It's Hard to Be Good
It's Hard to Be Good is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Jeffrey Dell and starring Jimmy Hanley, Anne Crawford and Raymond Huntley.[1] In the film, an ex-army officer finds his altruistic attempts to improve the world are unsuccessful.[2]
| It's Hard to Be Good | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Original British poster | |
| Directed by | Jeffrey Dell |
| Produced by | John W. Gossage |
| Written by | Jeffrey Dell |
| Starring | Jimmy Hanley Anne Crawford Raymond Huntley |
| Music by | Antony Hopkins |
| Cinematography | Laurie Friedman |
| Edited by | Helga Cranston |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
It was shot at Denham Studios. The film's sets were designed by the art director Alex Vetchinsky.[1]
Plot
On leaving the army, officer and war hero Captain James Gladstone Wedge (Jimmy Hanley) is full of idealism about bettering the world. He falls in love with Mary Leighton (Anne Crawford), who nursed him whilst he was recovering from his wartime injuries. The couple agree to marry once they can find themselves a home.
Jimmy's attempts to promote goodwill and community spirit amongst his relatives and neighbours are frequently frustrated. Finally settled into a flat with Mary, he ends the film by playing his trumpet and no longer caring what people might think.
Cast
- Anne Crawford as Mary Leighton
- Jimmy Hanley as Captain James Gladstone Wedge VC
- Raymond Huntley as Williams
- Edward Rigby as Parkinson
- Elwyn Brook-Jones as Budibent
- Joyce Carey as Alice Beckett
- Geoffrey Keen as Sergeant Todd
- Lana Morris as Daphne
- David Horne as Edward Beckett
- Muriel Aked as Ellen Beckett
- Cyril Smith as Fred Hobson
- Leslie Weston as Buck
- Alison Leggatt as Mrs Buck
- Robert Adair as Committee Man
- Francis De Wolff as Fighting Neighbour
- Judith Furse as Sister Taylor
- Colin Gordon as Neighbour with Baby
- Joan Hickson as Mending Woman
- Sam Kydd as Husband
- Leslie Perrins as Major Gordon
- Wensley Pithey as Vicar
- Walter Rilla as Kamerovsky
- John Salew as Committee Man
- Marianne Stone as Clerk in Newspaper Office
- Merle Tottenham as Mrs. Hobson
- Ian Wilson as Fighting Neighbour
Critical reception
In his book Forgotten British Film, Philip Gillett argued that "The satirical It's Hard to be Good (1948) deserves rescuing from obscurity, with its decorated hero looking for a niche in an uncaring peacetime world."[3]
References
- "It's Hard to Be Good (1948)". BFI.
- Gillett p.23
- Gillett, Philip (11 May 2017). Forgotten British Film: Value and the Ephemeral in Postwar Cinema. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781443891851 – via Google Books.
Bibliography
- Gillett, Philip. Forgotten British Film: Value and the Ephemeral in Postwar Cinema. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017.