Rent Something in the City (1950)

The man who was Mr.Pastry - Something in the City review by LN

Richard Hearne plays William Ningle, a devoted family man with a loving wife and 2 daughters. He's a stickler for timekeeping as seen in the opening moments of this 1950 film before he ostensibly goes off to work "in the City" - but when he arrives we see him enter a small rented room and change out of his bowler & pinstripes. Instead of being SOMETHING IN THE CITY he then spends his day dressed down and selling handmade artwork with a bunch of other colourful street sellers because in fact he's lost his job years before and hasn't had the heart to tell his family.

This to me this theme was reminiscent of the Sherlock Holmes' story THE MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIP where a man goes to town and earns his living by becoming a beggar.

Ningle's secure little world is about to implode as one daughter announces her engagement and the fiance's blustering newspaper editor father wants to know more about the potential bride's family. Multiple, rather inventive misadventures ensue, through which Hearne does a lot of acrobatics and slapstick that make his antics seem like he's a British version of silent stars Charlie Chaplin (yes I know he WAS British) or Buster Keaton.

This, I now see, was just before Hearne played the character Mr.Pastry which made him better known. The whole Mr. Pastry phenomenon was just before my time so I had no idea what it was all about, but with a bit more research I can now see how this SITC film may well have influenced his later character. It's quite funny and rather charming, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was great seeing a London of 1950, with the landmarks, the cars, the refreshing lack of traffic, all the people on the street properly dressed, and a young Dora Bryan as the outspoken tea shoppe lady.

Give it a whirl.