execelsior-1

I remember seeing this film as a child when it first came out. I disliked it intensely BUT obviously it could not have been as terrible as I thought since I remember it well. I did like both Glynis Johns and Diana Dors. If only these old films were available to us now, I for one would be very happy!!! I remember the cinema where I saw it. It was a 'flea pit' in those days with poor decor and broken seats. The cinema screen was taller than it was wide and the edges were rounded. This was very odd, I thought. I remember that the story dealt with women in prison and followed their misadventures both while 'inside' and after release. I remember being very impressed with Glynis Johns voice and Diana Dors curves. I also remember that the story ended reasonably happy for one but not the other. I was happy when it was over as I had been promised an ice cream for sitting quietly through it!

The program is for adults. Don't be fooled when I say this. It is not smutty or dirty in anyway. It is a thoughtful program that is touching and quite sad at times. One feels oneself sighing a lot as one watches it. I really enjoyed this program. It had such a sadness about it and captured the boredom that so many folks like Ria had suppressed for years. Her children were suitably hopeless creatures. The signature tune captured the mood of the program perfectly. If only the sitcoms of today matched the level of enterprise of this show. If only writers, directors, producers etc KNEW of this program, perhaps we would not get so much garbage on TV today. Wendy Craig and the rest of the cast were excellent, but this is to be expected since they are all professionals.

I am amazed at the 'good reviews' given to this movie. I saw it in 1957 when it came out and the whole audience in London yawned their way through it. I saw it again in 2000 on TV just to see if it really was as hopelessly bad as I remembered it. Believe me, it was. In fact, it was worse than I recalled. It is PAINFUL to watch Dick Sergant and the others. The film was advertised as a vehicle for Pat Boone - all he did was sing a few songs alone on screen and utter a couple of words. I still do not understand the point of this movie. American white middle class kids could NEVER have been this dumb - I think that this is what the executives wanted them to be - stupid and willing to watch this rubbish. How on earth did Janet Gaynor and Dean Jagger get themselves involved in it? I am only giving it ONE out of TEN since there is no zero or a negative number.