Small Hotel (1957)
Good Light Comedy
3 July 2002
With a pretty good cast, a good assortment of characters, and an amusing story, this light comedy works quite well. Gordon Harker, a good character actor, gets the chance to be in the leading role as the scheming waiter Albert. Janet Munro is energetic and sympathetic as a young waitress, and Marie Lohr is mostly believable as a bad-tempered justice of the peace. They get help from a supporting cast that includes John Loder and a young Billie Whitelaw. There are no big laughs, but a fair number of smiles, and a story that moves quickly and easily holds your interest.

The story starts when Loder, as a representative of the chain that owns the hotel where Harker and Munro work, decides to meddle with their way of doing things. Soon there is a rather involved battle of wills and wits among all of the characters. There might not be much depth to any of it, but it is entertaining, and unlike a lot of similar films, they don't push things farther than the premise justifies. You won't see too many B-comedies better than this, and it is definitely recommended if you enjoy low-budget comedies from the 40's and 50's.
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