TheEaling comedies is an informal name for a series of comedy films produced by the London-basedEaling Studios during a ten-year period from 1947 to 1957. Often considered to reflect Britain'spost-war spirit,[1][2] the most celebrated films in the sequence includeKind Hearts and Coronets (1949),Whisky Galore! (1949),The Lavender Hill Mob (1951),The Man in the White Suit (1951) andThe Ladykillers (1955).Hue and Cry (1947) is generally considered to be the earliest of the cycle, andBarnacle Bill (1957) the last,[3] although some sources listDavy (1958) as the final Ealing comedy.[4] Many of the Ealing comedies are ranked among the greatest British films, and they also received international acclaim.[5][6][7][8]
In the immediate post-war years there was as yet no mood of cynicism: the bloodless revolution of 1945 had taken place, but I think our first desire was to get rid of as many wartime restrictions as possible and get going. The country was tired of regulations and regimentation, and there was a mild anarchy in the air. In a sense our comedies were a reflection of this mood, a safety valve for our more anti-social impulses.
Relatively few comedy films were made at Ealing Studios until several years after World War II.[10] The 1939 filmCheer Boys Cheer, featuring the rivalry between two brewing companies, one big and modernist, the other small and traditional, has been characterised as a prototype of later films. One of the few other films that can be seen as a direct precursor to the Ealing comedies isSaloon Bar (1940), in which the regulars of apublic house join forces to clear the name of the barmaid's boyfriend who has been accused of murder.[11] Other wartime comedies featuring actors such asTommy Trinder,Will Hay andGeorge Formby were generally in a broadermusic hall tradition and had little in common with the later Ealing comedy films. Ealing made no comedy films at all in 1945 and 1946.[12]
T. E. B. Clarke wrote the screenplay forHue and Cry (1947), about a group of schoolboys who confront a criminal gang, which proved to be a critical and commercial success.[12] It was followed by three films withCeltic themes:Another Shore (1948), about the fantasies of a boredDublin customs official,A Run for Your Money (1949), depicting the adventures of two inexperienced Welshmen in London for an importantrugby international, andWhisky Galore!, (1949) aboutScottish islanders during the Second World War who discover that a freighter with a large cargo ofwhisky has run aground.
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) is ablack comedy in which the son of an impoverished branch of the aristocratic D'Ascoyne family murders eight other members, all of whom are played byAlec Guinness, in order to inherit the family dukedom and gain revenge on his snobbish relations. InPassport to Pimlico (1949), a newly uncovered mediaeval charter causes the inhabitants of the London neighbourhood ofPimlico to create their own independentnation state and endrationing, leading to a variety of unexpected problems anddiplomatic incidents with the British government.
The Magnet (1950), set inLiverpool, is about a boy whose acquisition of amagnet leads to a series of adventures in the city. InThe Lavender Hill Mob (1951) a timidbank clerk gets together an unlikely gang of accomplices to snatch a delivery ofgold bullion. Thearmed robbery proves surprisingly successful, but things start to go wrong when they attempt to melt down their haul into modelEiffel Towers.The Man in the White Suit (1951) features the efforts of a zealous young scientist to create a new kind of clothing material that will never get dirty and never wear out – an invention that threatens the livelihoods of bothbig business and thetrade unions who join forces to try to prevent the publication of this new discovery.
The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953) echoes the theme ofPassport to Pimlico, switched to a rural setting, with a small community standing up for their local interests when theirbranch line is threatened with closure byBritish Railways in a forerunner of theBeeching cuts a decade later. The villagers join forces to keep their railway running, but face competition and sabotage from a rivalbus company.
Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953) follows atelevision set as it is passed on from one owner to another, causing dissatisfaction wherever it goes. The film serves as a warning about the effects of rapidly expanding television use.
The Love Lottery (1954) sees amatinee idol Hollywood star, played byDavid Niven, agree to take part in a "lovelottery".The Maggie (1954) features a clash of culture and wills between a wily Scottish boat captain and a vigorous American business tycoon who has mistakenly contracted the boat to carry a cargo for him. InThe Ladykillers (1955) a gang of criminals rent a room from the elderly Mrs Wilberforce while they're pretending to be astring quintet looking for a space to practice. They plan to use the house to stage a robbery at nearbyKing's Cross railway station. On the brink of escape, they are thwarted by Mrs Wilberforce who discovers their true purpose. The gang agree that she has to be murdered before she can go to the police, but prove incapable of doing this, and begin turning on each other instead.
Who Done It? (1956) was the final comedy made at Ealing Studios, before it was sold to theBBC. It parodiesdetective fiction with a young man setting himself up in business as aprivate detective after receiving a windfall of £100. His confused efforts to solve a crime lead to his becoming entangled inCold War espionage. The film was closer in style to traditional 1930s comedy, rather than the type of films Ealing had become known for over the previous decade.[13]
Two final comedies were released under the Ealing banner, but made atElstree Studios.Barnacle Bill (1957) follows Captain Ambrose who, after leaving the navy, buys a run-downpier on the English seaside. Ambrose tries to revive the pier crossing swords with the local council who have a scheme to redevelop the entire seafront, personally enriching themselves while ruining him. Ambrose battles them by severing his connection with the shore, registering his pier as a ship under a foreign flag, and marketing it as a tourist destination for those tooseasick to go on cruises. InDavy (1958) a promising entertainer tries to decide whether to strike out on his own, or stay with his family's strugglingmusic hall act. No further comedies were made by Ealing, and after the thrillerSiege of Pinchgut (1959), the brand was absorbed into the widerRank Organisation.The previous year Rank had releasedRockets Galore!, a sequel toWhisky Galore!, but its production was unconnected with Ealing.
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Many of the films were built around arepertory group of actors, screenwriters, directors and technicians. Directors wereAlexander Mackendrick,Charles Crichton,Robert Hamer,Charles Frend,Michael Relph andHenry Cornelius. Composers includedErnest Irving andGeorges Auric. Notable actors who became prolific in these films includedStanley Holloway,Alec Guinness,Joan Greenwood,Cecil Parker,Moira Lister andPeggy Cummins.[14] A number of actors also appeared frequently in smaller roles such asEdie Martin andPhilip Stainton.In what was his first major film role,Peter Sellers starred opposite Alec Guinness inThe Ladykillers. InKind Hearts and Coronets Guinness had played multiple roles (which Sellers would later emulate). Sellers stated that during filming he "used to watch Alec Guinness do everything, his rehearsals, his scenes, everything. He is my ideal... and my idol."[15]
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Though Ealing Studios has come to be remembered for its comedies, they were only a tenth of its productions.[16] Conversely,Gainsborough Pictures is associated with theGainsborough melodramas though it also produced many comedies.
Many of the Ealing comedies are ranked among the greatest British films, withKind Hearts and Coronets ranked number 6,The Ladykillers ranked number 13 andThe Lavender Hill Mob ranked number 17 (all three featuringAlec Guinness) in theBFI Top 100 British films.[6] These films were also an international success and received acclaim in the US. In 2005,Kind Hearts and Coronets was included inTime's list of the top 100 films since 1923.The Ladykillers won theBAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay and was nominated for anAcademy Award forBest Original Screenplay.[7]The Lavender Hill Mob won the Academy Award forBest Writing, Story and Screenplay, theBAFTA Award for Best British Film, and Guinness was nominated for the Academy Award forBest Actor in a Leading Role (his first Oscar nomination).[8] Former North Korea leaderKim Jong Il was also said to have been a fan of Ealing comedies, inspired by their emphasis on team spirit and a mobilised proletariat.[17]
The Ealing Comedies, a documentary examining the films and featuring interviews with many key players, was screened as part ofBBC1's Tuesday Documentary strand in April 1971.[18]
Ealing comedies were adapted for radio and broadcast overBBC Radio 4, includingKind Hearts and Coronets in 1990 starringRobert Powell andTimothy Bateson and in 2007 starringMichael Kitchen andHarry Enfield.
Even more than half a century after the curtains closed on the classic production outfit, Ealing comedy is one of British cinema's most powerful brands
