Something in the City (1950) User Reviews

Lively and quite well done comic caper around London circa 1950

[trimmerb1234 · 5/10 · 5 May 2010]

This forgotten production was shown yesterday on British satellite TV channel Film24 who regularly air well-restored forgotten British films of the era.

Mr Pastry (as star Richard Hearne was better known) was primarily a children's entertainer but this film was made to appeal to all ages. His biggest rival for madcap frantic comedy of that era was Norman Wisdom who was a more versatile and talented performer but who inclined towards pathos and sentimentality. Mr Pastry was more Chaplinesque - a plucky little chap, deflater of the rich and pompous, quick thinking and quick on his feet. The story here is rather close to the Sherlock Holmes "Man with the Twisted Lip" but given a modern treatment. Like the Norman Wisdom vehicles, the popularity of the star allowed budgets for a good cast, reasonable script and good production values. In fact the biggest name in the film is uncredited, playing police constable was a young Stanley Baker.

'Mr Pastry' the movie

[FilmFlaneur · 6/10 · 21 July 2015]

For those old enough to remember the UK's 'Mr Pastry' TV series of the late 50's-early 60's, this film will come as a welcome surprise and a reminder of a once popular star of British family culture. Richard Hearne, star of that long-vanished show here plays Richard Ningle, a mild-mannered family man pretending to work in an office all day while in fact he is an 'art dealer' each day - out begging on the side of a busy London thoroughfare. Complications ensue when his daughter announces her engagement to a snooty couple's son, the father of whom promptly dispatches an investigative reporter to check out the status of Ningle.

None of this is of very much import: what matters here is the physical comedy and treasured screen presence of Hearne whose structured physical comedy (as opposed to the musical-hall slapstick variety more common elsewhere in British cinema) is a delight. Hearne's droopy, pale 'tache is arguably as much a signature of his persona as Harold Lloyd's glasses or Chaplin's cane, and at the moment when it appears in the film (to usher in Ningle's alter-ego 'Artie') this watcher, at least, enjoyed a small frisson which must have also been enjoyed more strongly by contemporary audiences.

A good deal of the running time of Something in The City is Taken up with physical comedy, as Ningle or 'Artie' escape from various pursuers, and for the most part this is successful. Indeed Hearne's natural grace and movement, his use of props and situations, avoidance of cheap laughs and his lack of bumbling through the various narrative mishaps occasionally reminded this viewer of Buster Keaton. There's plenty of comic support too, notably a very young Dora Bryan as an increasingly exasperated cafe waitress. The comedy is lightly done and ultimately the whole thing is something of a delightful fantasy.

Hearne disappeared from our screen too soon and his memory is faint now (The comic mantle he left was perhaps passed on to figures such as Harry Worth then Michael Crawford for new generations). We are lucky to have this film to see now as a reminder of once what was, and how good it was. The picture and sound is perfectly acceptable. Look out for a brief appearance by Stanley Baker as a young police constable at the end.

Something in the City

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 27 December 2022]

"William Ningle" (Richard Hearne) who stopped working seven years ago has been continuing to leave his home (and wife) each morning. Once outdoors, he transforms from the pinstripe-suited City gent into a dishevelled looking pavement artist on London's Trafalgar Square. When the son of a newspaper tycoon seeks to wed his daughter, the father (Garry Marsh) decides to check on the suitability of his potential in-laws and so Hearne must juggle his twin persona to stay ahead of his pursuers - which, by now, also includes the police looking for a missing person... Once it's navigated the rather clunky opening scenes this film picks up speed quite quickly and although the humour - slapstick at times - is pretty gentle, it is still quite a fast paced little comedy with decent efforts from Marsh, George Merritt - as the totally befuddled police inspector - and a fleeting appearance from Dora Bryan making for a fun 75 minutes.

Richard Hearne's Best Film

[info-480 · 10 April 2002]

A wonderfully simple story of Mr Ningle (Richard Hearne) who lost his job in the City many years ago, but didn't like to tell the wife. So off he goes to Town each day in his pinstripe and bowler, collects his mail and then changes clothes and works as a pavement artist. Unfortunately Bill Shine is sent by Garry Marsh to tail him, as Ningle might not be a suitable father-in-law. When Ningle escapes detection, Shine calls the police. They find Ningle's clothes and assume he's been done in. A suspicious character seen near the scene is of course Ningle himself and the police set out to track Ningle in connection with his own "death"! But it ends with a frantic scooter chase, happily ever after!

Quietly amusing

[martinepstein · 6/10 · 6 July 2019]

Easily the best of the three Richard Hearne films I have seen recently. Hearne is not so burdened by the Mr Pasty character and turns in some enjoyable slapstick but thankfully without the pathos. A likeable gentle story and good support from Garry Marsh

Simple unsophisticated knockabout comedy from 1950

[howardmorley · 6/10 · 29 April 2017]

I was 4 in 1950 when this film was produced and 8 when we got our first TV when Richard Hearn was performing his "Mr Pastry" character on BBC TV children's hour (the only channel in those days before ITV was established in 1955).Of course I remember Hearn's slapstick style of comedy and it was typical of having only white Anglo-Saxon casts in 1950s TV films and lack of sophistication in story lines.Basically Hearn uses a poste restante address to obtain his mail and then retires after 25 years working in the City of London and for that service is awarded a clock which plays "Westminster Chimes".To get this clock home of course gives rise to slapstick opportunities like falling over two girls' skipping rope.Richard Hearn was always very well spoken, a trait which I noticed in the mid fifties when I saw his act.This film has the usual predictable slapstick comedy by Mr Pastry more at home in a circus.

His character has a generous nature and he ensures his friends are suitably rewarded when he contrives to extract from Gary Marsh (the boss of a newspaper) £5000 (less £400 for his friends) so that he can present the remaining £4600 to his impecunious and intended son in law so that his daughter can marry him.Remember what inflation has done to monetary values over 67 years!The in-laws especially the wife are nouveau riche, snobby and disdainful of others whom they perceive are less well off than themselves. Average and predictable 6/10.

Like art, comedy is a matter of taste.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 19 May 2022]

Sometimes, he can be so fast-paced that you end up with a headache because of high-pitched voices, constant screaming, and far too much action in a short period of time. This British comedy is a combination of all three of those efficiencies, making me feel dizzy after watching it. I had high hopes for this film that features Richard Hearne as a supposed investor who unbeknownst to his wife was fired from his job years ago and has been pretending to go into London for work everyday while he's actually sitting on the street trying to hawk paintings he's done. He disguises himself to look like someone else, gets involved in an alleged murder charge and is chased all over by police and others in disguise allegedly for his own murder.

I found this far too convoluted and frenzied with too much going on way too fast, not giving me a chance to catch up and not giving me a chance to figure out who is who why people are doing certain things. After a while, it just had me annoyed. The characters for me were also not very likable, although a situation with the waitress played by a young Dora Bryan was slightly amusing. Outside of a curiosity about the cultural significance of the film's popularity, I found this difficult going, and the 76 minutes of the running time seems stretched into eternity. Frankly, the paintings weren't even all that good.

Actor's delight

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 8 July 2019]

I found SOMETHING IN THE CITY a dated delight, a film which ably showcases the physical slapstick talents of actor Richard Hearne in his 'Mr Pastry' persona. The story is a complex little fable of mistaken identity and pursuit, as our unlucky hero masquerades as a businessman while secretly working as a street artist. It starts off a little confusing, but once the law gets involved it becomes fast-paced and delightful. Hearne's agility brings to mind the glory days of Harold Lloyd et al, while the supporting cast work hard for laughs; a youthful Dora Bryan as a sassy waitress is a delight. The lengthy police chase in the film's midsection is the highlight here, although the comedy-of-errors climax is a good 'un too.

Memorable

[grhmb · 8/10 · 9 April 2007]

I saw this movie over fifty years ago when I was about six or seven and it still stays in my mind. The story was excellent. As I remember it the story was told mostly through action. Richard Hearne, who was always instantly recognizable as television's Mr Pastry, did a great job. I do not know if the film was made for television but it appeared superior to anything that I had seen on television at the time. Possibly I saw it on television after it had a run at theaters. For awhile Richard Hearne was one of British television's biggest stars, comparable to today's Mr. Bean. Sadly he has almost completely disappeared from memory along with an early golden age of British television in the 1950s.

A Double Life

[richardchatten · 8/10 · 25 June 2020]

An enjoyable remake by director Maclean Rogers of his own 1937 quota quickie as a vehicle for Richard Hearne.

Aided by attractive photography by Brendan Stafford - both on location and in the studio - Hearne's athletic prowess as an alter ego strongly resembling Mr Pastry is well displayed.