Ted talk… The Boys (1962), Original cast reunion and screening, Elstree Studios

This film represents British cinema between two eras, as the young cast improvises its way as defendants in a trial played out by more traditional actors as prosecutors. The scenes in which the four accused are cross-examined in a courtroom filmed from asymmetrical angles has Richard Todd, Felix Aylmer and Robert Morley as the barristers and judge, largely sticking to script against Dudley Sutton, Jess Conrad, Ronald Lacey and Tony Garnett.

Three of the accused were present in this screening at Elstree, 55 years after The Boys had been shot there. Sutton, Conrad and Garnett were unanimous in their praise of Robert Morley and damning of Todd, who was inflexible and unhelpful; performing the minimum required whereas Morley had taken an interest in these three youngsters and seemingly improvised alongside them.

Todd’s performance is not bad and has enough flexibility to convince but Morley is a revelation especially when he recalls being bullied as the “fat boy” at school; it’s heartfelt and all too believable. In comparison Mr Todd appears to be acting in a different film.

Dudley Sutton

Dudley Sutton – no fan of watching his own performances – has enjoyed a huge career with a list on IMDB as long as your arm – if your arm is very long - and felt his film debut was self-conscious. He said it took him until well into his forties to realise that the best actors don’t “try” so hard. But in The Boys, he is still highly watchable as Stan Coulter a working-class boy with an unpredictable edge.

Tony Garnett, here playing Ginger Thompson, an apprentice labourer proud of his union card, went on to work with Ken Loach for many years and produced Cathy Come Home, Poor Cow and many other landmarks of social realism. He praised the great Carol White’s cameo in this film, The Battersea Bardot speaking with truthful accent and manner, no RP here! Garnett was the most constructed in his thoughts on The Boys, as you’d expect from a man who, realising he wasn’t going to better Albert Finney changed direction to get more involved in the creative process of his films: he wanted to be there when the decisions were made on tone and message.

Tony Garnett

Jess Conrad, who is a force of nature, supernaturally good humoured but with his humble origins providing the drive to make the most of himself, was the one cast perhaps mostly for who he was rather than his ability to act. This is no bad thing and with Ronald Lacey completing the line-up of the accused, there was plenty of acting ability on show. To paraphrase Louise Brooks, there are two types of actors, those who act themselves (she included herself) and those who act…

The Boys tells of these four teenagers – Garnett felt they were all miss-cast all being well into their twenties – who are accused of robbing a petrol station and killing the attendant. The story begins with their appearance in court and their plea of “not guilty”.

The Ace Face: Jess Conrad

At first the succession of witnesses makes it clear that the circumstantial evidence is stacked against them as is the opinion of the prosecution and jury. Richard Todd plays the prosecuting counsel Victor Webster whilst Robert Morley is Montgomery, defence counsel who looks to have a hopeless cause. Every single account seems to push the lads further into the mire from Wilfrid Brambell’s toilet attendant, Roy Kinnear’s bus conductor to Carol White’s Evelyn, who claims they harassed her.

But Montgomery takes every account and questions whether or not the witness was influenced by the way the boys look: youth and Teddy Boy jackets a marker of defiance and potential trouble-maker. In fairness, the lads aren’t entirely Teds as Jess Conrad’s smart white Italian suit – chosen to make him stand out – is a movement forward in style.

But Montgomery is flying kites unless he can get more information out from the boys themselves… is this just a natural mistrust of authority and a society that views them as always being guilty of something?

Mr Morley and the boys

It’s a tribute to their performances as well as the writing and Sidney J. Furie’s direction that we find ourselves gradually viewing the boys as innocent despite of what seemed conclusive evidence. But we should never judge any book by its cover and the viewer’s own faculties and prejudice is being tested here as well.

Furie went on to success winning the best film BAFTA for The Ipcress File (1966) and then directing Brando in The Appaloosa (1966) and Sinatra in The Naked Runner (1967). He also directed The Leather Boys (1964) again with Dudley Sutton as well as two Cliff Richard films… but the least said about Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) the better.  He still makes films to this day.

Here the Canadian was still learning about the British class system but listened to his young charges when they complained about attempts to “slum-down” the Peabody Estate flats in which they were filming. Jess Conrad had relatives in this part of London and they took a pride in their flat as did most people.

The Battersey Bardot: Carol White - one of the finest actors of the era!

Ironically enough, the same double standards that the film is trying to expose… As opinions are slowly called into question, what seems to have been just a rather cash-strapped and unsuccessful night out for the boys seems to have been painted far too black… But the fat lady is not singing and there may be time for the odd twist of two.

The Boys real agenda is more about the punishment than the crime as, if found guilty and in the specific circumstances of violent theft, the Judge would be left with only one option and that would be to sentence the guilty party to death. This was two years before the death penalty was finally dropped and the film was obviously feeding into the contemporary debate.

Asked whether he thought it had “made a difference” Tony was doubtful… and also pointed out that The Boys did not receive much support from the studios and distributors at the time…with the result that it never enjoyed wide release.

The high line over the strictly-regulated space of the court room

Dusty Verdict: The Boys packs a powerful punch and feels fresh because of the actors and the improvisation encouraged be Furie. It is indeed a mighty performance from Robert Morley and a story that is hard-hitting and uncompromising. Part of the movement away from the kitchen sink to more complex issues relating to the working man’s place in the world.

Tony Garnett clearly went into more overtly political film-making and even later in his career, amongst the hits like the TV series This Life, he has made films that challenge accepted thinking. He was the thinker and Dudley Sutton we know was the Tinker but he is also an actor of exceptional range and expression who remains a compelling presence. As is Jess Conrad a man who took the time to patiently answer our questions about his hit single, This Pullover…

The screening was arranged by Talking Pictures TV and Renown Pictures who included a DVD of The Boys in the package: the first digital release for this important film! Well done on both parts but particular gratitude to the three gentlemen who were, long ago, The Boys.

Copies are available direct from the Renown website.

Seymour… Steptoe and Son (1972)

The standard line is that sitcoms adapted into feature films are never as funny as the original series. Evidence for… Dad’s Army, The Likely Lads, On the Buses (OK never that funny…) etc – evidence against… Steptoe and Son?

This was the first Steptoe and Son film and was a commercial hit earning back five times its cost. The original TV series ran from 1962 to 1974 (including a break from 65-70) and always felt like it came out of the same existential theatre as Samuel Beckett and Alan Pinter. For a start the situation was bleak with a love-hate/hate-love relationship between a father and son trapped in their rag and bone business: fighting over trivialities in the confined space of their grimy Victorian house, smothered by the endless piles of purposeless junk. It was more than a little depressing and yet… watch it and you would always end up laughing at the persistence of pride and hopeless optimism amongst all the despair and ultimately the love between father and son.

The sitcom was also unusual in casting two actors rather than comedians with Wilfrid Brambell as Albert Steptoe and Harry H. Corbett as Harold Steptoe. Both had extensive stage experience and dramatic ability which led to the humour being more holistic than other series: the situation, the dialogue and the characters: not just the punchlines.

Written by long-time Tony Hancock collaborators, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Steptoe and Son was a cut above and helped pave the way to the character-driven classics such as The Likely Lads, Dad’s Army, Rising Damp and Porridge.

So: this film? Made during the second group of series, the story followed familiar themes but allowed for the situation to broaden a bit (normally where the formulas come a cropper…) as the lads not only went outside, they found new relationships and even went abroad. This is what normally does for close-focus TV adaptations: they get diluted in the “real world”.

But, for me, there’s still enough focus on the two central characters for the essence to hold up: this film isn’t so much of a bigger budget detour as a grander journey along the same lines to the same place. Albert and Harold are two rag and bone men, they’re divided by family ties with one given up and the other not stopped trying but they’re still surviving with a puncher’s chance. Albert has buckled false teeth and gladly handles horse dung before eating his sandwiches with Harold dreams of escape through love and parental responsibility but, when the chips are down he’ll still look after his impossible, grotesque, stubborn old man.

The story begins with the two leaving the divorce courts – an immediate signal of another failed attempt for Harold to move his life forward. Rolling back we see how he met his wife to be at a “variety” show in their local rugby club which features music, comic turns (Mike Reid as pretty much himself) and strippers.

Harry H. Corbett and Carolyn Seymour

Harold meets one of the performers, named Zita (played by the possibly too classy Carolyn Seymour) in the bar before the show and she is impressed enough to pass a note to him during her show to arrange a date afterwards. There are the inevitable reaction shots from the drunken mail audience not least Albert… but for Harold this is something different and he has already placed Zita on a pedestal.

Zita and Harold leave Albert – his glasses crushed – short-sightedly chatting up the drag act Arthur (Patrick Fyffe or Perri St. Claire as was: later to be the latter part of Hinge and Bracket, fact fans!) and one long night later Harold floats home in love and engaged.

Albert is naturally less than impressed, especially as he’s been locked out but really he doesn’t want any disturbance in their lives and uses all means at his disposal to put Harold off. The day of the wedding arrives and his long, frustrating delays become a little wearing especially when the ring ends up in a mountain of horse manure.

Eventually the unfortunately-aroma’d couple get to the church just I time and then it’s off to sunny Spain on a three-handed honeymoon… yes, Albert comes as well and you can see where this is heading.

Arriving at the hotel Albert quickly gets under Harold’s feet whilst an old flame of Zita’s, Terry (Barrie Ingham) is on hand as the hotel tourist guide. Albert eats far too much Spanish lobster and contracts food poisoning interrupting not just the wedding night but the whole holiday… Harold can only get a flight for two to take him home to recuperate and leaves Zita in Spain under the helpful guidance of Terry…

As always in Steptoe you can see the fine line between Albert’s neediness and his genuine terror at being alone. Harold is never cruel enough to leave him (even for Carolyn Seymour… not a tough choice at all in my book…).

Well, you can pretty much work out the rest but there’s a twist (or two) as Harold re-establishes connection with his estranged wife only to find she’s pregnant: is the child his. An attempt at reconciliation founders when Albert and Zita face off and she’s off again. A few months later and the boys find a new born nestled in the hay in their stables, closely followed by three not so wise men. They quickly rally themselves around this new addition and pretty soon Harold has grand plans…

Is history about to repeat itself or will there be a further turn?

Dusty verdict: Undoubtedly one of the better sitcom-to-film adaptations, what Steptoe and Son lacks in story-strength it makes up for with the performances of the leads.

Carolyn Seymour is excellent as always and it makes a change to see her with long blonde hair rather than the close-cropped look of Survivors. She’s a very intelligent performer and plays well against her highly-experienced leads – it would be very easy to be over-faced against such a well-established double-act but she pitches Zita just right: she isn’t the “scrubber” Albert anticipates (it was 1972… but there are some linguistically awkward moments …) and genuinely loves Harold just as she enjoys her job (the post-feminist “empowerment” defence…). That doesn’t excuse her running off with Terry but... as she said, Harold wasn’t there…

The Brambell and Corbett chemistry works very well on screen and you see more of their abilities as the narrative is allowed more time and depth. Brambell’s Albert is a frightened old man, still a boy at heart whilst his equally-immature offspring isn’t quite practical enough to survive on his own just yet. Harold ends up bloodied but genuinely unbowed whilst the two share an exchange of V signs with Prince Philip as he cruises past their horse and cart on the Mall.

Steptoe and Son is available from Amazon and is worth watching for the quality of the performances alone… not to mention Ms Seymour in a curly blonde wig, a boa and little else. There’s also a nice soundtrack from Roy (Get Carter) Budd as well!

Brambell and Bracket