The Happy Family (1952 film)
happy family british comedy film directed muriel box starring stanley holloway kathleen harrison naunton wayne plot film centre resistance family disruption caused construction festival britain also known u alternative title mr lord say adaptation play happy family michael clayton hutton house lord grocery shop sits south bank river thames close site festival hall noisily construction owned lord family husband wife several child lillian lord run shop henry british railway train driver worked railway year retire looking forward enjoying quiet retirement family shop looking pet hare winston though spiritualist sisterinlaw ada supernatural vision men black bringing discord plan disrupted arrival filch senior civil servant dressed black suit announces overseeing work festival britain due begin six week explains due error one planner lord shop house demolished allow entrance route built assuring financially compensated moved new house south harrow expects settle matter however lord reluctant leave house henry demanding £ million move amount calculates mr filchs account estimate monetary value festival britain bring filch go away hoping either buy eventually forcibly evict filch underestimated attached property symbol security family year hardship great depression second world war lost son attempt halt eviction lord appeal series politician including councillor mayor mp eventually sent official charge work insists must go ahead served eviction notice demolition due begin day however undaunted declaring would rather go jail south harrow becomes clear appeal political channel working lord turn active resistance urging cyril daughter fiancé begin barricading house preparing fight government attempt turn appointed hour filch demand leave refuse joined maurice hennessey ambitious bbc broadcaster hoping use case career begin running commentary event outside world filch brings large number police attempt storm shop driven missile flour bomb assault descends chaos filch launch prolonged siege hope starving lord soon become cause célèbre support coming across world putting pressure civil servant desperate get work completed festival begin spite popularity lord situation begin grow desperate run food give filch arrives announces following personal intervention prime minister architect redrawn plan road go either side shop thereby saving demolition film end family including winston enjoying day festival britain ada flying cloud film released year following real festival britain taken place successfully given working title south bank story later changed happy family new york time bosley crowther called film minor whimsypenned usually clever couple muriel sydney box played cast character actor among best landbut farce collapse painfully upon long end humor sound parochial belongs earshot waterloo road beyond range clumsily tediously ridiculed bbc whereas later review radio time sue heal described film innocent gentle lark harking back infinitely preferable somewhat mythically rosy era officialdom bumptious owlishly benign great unwashed behaved like troupe goodhearted medieval tumbler watch youthful george cole geraghty christine british cinema fifty gender genre new look routledge spicer andrew sydney box manchester university press happy family imdb review film variety