Bottoms Up

I would like to know why such a good film never gets put on the television anymore. It was a good old classic comedy and if anyone from the BBC sees this perhaps they would show it for us all again to watch instead of seeing the other movies time and time again. come on please help us to have it shown again.

Jimmy Edwards is the headmaster of a third-rate public school -- for Americans, that means a private school. He believes in beating the boys for any offense and none. Eventually, they revolt.

It's a feature-length version of Edwards' TV show, WHACK-O. I've never seen it, but found that his blustery character palled on me over ninety minutes. It's certainly possible that at the shorter length of TV sitcom, it was more palatable. Apparently, the show, which ran eight seasons from 1956 through 1972, for a total of 60 episodes, would have Edwards attempting to steal the boys' pocket money, like a futile Sgt. Bilko.

Other notable players include Martitia Hunt, Sidney Taffer and John Stuart.

What a great old classic this is! Today's filmmakers and actors could learn so much from viewing such a masterpiece. Not a special effect in site and yet great family fun. Political correctness wasn't invented in 1959 and so Professor Jim drinks and smokes his cigars throughout the film. Bottoms are presented for caning (although Jim never actually canes anything other than a cushion and the deputy headmaster). This film seems to be making a comeback as it appears frequently on ebay. A great pity that the episodes of Whacko! have been lost. If anyone fancies an hour and a half of good, honest fun - they could do worse than obtain this wonderful classic.

When this film was shown recently on TV there was an apologetic announcement before the start, to say that it contained some racist elements which would be frowned on today. Fortunately I wasn't put off. In fact the fake Arabian prince, who is in reality a Cockney, is a thieving little bully, while the real prince is polite and charming; how this is racist, I fail to understand. That apart, all I can say is that I laughed out loud all through the film, which is witty, entertaining and fast-paced, as well as an excellent showcase for Jimmy Edwards's comic talents and those of the rest of the cast. Strongly recommended.

I never saw the movie until now, 2020, and 60 years hasn't aged it one bit. I remember seeing the TV show but, have never seen the movie.

Thanks to political correctness (the laws of which I've yet to see), movies have had to constrain themselves at times. Stupidity is allowed ala American tripe yet, intelligent, comedic movies are torn to shreds because they speak of, everything.

Thankfully modern comedians, male and female, are speaking about everything, and making everything normal and funny once more, something that has been lacking over the past 20 years or so.

This movie is bloody funny, if one looks closely enough. One will see the boys trying to hide smiles while working against a giant peer of his time. Everything works if one has an open mind. Like everything else, if the mind is closed, it sees nothing.

I loved it.