pet projects of Robert Clark, head of ABPC. J Lee Thompson was Clark's favourite director.^[4]

Reception

Critical

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "J. B. Priestiey's slightly dated original has been superficially modernised with a few "pop" songs (including a painful title number), intermittent attempts at an American musical style, and several references to television. The result is as incongruous as might be expected. Characterisation is consistently two dimensional, and the dialogue is dogged but flat. The director appears to have shot the majority of sequences from a limited number of angles and intercut the result. Though this technique succeeds in preventing visual monotony, it adds little except confusion to the narrative itself. The musical numbers, including the self-consciously lavish finale, are largely pseudo-Hollywood imitations."^[5]

Box office

In a House of Lords debate it was revealed the film had lost £118,382.^[6]

References

1. "The Good Companions". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
2. "The Good Companions". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
3. Hall, Mordaunt (2011). "New York Times: The Good Companions". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
4. Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (2003). British Cinema of The 1950s The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press USA. p. 84.
5. "The Good Companions". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 24 (276): 43. 1 January 1957 – via ProQuest.
6. Hill, William John (1985). CLASS, SEXUALITY AND THE*BRITISH CINEMA 1956-63 (PDF) (Thesis). University of York. p. 250.

External links

• The Good Companions at IMDb