![]() ![]() populated by wonderfully wacky characters. The New York Times called it "a little package of nonsense. Taylor is among the uncredited viewers in the audience. The silent film shown in the film is Comin' Thro the Rye (1923) starring Alma Taylor. īack projection shots of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire were used for the final scenes in the railway carriage. The Gaumont Palace, Hammersmith in London (subsequently called the Hammersmith Odeon, and now the Hammersmith Apollo) was used for the exterior shots of the rival Grand Cinema with interiors at the Odeon in Richmond. A replica at Shepperton Studios was used for close-up shots and interior scenes. The exterior facade was constructed between two railway bridges in Christchurch Avenue, London NW6, next to Kilburn tube station. The Bijou Kinema was not a real building both the exterior and interior were sets. Alarmed, they decide to write him a letter asking him to clarify his remark, but instead send him a postcard. Just as Matt and Jean are leaving on the train, Old Tom tells Matt that "It were the only way, weren't it?", implying he committed arson. As an added condition, he has to keep the three staff on as employees. Hardcastle is forced to pay ten thousand pounds for the Bijou in order to stay in business while his cinema is being rebuilt. Matt and Jean are ready to give up (with Old Tom eavesdropping again, this time hearing Matt say that he had often wished the Grand were burnt to the ground) only to wake up the next morning to find that the Grand has burned down (Old Tom was last seen carrying a can of fuel oil out of the door). He eventually succumbs to the temptation, leaving Matt to try unsuccessfully to substitute for him Matt is unable to work the antiquated projectors properly, and they are forced to refund the customers' money. Hardcastle counters by slipping a bottle of whisky into the next shipment of film reels for Quill, who has a drink problem. To increase sales, the heat in the theater was turned up during the showing of a film where parched actors crawled across a desert. ![]() After a few mishaps, the business flourishes, especially after Matt employs the curvaceous Marlene Hogg (Cunningham) to sell ice creams and other treats at the interval. They decide to carry on with their bluff and go through with the opening. At first, they seem to be succeeding, but then Old Tom inadvertently lets slip their overheard plan and Hardcastle refuses to budge. Instead, on Robin's advice, they pretend to want to reopen the Bijou in order to force Hardcastle to raise his offer. When they see their competitor however, he only offers them five hundred, thinking they have no choice but to accept. Hardcastle (De Wolff), had offered to buy the Bijou from Matt's great uncle for five thousand pounds in order to construct a car park for his nearby cinema. Robin (Phillips), their solicitor, informs them that the Grand's owner, Mr. Quill (Sellers), the projectionist and Old Tom (Miles) the commissionaire, doorkeeper and usher. Fazackalee (Rutherford), the cashier and bookkeeper Mr. Along with the cinema come three long-time employees: Mrs. They are soon disillusioned to learn that the cinema they actually own is the old decrepit Bijou Kinema (nicknamed "the flea pit"), which is sandwiched between two railway bridges. When they look over their new property, they first mistake the modern Grand for it. Matt inherits a cinema from his great uncle. Matt and Jean (Travers and McKenna) are a young couple with a longing to visit exotic places such as Samarkand. The screenplay was written by William Rose and John Eldridge from an original story by William Rose. The supporting cast includes Bernard Miles, Leslie Phillips, Francis de Wolff, George Cross, June Cunningham and Sid James. The Smallest Show on Earth (US: Big Time Operators) is a 1957 British comedy film, directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Peter Sellers and Margaret Rutherford.
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