323:. They are eventually sent to the official in charge of the work, who insists it must go ahead. They are served with eviction notices, and demolition is due to begin in a few days. However, they are undaunted, declaring that they would rather go to jail than South Harrow. When it becomes clear that their appeals from political channels are not working, the Lords turn to more active resistance at the urging of Cyril, their daughter's fiancé. They begin barricading their house and preparing to fight the government's attempts to turn them out. At the appointed hour, Filch demands they leave, but they refuse. They are joined by Maurice Hennessey, an ambitious
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304:. He expects this to settle the matter. However, the Lords are reluctant to leave their house, with Henry demanding £6 million if he is to move; an amount he calculates by Mr Filch's account of the estimate of the monetary value the Festival of Britain will bring. Filch goes away, hoping either to buy them off eventually or to forcibly evict them.
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In spite of their popularity, the Lords' situation begins to grow desperate as they run out of food. Just as they are about to give in, Filch arrives and announces that, following the personal intervention of the Prime
Minister, the architects have redrawn their plans and the road will now go either
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called the film "minor whimsy...penned by that usually clever couple, Muriel and Sydney Box, and played by a cast of character actors who are among the best in the land...But the farce collapses painfully upon them long before the end, and what humor there is sounds so parochial that it belongs in
300:, due to begin in just six weeks. He explains that, due to an error by one of the planners, the Lords' shop and house will have to be demolished to allow an entrance route to be built, assuring them that they will be financially compensated and will be moved to a new house in
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Filch brings in a large number of police who attempt to storm the shop, but are driven off by missiles and flour bombs. After the assault descends into chaos, Filch launches a prolonged siege in the hope of starving them out. The Lords soon become a
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train driver who has worked on the railways for over 30 years and who is just about to retire. He is looking forward to enjoying a quiet retirement at the family shop, looking after his pet
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side of the shop, thereby saving it from demolition. The film ends with the family including
Winston enjoying a day out at the Festival of Britain, with Ada flying into the clouds.
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Filch has underestimated how attached they are to their property, which is a symbol of security and family to them after their years of hardship during the
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The film was released in the year following the real
Festival of Britain which had taken place successfully in 1951. It was given a working title of
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Their plans are disrupted by the arrival of Filch, a senior civil servant dressed in a black suit. He announces that he is overseeing work on the
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broadcaster hoping to use the case to further his career. He begins a running commentary on the events to the outside world.
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240:. The plot of the film centres on resistance by a family to the disruption caused by the construction of the
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604:"Mr. Lord Says No (1952) – Muriel Box – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related – AllMovie"
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sister-in-law Ada has had supernatural visions of "men in black" bringing discord.
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or, at most, beyond the range of the clumsily and tediously ridiculed
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British cinema in the fifties: gender, genre and the 'new look'
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In 1951, the House of Lords is a grocery shop that sits on the
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935:Films shot at Station Road Studios, Elstree
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244:. It is also known in the U.S. by the
549:" whereas, in a later review in the
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930:Films with screenplays by Muriel Box
920:Films with screenplays by Sydney Box
681:. Manchester University Press, 2006.
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253:. It was an adaptation of a play
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950:English-language comedy films
915:British black-and-white films
940:1950s English-language films
925:Films produced by Sydney Box
910:British films based on plays
885:Films directed by Muriel Box
148:London Independent Producers
518:which was later changed to
160:Souvaine Selective Pictures
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385:Shirley Mitchell as Marina
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581:"The Happy Family (1952)"
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415:as Sir Charles Spanniell
809:The Passionate Stranger
173:31 March 1952
158:Apex Film Distributors
857:Rattle of a Simple Man
454:Lyn Evans as Neighbour
289:, Winston, though his
259:Michael Clayton Hutton
71:Michael Clayton Hutton
817:The Truth About Women
670:Geraghty, Christine.
277:close to the site of
895:British comedy films
945:1950s British films
905:Films set in London
900:Festival of Britain
637:. 18 February 2022.
591:on 14 January 2009.
403:– Maurice Hennessey
298:Festival of Britain
242:Festival of Britain
833:Subway in the Sky
739:Films directed by
674:. Routledge, 2000.
650:"The Happy Family"
635:The New York Times
533:The New York Times
526:Critical reception
439:as BR Shop Steward
220:is a 1952 British
890:1952 comedy films
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866:
841:Too Young to Love
472:as Process Server
419:Laurence Naismith
356:Kathleen Harrison
246:alternative title
234:Kathleen Harrison
213:
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97:Kathleen Harrison
83:William MacQuitty
18:1952 British film
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849:The Piper's Tune
793:Simon and Laura
785:To Dorothy a Son
761:The Happy Family
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693:The Happy Family
677:Spicer, Andrew.
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587:. Archived from
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520:The Happy Family
515:South Bank Story
460:as BBC announcer
350:Stanley Holloway
313:Second World War
309:Great Depression
283:British Railways
255:The Happy Family
250:Mr. Lord Says No
230:Stanley Holloway
217:The Happy Family
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115:Reginald H. Wyer
93:Stanley Holloway
67:The Happy Family
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409:as Mr. Thwaites
389:Margaret Barton
358:as Lillian Lord
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238:Naunton Wayne
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589:the original
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490:as Policeman
488:Peter Martyn
484:as Policeman
458:Michael Ward
451:as Neighbour
431:Cameron Hall
380:Eileen Moore
364:as Mr. Filch
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319:, mayor and
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302:South Harrow
295:
291:spiritualist
275:river Thames
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224:directed by
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189:Running time
166:Release date
105:Eileen Moore
66:
15:
561:George Cole
552:Radio Times
541:earshot of
427:as Alderman
425:Edward Lexy
395:George Cole
222:comedy film
124:Jean Barker
80:Sydney Box
77:Produced by
41:Directed by
880:1952 films
874:Categories
801:Eyewitness
741:Muriel Box
705:at Variety
679:Sydney Box
654:RadioTimes
648:Sue Heal.
567:References
508:Production
500:Eileen Way
496:as Granger
478:as Fireman
470:David Keir
443:John Salew
437:Hal Osmond
317:councillor
271:South Bank
226:Muriel Box
193:86 minutes
177:1952-03-31
140:Production
57:Sydney Box
54:Muriel Box
51:Written by
45:Muriel Box
121:Edited by
608:AllMovie
433:as Mayor
401:Tom Gill
397:as Cyril
376:as David
311:and the
206:Language
129:Music by
89:Starring
63:Based on
466:as M.P.
391:as Anne
382:as Joan
273:of the
209:English
198:Country
175: (
142:company
860:(1964)
852:(1962)
844:(1959)
836:(1959)
828:(1959)
820:(1957)
812:(1957)
804:(1956)
796:(1955)
788:(1954)
780:(1954)
772:(1953)
764:(1952)
756:(1949)
370:as Ada
698:IMDb
343:Cast
287:hare
265:Plot
236:and
696:at
585:BFI
563:."
547:BBC
530:In
325:BBC
257:by
69:by
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652:.
633:.
606:.
583:.
536:,
522:.
321:MP
261:.
232:,
732:e
725:t
718:v
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179:)
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