Some Will, Some Won't

Some Will, Some Won't is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Duncan Wood, a remake of Laughter in Paradise (1951).[1] It starred an ensemble British cast, which included Michael Hordern, Ronnie Corbett, Dennis Price, Leslie Phillips and Arthur Lowe.[2] In the will of Henry Russell (Wilfrid Brambell), four family members are left £150,000 on condition they do the bizarre tasks Russell has set out for them.[3]

Some Will, Some Won't
British theatrical poster
Directed byDuncan Wood
Produced byGiulio Zampi
Written byGeoffrey Jones
Lewis Schwarz
Based onLaughter in Paradise screenplay by Jack Davies & Michael Pertwee
StarringRonnie Corbett
Thora Hird
Michael Hordern
Barbara Murray
Leslie Phillips
Music byHoward Blake
CinematographyHarry Waxman
Edited byGerry Hambling
Production
company
Associated British Productions Ltd.
Giulio Zampi Productions (as Transocean)
Distributed byWarner-Pathé Distributors (UK)
Release date
April 1970 (UK)
Running time
87 mins
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

In his will, eccentric practical joker Henry Russell (Wilfrid Brambell) leaves his four relatives £150,000 each, but with stipulations designed to make each of them step completely out of character, and prove themselves as human beings. Bossy Agnes Russell (Thora Hird) must work as a maid for a month, Herbert (Ronnie Corbett) must overcome his natural shyness and rob a bank, woman chasing bachelor Simon (Leslie Philips) has to marry the first single woman he speaks to, and crime writer Denniston (Michael Hordern) is asked to commit a real life crime and be sent to jail for a month. When the four individuals report back to the executor (Noel Howlett), their lives are transformed for the better. But deceased Henry still has one more surprise up his sleeve.

Cast

Production and reception

Laughter in Paradise (1951) was produced by Mario Zampi and edited by his son, Giulio, who took the same role as his father on this film. An early release of Nat Cohen's Anglo-EMI, it carried over from the production schedule of the earlier Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), the studio which had made the original film.[4]

David Parkinson, a reviewer for the Radio Times, comments: "Some people really will find this comic calamity funny, but they'll be in a very small minority." While "Laughter in Paradise was a patchy, but thoroughly amiable slice of whimsy", Parkinson believes "this insipid remake" is "not only an insult to the memory of the original, but it also breaches the Trades Descriptions Act" if it is intended to be a comedy and wastes a good cast.[5]

References

  1. "Some Will - Some Won't (1970)".
  2. "Some Will, Some Won't (1970) - Duncan Wood - Cast and Crew - AllMovie".
  3. "Network ON AIR > Some Will, Some Won't".
  4. Moody, Paul (2018). EMI Films and the Limits of British Cinema. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan/Springer. p. 98. ISBN 9783319948034.
  5. "Some Will, Some Won't". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
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