I remember watching this film on BBC Television when I was sat next to my mother on Christmas Day in 1961. I was 10 years old. It still makes me laugh - 60 years later.
I have just watched it again on Talking Pictures this morning and, even now, it seemed even more appealing. It is definitely a film that would have appealed to young and old alike.
The first part of the film describes a World gone by - a World that no longer exists. The film described a World of family breakfasts and mealtimes - almost treated as a social event. It also shows idyllic country cottages, where even ordinary families had a maid or a housekeeper.
The scene where "The Outlaws" were haunting the house was absolutely hilarious. It had the whole family and our Christmas guests in stitches. The scenes were so well done that they surpassed that of many of the classic comedy films that were made around the same time.
Richmal Compton's character William was very close to my mother's heart as she had read every single one of the books. As a matter of fact, I still have most of them all in my attic. After seeing this film again, I think I will read them one more time.
Yes, it was a film set in an ideal World that probably never really existed. There was no post war austerity, no impoverished rationing, all the women dressed in nothing drabber that than what would have been seen in an expensive fashion catalogue, and two bob (10 pence/ 12 cents) was a lot of money. However, that aside, it was truly a delightful film.
