BOYS WILL BE BOYS (1935) Will Hay, Gordon Harker & Norma Varden | Comedy | B&W

Boys Will Be Boys is a 1935 British comedy film directed by William Beaudine which stars Will Hay, Gordon Harker and Jimmy Hanley. The film is set at Narkover School, where headmaster Doctor Alec Smart (Will Hay) becomes involved in the disappearance of a valuable necklace.

The setting is loosely based on the works of Beachcomber, where Narkover is a school specializing in gambling and extortion, and the headmaster is a "Dr. Smart-Allick".

SYNOPSIS
Will Hay is a teacher in a prison, who applies for the Headship of Narkover, a public school. This is the first screen appearance of Hay in his (to be ) famous schoolmaster role, in a story based on Dr Smart-Alec, the character created by John Cameron Andrieu Bingham Michael Morton (J.B. Morton, "Beachcomber")

Alec Smart, who is engaged teaching in a prison, applies for the job of headmaster at a nearby public school to replace the previous headmaster who has been convicted of writing forged cheques and has just been sent to prison. Smart appeals to the Governor to write him a good reference which he pretends to. Afterwards he writes his real recommendation which is very negative about Smart's talents. The trustee who works as the Governor's secretary, Faker Brown, "accidentally" gets the two letters mixed up and delivers the one praising Smart. On the basis of the letter, Lady Dorking, the who runs the Board of Governors appoints Smart to the job. This angers her deputy, Colonel Crableigh, who had favoured promoting his nephew, the Deputy head.

On his arrival at the school, Smart is treated to a boisterous reception by the unruly students led by the Head Boy, Cyril Brown, who is the son of Faker Brown. Narkover proves to be a breeding ground for young criminals, who prefer to spend their time playing cards rather than taking classes. After his initial attempts to stop their games, Smart himself ends up playing cards with the students. He gets off on the wrong foot with Colonel Crableigh but, in spite of Smart's obvious incompetence, Lady Dorking immediately takes a shine to him. Crableigh begins engineering a scheme to have Smart dismissed and replaced by his own nephew.

Soon after his arrival Smart is approached by Faker Brown, just released from prison, who blackmails him into giving a job as a steward at the school. Brown has his eye on the valuable jewels of Lady Dorking, in particular her diamond necklace, which she is due to be wearing on Founders Day which takes place a few days later. It involves a dinner and a rugby match between the school's old boys and the current students, with Smart persuaded to captain the school team.

On Founder's Day, Lady Dorking wears her best jewels. In the Headmaster's study, she is shown some conjuring tricks by Smart. Crableigh places Dorking's necklace in Smart's pocket in an attempt to incriminate him and have him dismissed. However, the necklace is then stolen by Faker who hides it in a decanter. After trying, and failing, to persuade him to give it back Smart takes it and hides it in a Jewellery Box due to be presented to Lady Dorking at the dinner..

Shortly before the presentation, the diamonds are again taken by the Head Boy Cyril Brown who picks the lock. He hides the necklace in a rugby ball, but before he can make off with it, the ball is taken by the referee in the match.

CAST & CREW
Will Hay as Dr Alec Smart
Gordon Harker as Faker Brown
Jimmy Hanley as Cyril Brown
Davy Burnaby as Col. Crableigh
Norma Varden as Lady Dorking
Claude Dampier as Theo P. Finch
Charles Farrell as Louis Brown
Percy Walsh as Prison governor
David Raeburn as Superintendent

Directed by William Beaudine
Written by Robert Edmunds, Will Hay, J.B. Morton
Cinematography Charles Van Enger
Edited by Alfred Roome
Music by Louis Levy, Bretton Byrd, Jack Beaver
Distributed by Gaumont British Distributors
Release date July 1935
Running time 80 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English