I'm used to seeing Stanley Holloway as a large, rambunctious Cockney in support in lots of movies from the 1940s, '50s and '60s. It's a shock to see him as a large, rambunctious Irish Vicar of Bray County Wicklow -- the original of the old drinking song was somewhere in Berkshire. In this one, he's very happy in his parish and annoyed to be called away to be tutor to the elder son of Charles I. He charms the prince with his easy-going ways and soon gets sent back to his parish in disgrace, just in time to avoid the start of the Civil War -- but still has to blarney his way past Cromwell to keep his head and his vicarage. Then, when the Restoration takes place, he has to talk fast to keep his place.... and his young friend is condemned to death for supporting the Protectorate.
It was the last film that Henry Edwards directed for producer Julius Hagen.
Hagen and Edwards had founded Twickenham Studios in 1927 and quickly found a profitable niche producing quota quickies for American studios to play along with their imports. In the early 1930s, however, Hagen started raising the quality of his productions and when he backed Korda for THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII, he saw the enormous profits to be made overseas. So he cut production of the quota quickies and by 1935 he was out of that end of the business, producing better quality films.
It was a big mistake! His American partners had no interest in importing his works, and the better integrated British companies like Gaumont and BIP froze him out. In 1937, Hagen was forced into bankruptcy, his studio taken over, and Edwards went back to being an actor.
This movie managed a London premiere in May of 1937, but general distribution had to wait until the end of the year, when John Maxwell's integrated company, Associated British, took it on. I'm sure they got it cheap and made money on it. It's not a great picture, but it's fun to have Holloway in the lead, slipping a few over his betters and singing a few antique-sounding songs. It was back to the ranks of supporting actors on stage and screen for him after this, although he was always a lot of fun for the audience.
