Rent Small Hotel (1957)
- General info
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- Synopsis:
- The dining room of the Jolly Fiddler has long been presided over by Albert (Gordon Harker), an aged but very shrewd waiter. A past master of the gentle art of fiddling, he extracts the maximum profit from his job while managing to endear himself to both the customers and staff. Then, there's a visit from Mr. Finch (John Loder). He thinks it's time Albert was replaced...
- Actors:
- Gordon Harker, Marie Lohr, John Loder, Irene Handl, Janet Munro, Billie Whitelaw, Ruth Trouncer, Francis Matthews, Frederick Schiller, Derek Blomfield, Dorothy Bromiley, Dora Bryan
- Directors:
- David MacDonald
- Producers:
- Robert Hall
- Writers:
- Wilfred Eades, Rex Frost
- Studio:
- Network
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy
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Reviews (1) of Small Hotel
Budget Comedy. - Small Hotel review by Steve
Short satirical comedy made on a shoestring on a single studio set, adapted from an obscure play. Yet this is a small gem with a clever script, which gives lead roles to some much loved character actors.
There's a simple three act structure- situation, conflict and resolution. Gordon Harker is a crafty old waiter in a modest hotel restaurant who is passing on the tricks of the trade to a novice (Janet Munro). Appropriate casting as this was Gordon's penultimate film and Janet's debut.
Harker gets in trouble with head office who send in a replacement (Billie Whitelaw) to challenge his dominion of the Jolly Fiddler. So the great finagler has to take down the newcomer, mainly with the help of a resident magistrate (Marie Lohr). The other key role is a splendidly indignant Irene Handl as the cook.
The fun is watching the old hand bend the unwelcome agencies of progress to his advantage. And it's nice to see the workers repel the march of corporate Britain, even momentarily. There are many laughs over its brief 57m. This is a modest film, but far better than the promise of its meagre budget.