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One Good Turn

  • 1955
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
704
YOUR RATING
Norman Wisdom in One Good Turn (1955)
Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property developer wants to close the orphanage and build a factory on the site.
Play trailer2:03
1 Video
6 Photos
SlapstickComedy

Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property develo... Read allNorman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property developer (boo hiss!) who is also the chairman of the orphanage board wants to close the orphana... Read allNorman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property developer (boo hiss!) who is also the chairman of the orphanage board wants to close the orphanage and build a factory on the site. The children are sent to Brighton for the day and Norm... Read all

  • Director
    • John Paddy Carstairs
  • Writers
    • John Paddy Carstairs
    • Sid Colin
    • Maurice Cowan
  • Stars
    • Norman Wisdom
    • Joan Rice
    • Shirley Abicair
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    704
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Paddy Carstairs
    • Writers
      • John Paddy Carstairs
      • Sid Colin
      • Maurice Cowan
    • Stars
      • Norman Wisdom
      • Joan Rice
      • Shirley Abicair
    • 14User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:03
    Trailer

    Photos5

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    Top cast96

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    Norman Wisdom
    Norman Wisdom
    • Norman
    Joan Rice
    Joan Rice
    • Iris
    Shirley Abicair
    • Mary
    Thora Hird
    Thora Hird
    • Cook
    William Russell
    William Russell
    • Alec Bigley
    Joan Ingram
    Joan Ingram
    • Matron Sparrow
    Richard Caldicot
    Richard Caldicot
    • Mr. Bigley
    Marjorie Fender
    • Tuppeny
    Keith Gilman
    • Jimmy
    Noel Howlett
    Noel Howlett
    • Jeweller
    David Hurst
    David Hurst
    • Professor Dofee
    Harold Kasket
    • Ivor Petrovitch
    Ricky McCullough
    • Gunner Mac
    • (as Ricky Mc Cullough)
    Anthony Green
    • Martin
    • (as Antony Green)
    John Adams
    • Constable in Theatre
    • (uncredited)
    Chris Adcock
    • Stagehand
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Andrews
    • Boxing Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Jonathan Bailey
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • John Paddy Carstairs
    • Writers
      • John Paddy Carstairs
      • Sid Colin
      • Maurice Cowan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews14

    6.5704
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    Featured reviews

    Fareed-2

    Good Old Fashioned Family Movie

    Norman Wisdom may not be a household name in North America, but he certainly was one in Europe & Asia during the height of his career in the '50s & the '60s. "One Good Turn" is a funny, clean cut family comedy that you can watch with your kids without having to have the remote handy to press the forward button during the inappropriate sections which nowadays is all over so called family movies. Norman is charming, honest & utterly funny in his movies. A likable character that kids and adults alike can relate to. "One Good Turn" is a funny movie with many clever slapstick sequences (check out the orchestra conductor sequence for just one example) that have not lost their charms. Norman Wisdom movies have been hard to find here in North America but recently WHAM! USA label has put out a whole bunch of them out (sadly on VHS only so far). Get them while they're still around. You won't be disappointed!
    8Sleepin_Dragon

    Sweet and funny.

    Norman agrees to buy a pricey toy car for a young lad at an Orphanage, and sets about earning the required amount.

    It is a truly lovely, sweet film, it has some very funny moments, the scene inside the first class carriage, and the orchestra conduction are works of pure brilliance.

    Lots of familiar faces, a young William Russell, a good few years before his break on Doctor Who, Thora Hird is lovely as Cook.

    Wisdom as always is just wonderful, a great actor, boundless charisma. 8/10.

    It's a joy.
    6michaelarmer

    One Good Film

    Well almost, Norman likes touching on the underdogs, the put down and the socially disadvantaged, this one sees him sticking up for Orphans, fortunately its not too cheesy, but its not great, not one of his best.

    Its more of a moral humorous comedy than a funny one, Wisdom gets up to his usual antics, but with a slightly serious angle, Norman was an orphan, so its a subject that's in his heart, its no coincidence this is the subject of his second film in, it was a life project. His whole life leading up to him being a star is around being an orphan and fighting for them, he did charity work in that line for many years after.

    But its still fairly good, look out for a character actor with the name of Thora Hird, a stalwart of British Film and TV.
    9gwilym49

    Probably the best of Wisdom's films.

    Probably the best of Norman Wisdom's films. Some extremely funny and clever scenes are seen in this work. For example, Wisdom fools around in a railway carriage in front of some very 'English' stuffed shirts. Also,(in one of the funniest scenes I have seen in any film) he stands in front of an orchestra waving a candy floss stick. The orchestra plays accordingly! There are some sentimental scenes also, which some viewers may find hard to take (as in all Wisdom's films). But, on the whole, a very funny film guaranteed to cheer you up when you are feeling down.
    7hitchcockthelegend

    Bulliish Brighton Buffoonery.

    One Good Turn is directed by John Paddy Carstairs and Carstairs co-writes the screenplay with Sid Colin, Maurice Cowan, Talbot Rothwell, Dorothy Whipple and Ted Willis. It stars Norman Wisdom, Joan Rice, Shirley Abicair, Thora Hird, William Russell, Joan Ingram and Richard Caldicot. Music is by John Addison and cinematography by Jack E. Cox.

    Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and has slotted into the furniture as the unpaid caretaker. The happiness and tranquillity of The Orphanage is greatly disrupted when it comes to light that the Orphanage chairman wants to sell it and turn it into a factory. Can the staff, the kids and the biggest kid of them all - Norman - stop the scheming rotter?

    A delight for Wisdom fans, this monochrome piece finds the jumping bean that is Wisdom on fine form. There's nothing new in the narrative threads, it's Norman causing chaos when he's trying to do good, and those around him are affected either physically or emotionally. So watch Norman with a wasp up his trousers, bringing the tears with onions, a child's motor car chase, a charity walk, taking control of an orchestra and more! The kids are great, as is the wonderful as usual Hird, and there's even a couple of musical numbers to ease the flow of the ebullience.

    We know where we are heading, but really who cares? The fun is in getting there and finding Wisdom doing what he does best - lifting those blues. 7/10

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    Related interests

    Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
    Slapstick
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Producer Maurice Cowan made Norman Wisdom's first film, and wrote the story for his third film. He so disliked working with Wisdom on this film that he never produced another film for the comedian.
    • Connections
      Featured in Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema: British Comedy (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      Please Opportunity
      Written by Norman Wisdom

      Performed by Norman Wisdom

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 17, 1955 (Portugal)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Veseli Norman
    • Filming locations
      • Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Maurice Cowan Productions
      • Two Cities Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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