John and Julie is a 1955 British comedy film written and directed by William Fairchild and starring Colin Gibson, Lesley Dudley, Noelle Middleton and Moira Lister, and featuring Peter Sellers and Sid James in early screen roles. It was produced by Group 3 Films and distributed by British Lion Films and marked the film debut of Valerie Buckley. In 1953, two children are determined to see the Queen and decide to make their way to London.
| John and Julie | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | William Fairchild |
| Written by | William Fairchild |
| Produced by | Herbert Mason |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Arthur Grant |
| Edited by | Bernard Gribble |
| Music by | Philip Green |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | British Lion Films (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £154,494 (UK)[1] |
Plot
editThe film is set in 1953 in the week leading up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
John and Julie are two young children from Dorset who are eager to see the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in spite of the fact that their respective parents have no intention of going. When the two are left alone they decide to run off to London to see John's 'Uncle Ben' who is in the Life Guards and therefore "he knows the queen".
They steal a horse and take it to the railway station where they buy two tickets to London but John is put off when he loses his ticket. Luckily Julie gets off too. Next Julie joins a group of Brownies on their chartered bus to London, but John is not allowed on because he is a boy. He steals a bike to follow the bus, with each theft leaving an apology note. Julie asks the bus to stop to go to the toilet but is actually trying to feed John.
Eventually in London they get separated in the huge crowd. Julie is taken under the wing of a well-dressed street girl. They are reunited in Trafalgar Square.
Along their way, they encounter different quirky and eccentric people who help them achieve their goal and see the Queen's procession.
At the end of the film all the individuals who were part of the story appear in the crowds watching the Queen go to her coronation.
Cast
edit- Colin Gibson as John Pritchett
- Lesley Dudley as Julie
- Noelle Middleton as Miss Stokes
- Moira Lister as Dora
- Wilfrid Hyde-White as Sir James, a Field Marshal in the Life Guards
- Sid James as Mr Pritchett, John's father
- Megs Jenkins as Mrs Pritchett, John's mother
- Joseph Tomelty as Mr Davidson, a judge on holiday from America
- Constance Cummings as Mrs Davidson, his wife
- Patric Doonan as Jim Webber, a bicycle shop owner
- Andrew Cruickshank as Uncle Ben, a Corporal of Horse in the Life Guards
- Peter Coke as captain in the Life Guards
- Colin Gordon as Mr Swayne, a boys' group leader
- Winifred Shotter as Mrs Swayne, his wife
- Peter Jones as Jeremy
- Vincent Ball as Digger
- Peter Sellers as Police Constable Diamond
- Patrick Connor as Trooper Rogers
- Philip Stainton as a London police sergeant
- Mona Washbourne as Miss Rendlesham
- Molly Weir as Landlady
- Katie Johnson as woman in street
Frazer Hines who later became known for his portrayal of Jamie McCrimmon in Doctor Who had a minor role.[2]
Production
editFilming took place at Beaconsfield Studios. It is interspersed with footage from the day of the coronation.[3]
Release
editJohn and Julie was released to cinemas in the United Kingdom on 26 July 1955, over two years after the Coronation of Elizabeth II.
Reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This film, which is eminently suitable for juvenile audiences, manages to include most of the stock comic/sentimental situations peculiar to the British cinema and is played by a large array of veteran character actors. Its strong patriotic theme also suggests that hardly anything of importance had occurred in the lives of anyone concerned until the Coronation came along. William Fairchild, making his directorial debut, successfully evokes the warm and cosy atmosphere of good clean fun synonomous with stories dealing with the British middle and working classes, and one has little alternative but to succumb to the syrupy, oldfashioned charm of it all."[4]
In September 1956, Maclean's film reviewer, Clyde Gilmour described the film as, "A predictable little comedy-adventure, good fun for most youngsters and bolstered by newsreel shots of the actual event."[5][6]
Halliwell's Film Video & DVD Guide describes the film as, "Genial little family comedy full of stock comic characters."[7]
Box Office
editAccording to the National Film Finance Corporation, the film made a comfortable profit.[8][9] According to Kinematograph Weekly it was a "money maker" at the British box office in 1955.[10]
Home Media
editIn 2007, John and Julie was released on DVD as part of the Long Lost Comedy Classics collection.[11]
References
edit- ^ Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p506
- ^ "Frazer Hines". bfs.org.uk. BFI. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ David Parkinson. "John and Julie (1955)". radiotimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
the film does feature footage of the coronation
- ^ "John and Julie". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 22 (252): 119. 1 January 1955 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Clyde Gilmour (1 September 1956). "Maclean's Movies". archive.macleans.ca. Maclean's. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "John and Julie - Movie Reviews". rottentomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ Walker, 2004, p. 444
- ^ U.S. MONEY BEHIND 30% OF BRITISH FILMS: Problems for the Board of Trade The Manchester Guardian 4 May 1956: 7
- ^ Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (2003). British Cinema of The 1950s The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press USA. p. 29.
- ^ "Other Money Makers of 1955". Kinematograph Weekly. 15 December 1955. p. 5.
- ^ "Comedy Classics - John and Julie [1955] [DVD]". amazon.co.uk.
Bibliography
edit- Walker, John. (ed). (2004). Halliwell's Film Video & DVD Guide. HarperCollins Entertainment. 19th edition