Top of the Form (film)
Top of the Form is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Ronald Shiner, Anthony Newley and Harry Fowler. The film draws inspiration from Will Hay's 1937 classic "Good Morning, Boys". The film was released in black-and-white. It was made at Pinewood Studios. The film earned billings of £143,000. Plot summary. This story explores a bookmaker Ronnie Fortescue (Ronald Shiner), who becomes headmaster of a boys' school, and of his and his pupil's adventures in passing examinations and on a subsequent free trip to Paris . Once in Paris, headmaster and pupils become embroiled in gambling casinos, and in a plot to steal the French Crown Jewels. Critical reception. The "Radio Times" called it a "misfiring Ronald Shiner vehicle...Less amusing than (Will) Hay's St Michael's outings and less anarchic than the St Trinian's romps, this efficient but underwhelming caper is all too typical of its director, John Paddy Carstairs": whereas "TV Guide" hailed "An entertaining comedy."