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It's a Grand Life
It's a Grand Life
	British theatrical poster
Directed by	John E. Blakeley
Written by	H. F. Maltby; Frank Randle
Produced by	John E. Blakeley
Starring	Frank Randle; Diana Dors
Cinematography	Ernest Palmer
Edited by	Dorothy Stimson
Distributed by	Mancunian Films
Release date	November 1953;
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

It's a Grand Life, also known as As You Were, is a 1953 British film described in its opening titles as a comedy burlesque. It was directed by John E. Blakeley and stars Frank Randle and Diana Dors.^[1]

The film contains a series of sketches set in army life in the Essex Regiment in the post-World War II era, mostly involving Randle as an accident-prone private. Randle, who made his final film appearance in It's a Grand Life, had previously starred in a series of World War II army comedies: Somewhere in England (1940), Somewhere in Camp (1942), Somewhere on Leave (1942), Somewhere in Civvies (1943) and Somewhere in Politics (1948).

One of the subplots involves a glamorous Women's Royal Army Corps corporal who is pursued by her company sergeant major. Other set pieces include a wrestling match with Jack Pye and a drill sequence.

Cast

Frank Randle as Private Randle
Diana Dors as Corporal Paula Clements
Dan Young as Private Young
Michael Brennan as Sergeant Major O'Reilly
Jennifer Jayne as Private Desmond
John Blythe as Private Philip Green
Anthony Hulme as Captain Saunders
Charles Peters as Private Rubenstein
Arthur White as Private Prendergast
Leslie Gould
Kevin Peters
Ian Fleming as Mr. Clements
Ruth Taylor as Mrs. Clements
Jack Pye as himself, wrestler
Bill Gernon as himself, wrestler
Cab Cashford as himself, wrestler
Carl Van Wurden as himself, wrestler
Winifred Atwell as herself, guest artiste
Peter Mullings as dance hall manager (uncredited)
George Jackson as jeep driver (uncredited)

Production

It's a Grand Life was one of several low-budget comedies featuring Dors in the era.^[2] She was paid £1,000 for five weeks work, the fee that she had been paid for on Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? (1953). Dors later said that she "loathed the script and everything about it" but that her manager and husband Dennis Hamilton insisted that she take the role.^[3] Dors also claimed that Randle's drinking and temperament had delayed production.^[4]

The film was shot in Manchester.

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The slight story is no more than a peg on which to hang a series of music-hall sketches, which will be recognised by those who are familiar with Randle's stage work. They have a certain rustic humour, but most of the gags and business have worn rather thin with the years, though they may still be appreciated by less sophisticated audiences. Winifred Attwell makes a guest appearance."^[5]

In the Radio Times, Tony Sloman called the film a "quaint and cheap army caper," and wrote of Randle, "If you've never seen him, give this a chance you might find he'll tickle your fancy. But if you have an aversion to music-hall stars on celluloid, give up, for Randle has neither the wit of George Formby nor the warmth of Gracie Fields, and by the time this movie was made he was looking tired and rather grubby."^[6]

References

^ "It's a Grand Life". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
^ Vagg, Stephen (7 September 2020). "A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee". Filmink. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ Dors 1960 p 85
^ Dors 1960 p 87
^ "It's a Grand Life". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 21 (240): 9. 1 January 1954 – via ProQuest.
^ Sloman, Tony. "It's a Grand Life (1953)". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2022.