The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery
Encyclopedia
The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery is a British comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School
, released in 1966, three years after the Great Train Robbery
had taken place. It also parodies the technocratic ideas of the Harold Wilson
government and its support of the comprehensive school
system.
Directed by Frank Launder
and Sidney Gilliat
to a script by Sidney and Leslie Gilliat, it was the fourth in a series of five St. Trinian's films. However it retained only George Cole, Richard Wattis
and Eric Barker
from the earlier films. Several new actors were brought in, including Frankie Howerd
as Alfred (Alphonse) Askett, Reg Varney
as Gilbert, and Dora Bryan
as Amber Spottiswood, the headmistress. Although asked twice, Joyce Grenfell
refused to appear again as Sergeant Ruby Gates. She was later reported to have said that she regretted appearing in the St Trinian's saga.
Raymond Huntley
appeared as the "Minister of Schools" (a fictional title), and Cyril Chamberlain
appeared as Maxie.
's cartoon schoolgirls.
"Alphonse" Askett (Frankie Howerd) is a hairdresser who is also the operational leader of a gang of crooks who are led behind the scenes by an invisible mastermind (Stratford Johns). He gives instructions to Askett about the robbery, Operation Windfall, using a variety of almost James Bond
-like communications devices -- including a converted showerhead.
The crooks hide the loot in a deserted country mansion, and after waiting for the hue and cry to die down return to collect the numerous mailbags which contain £2.5 million (the same amount as in the real robbery). However, following a Labour Party
election triumph, the house has been converted into a new home for St. Trinian's School for Girls. The crooks decide to infiltrate the school by sending Askett’s delinquent daughters, Lavinia and Marcia Mary, to St. Trinian’s to find out where the money is concealed. The crooks' subsequent attempt to retrieve the mailbags on Parents' Day
, disguised as caterers, results in a climactic train chase between the robbers and the girls.
A sub-plot is the affair between the headmistress of St Trinian's and the Minister, who uses his influence to obtain a large government grant for the school, thus allowing it to move to the mansion. This angers his staff who are normally Conservatives but early in the film are seen excitedly watching labour win as they believe St Trinians will be shut down. This aspect of the story was probably the reason why the Ministry of Education
became the fictional "Ministry of Schools" for this film, to avoid possible action for defamation from a real Minister of Education.
. In the final railway scene where the girls 'return' the money the British Railways station
at Liss
can be seen in the background.
The locomotives used were:
The extras on board the St Trinian's train were pupils from a local convent school.
In addition the school used for much of the filming was Little Abbey Preparatory School, near Liss. The school was in fact the other side of the moor from Longmoor. This was previously a Boys own Preparatory school based at Burghclere near Newbury, but had co-incidentally merged with a Girls Preparatory School at the location at Liss 9 months prior to the making of the film
St Trinian's School
St Trinian's is a fictional girls' boarding school, the creation of English cartoonist Ronald Searle, that later became the subject of a popular series of comedy films....
, released in 1966, three years after the Great Train Robbery
Great Train Robbery (1963)
The Great Train Robbery is the name given to a £2.6 million train robbery committed on 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. The bulk of the stolen money was not recovered...
had taken place. It also parodies the technocratic ideas of the Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
government and its support of the comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
system.
Directed by Frank Launder
Frank Launder
Frank Launder was an English writer, director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat....
and Sidney Gilliat
Sidney Gilliat
Sidney Gilliat was an English film director, producer and writer.He was born in the district of Edgeley in Stockport, Cheshire. In the 1930s he worked as a scriptwriter, most notably with Frank Launder on The Lady Vanishes for Alfred Hitchcock, and its sequel Night Train to Munich , directed by...
to a script by Sidney and Leslie Gilliat, it was the fourth in a series of five St. Trinian's films. However it retained only George Cole, Richard Wattis
Richard Wattis
Richard Cameron Wattis , was an English character actor.He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham and Bromsgrove School, after which he worked for the family electrical engineering firm before becoming a professional actor. After his debut with Croydon Repertory Theatre he made many stage...
and Eric Barker
Eric Barker
Eric Leslie Barker born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, was an English comedy actor. He is most remembered for his roles in the popular British Carry On films.-Career:...
from the earlier films. Several new actors were brought in, including Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
as Alfred (Alphonse) Askett, Reg Varney
Reg Varney
Reginald Alfred "Reg" Varney was an English actor, most notable for his role as Stan Butler in 1970s TV sitcom On the Buses.-Early life:...
as Gilbert, and Dora Bryan
Dora Bryan
Dora May Bryan OBE is an English actress of stage, film and television.-Early life:Bryan was born as Dora May Broadbent in Southport, Lancashire, England. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire...
as Amber Spottiswood, the headmistress. Although asked twice, Joyce Grenfell
Joyce Grenfell
Joyce Irene Grenfell, OBE was an English actress, comedienne, diseuse and singer-songwriter.-Early life:...
refused to appear again as Sergeant Ruby Gates. She was later reported to have said that she regretted appearing in the St Trinian's saga.
Raymond Huntley
Raymond Huntley
Raymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s through to the 1970s...
appeared as the "Minister of Schools" (a fictional title), and Cyril Chamberlain
Cyril Chamberlain
Cyril Chamberlain was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early Carry On, Doctor in the House and St. Trinian's films....
appeared as Maxie.
Plot
The first colour St. Trinian's film takes its inspiration from the notorious real-life mail train robbery of 1963, and is the fourth entry in the series based on Ronald SearleRonald Searle
Ronald William Fordham Searle, CBE, RDI, is a British artist and cartoonist, best known as the creator of St Trinian's School. He is also the co-author of the Molesworth series....
's cartoon schoolgirls.
"Alphonse" Askett (Frankie Howerd) is a hairdresser who is also the operational leader of a gang of crooks who are led behind the scenes by an invisible mastermind (Stratford Johns). He gives instructions to Askett about the robbery, Operation Windfall, using a variety of almost James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
-like communications devices -- including a converted showerhead.
The crooks hide the loot in a deserted country mansion, and after waiting for the hue and cry to die down return to collect the numerous mailbags which contain £2.5 million (the same amount as in the real robbery). However, following a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
election triumph, the house has been converted into a new home for St. Trinian's School for Girls. The crooks decide to infiltrate the school by sending Askett’s delinquent daughters, Lavinia and Marcia Mary, to St. Trinian’s to find out where the money is concealed. The crooks' subsequent attempt to retrieve the mailbags on Parents' Day
Parents' Day
Parents' Day is a holiday similar to a combination of Father's Day and Mother's Day.-In the United States:In the United States, Parents' Day is held on the fourth Sunday of every July...
, disguised as caterers, results in a climactic train chase between the robbers and the girls.
A sub-plot is the affair between the headmistress of St Trinian's and the Minister, who uses his influence to obtain a large government grant for the school, thus allowing it to move to the mansion. This angers his staff who are normally Conservatives but early in the film are seen excitedly watching labour win as they believe St Trinians will be shut down. This aspect of the story was probably the reason why the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (United Kingdom)
The administration of education policy in the United Kingdom began in the 19th century. Official mandation of education began with the Elementary Education Act 1870 for England and Wales, and the Education Act 1872 for Scotland...
became the fictional "Ministry of Schools" for this film, to avoid possible action for defamation from a real Minister of Education.
Cast
- Frankie HowerdFrankie HowerdFrancis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
as "Alphonse of Monte Carlo"/Alfred Askett - Dora BryanDora BryanDora May Bryan OBE is an English actress of stage, film and television.-Early life:Bryan was born as Dora May Broadbent in Southport, Lancashire, England. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire...
as Amber Spottiswood - George Cole as 'Flash' Harry
- Reg VarneyReg VarneyReginald Alfred "Reg" Varney was an English actor, most notable for his role as Stan Butler in 1970s TV sitcom On the Buses.-Early life:...
as Gilbert - Raymond HuntleyRaymond HuntleyRaymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s through to the 1970s...
as Sir Horace, the Minister - Richard WattisRichard WattisRichard Cameron Wattis , was an English character actor.He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham and Bromsgrove School, after which he worked for the family electrical engineering firm before becoming a professional actor. After his debut with Croydon Repertory Theatre he made many stage...
as Manton Bassett - Terry ScottTerry ScottOwen John "Terry" Scott was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven Carry On films. He also appeared in BBC1's popular domestic sitcom Terry and June with June Whitfield...
as Policeman - Eric BarkerEric BarkerEric Leslie Barker born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, was an English comedy actor. He is most remembered for his roles in the popular British Carry On films.-Career:...
as Culpepper Brown - Godfrey WinnGodfrey WinnGodfrey Herbert Winn was a British journalist known as a columnist, and also a writer and actor.Born in Birmingham, England, he went to King Edward's School, Birmingham. His career as a theatre actor began as a boy actor at the Haymarket Theatre and appeared in many plays and films...
as Truelove - Colin GordonColin GordonColin Gordon was a British actor born in Ceylon .He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a production of “Toad of Toad Hall”. From 1936 to 1939 he was a director with the Fred Melville Repertory...
as Noakes - Desmond Walter-Ellis as Leonard Edwards
- Arthur MullardArthur MullardArthur Ernest Mullard, original surname Mullord was an English comedy actor.- Early life :...
as Big Jim - Norman MitchellNorman MitchellNorman Mitchell was an English television, stage and film actor.Born in Sheffield, his father was a mining engineer and his mother a concert singer. He attended Carterknowle Grammar School and the University of Sheffield, before appearing in repertory theatre and with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as William - Cyril ChamberlainCyril ChamberlainCyril Chamberlain was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early Carry On, Doctor in the House and St. Trinian's films....
as Maxie - Larry MartynLarry MartynLawrence "Larry" Martyn was an English actor known for his comedy performances.Martyn was born in London and was a former member of the Parachute Regiment. He was famous as Mr. Mash in the BBC comedy series Are You Being Served?, appearing in the first three series before being replaced by Arthur...
as Chips - Peter GilmorePeter GilmorePeter Gilmore is a British actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in the BBC Television period drama The Onedin Line. He also had roles in eleven Carry On films, and played the heroic lead in the adventure film Warlords of Atlantis...
as Butters - Michael RipperMichael RipperMichael Ripper was an English character actor born in Portsmouth.He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. He played one of the two murderers in Richard III. Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions...
as The Liftman - Stratford JohnsStratford JohnsStratford Johns, born Alan Edgar Stratford-Johns, was a popular British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, created by Troy Kennedy-Martin.-Early life:Johns...
as The Governor - Jeremy ClydeJeremy ClydeMichael Thomas Jeremy Clyde is an English actor and musician. The son of Lady Elizabeth Wellesley, he made his first public appearance as a pageboy at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1953...
as Monty - George BensonGeorge Benson (actor)George Christopher Benson was a Welsh and English actor of both theatre and screen, whose career spanned from the 1930s to the late 1970s...
as Gore-Blackwood - William KendallWilliam Kendall (actor)-Filmography:* Good Night, Vienna * That's a Good Girl * The King's Cup * Doctor's Orders * Debt of Honour * This'll Make You Whistle * Sweet Devil * The Sky's the Limit...
as Mr Parker - Maureen Crombie as Marcia Askett
- Barbara CouperBarbara Couper-Selected filmography:* Heaven Is Round the Corner * The Story of Shirley Yorke * The Last Days of Dolwyn * Paul Temple's Triumph * Happy Go Lovely * The Lady with the Lamp...
as Mabel Radnage - Elspeth DuxburyElspeth DuxburyElspeth Duxbury was a British actress born in Mhow, India on the 3rd of April 1909.Known primarily for working in theatre, she had one television role in 1938 but did not make her big screen debut till 1960 in the Terry-Thomas hit comedy Make Mine Mink....
as Veronica Bledlow - Carole Ann FordCarole Ann FordCarole Ann Ford is a British actress best known for her role as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. She also appeared in the 1962 film version of The Day of the Triffids....
as Albertine - Margaret NolanMargaret NolanMargaret Nolan, also known as Vicky Kennedy, is a British artist and a former actress and glamour model.-Career:...
as Susie Naphill - Maggie Rennie as Magda O'Riley
- Jean St. Clair as Drunken Dolly
Filming notes
The railway scenes were filmed on the former Longmoor Military RailwayLongmoor Military Railway
The Longmoor Military Railway was a British military railway in Hampshire, built by the Royal Engineers from 1903 in order to train soldiers on railway construction and operations.-Route:...
. In the final railway scene where the girls 'return' the money the British Railways station
Liss railway station
Liss railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the village of Liss in Hampshire, England. As a small station, for most of the day there is one train each way an hour...
at Liss
Liss
Liss is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.3 miles northeast of Petersfield, on the A3 road, on the Hampshire/West Sussex border....
can be seen in the background.
The locomotives used were:
- Longmoor Military Railway WD Austerity 2-10-0WD Austerity 2-10-0The War Department "Austerity" 2-10-0 is a type of heavy freight steam locomotive that was introduced during the Second World War in 1943.-Background:...
AD601 'Kitchener' as the express locomotive in mock-up green livery and carrying a fake BR-pattern numberplate on the smokebox door. It carried this livery until it was scrapped several years later. - Two Ministry of Supply "Austerity" 0-6-0ST (LNER Class J94LNER Class J94The London and North Eastern Railway J94 Class is a class of steam locomotive that was formed when 75 former "Austerity" 0-6-0STs were purchased by the LNER in 1946 from the War Department.- Overview :...
) Tank Engines, one of which was mocked up to resemble a J50LNER Class J50The Great Northern Railway Class J23 was a class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. They had long side tanks that came to the front of the smokebox, which sloped forwards to improve visibility and had a recess cut in to aid maintenance...
and temporarily renumbered 68961, the other one, No. 68011, remaining unrebuilt. - One Class 11 shunterBritish Rail Class 11The British Rail Class 11 was applied to a batch of diesel shunting locomotives built from April 1945 to December 1952, based on a similar earlier batch built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway between 1939 and 1942.-Numbering:...
in Longmoor colours but carrying British Railways markings. - A DEMUDemuDemu may refer to:*Dému, a village in France*Diesel-electric Multiple Unit *DEMU, Diesel and Electric Modellers United, a UK railway modelling group*The alien antagonists of The Demu Trilogy by F.M. Busby...
in BR livery as the commuter train commandeered by the police (number 1102, Class 205British Rail Class 205The British Rail Class 205 diesel-electric multiple units were built by BR at Eastleigh from 1957–1962. They were replaced by Turbostar units.-Description:This class of unit were built in four different batches for use on different lines....
). - A Wickham trolleyWickham trolleyThe Wickham trolley was a railway engineering personnel carrier, used on British Railways as the type No.27 Gang and Inspection trolley. It was introduced in 1948 and over 600 were built between then and 1990, of which 25 went to the Ministry of Supply / MoD between 1954 and 1960...
used in the school staff's attempt to join the chase. - A pump action HandcarHandcarA handcar is a railroad car powered by its passengers, or by people pushing the car from behind. It is mostly used as a maintenance of way or mining car, but it was also used for passenger service in some cases...
used by two junior girls to switch trains between tracks.
The extras on board the St Trinian's train were pupils from a local convent school.
In addition the school used for much of the filming was Little Abbey Preparatory School, near Liss. The school was in fact the other side of the moor from Longmoor. This was previously a Boys own Preparatory school based at Burghclere near Newbury, but had co-incidentally merged with a Girls Preparatory School at the location at Liss 9 months prior to the making of the film