The Square Peg (1958)

Director: John Paddy Carstairs

Writers: Jack Davies, Henry Blyth, Norman Wisdom, Eddie Leslie

Composer: Philip Green

Starring: Norman Wisdom, Honor Blackman, Edward Chapman, Campbell Singer, Hattie Jacques, Brian Worth, Terence Alexander, John Warwick, Arnold Bell, Andre Maranne, Victor Beaumont, Frank Williams, Eddie Leslie

More info: IMDb


Plot: Norman and Mr Grimsdale are council workmen mending the road outside an Army base when they come into conflict with the military. Shortly afterwards, they get drafted and fall into the clutches of the Sergeant they have just bested. They are sent to France to repair roads in front of the Allied advance but get captured. Norman takes advantage of a useful similarity to impersonate General Schreiber and manages to return a hero.

My rating: 5/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

I didn't laugh but maybe once.  Seeing Honor Blackman on screen (I must have blinked when her name in the opening credits showed up) made me smile.  She's not in it much unfortunately.  The gags were OK I guess but they just weren't that funny.  I suppose being a Brit who lived through the war and saw this in the theater in 1958 would have helped a lot but I just didn't think it was funny or even moderately amusing.  It's a well-shot picture but the laughs weren't there and ya kind of need them for a comedy.