Carry On Teacher, 1959
Directed by Gerald Thomas, produced by Peter Rogers, written by Norman Hudis and starring
Ted Ray as William Wakefield
Kenneth Connor as Gregory Adams
Charles Hawtrey as Michael Bean
Leslie Phillips as Alistair Grigg
Kenneth Williams as Edwin Milton
Hattie Jacques as Grace Short
Joan Sims as Sarah Allcock
Rosalind Knight as Felicity Wheeler
Richard O'Sullivan as Robin Stevens
Also starring Cyril Chamberlain, George Howell, Roy Hines, Diana Beevers, Jacqueline Lewis, Carol White, Jane White, Paul Cole, Larry Dann, Irene French, Francesca Annis, Josephine Bailey, David Barry, Ernest Blyth, Sandra Bryant, Jeremy Bulloch, Nigel Bulloch, Peter Cleall, Alan Coleshill, Terry Cooke, Leonard Davey, Jane Evans, Roy Everson, Daphne Foreman, Patricia Garwood, Victoria Harrington, Lorna Henderson, Jack Hetherington, George Holdcroft, Diane Langton, and David Tilley.
Mr Wakefield, the acting head master of Maudlin Street Secondary School, calls a Friday afternoon meeting with the other teachers to tell them of a head master’s position that’s available at a new school opening soon which he intends to apply for. The problem with applying for this position is that a noted child psychologist, Alistair Grigg, and an inspector from the Ministry of Education, Felicity Wheeler, are arriving the following week to conduct an inspection of pupil behaviour and staff control. If he is to land the position at the new school Mr Wakefield would have to depend on everything at the school running like a well-oiled machine.
While holding the meeting one of the school pupils, Robin Stevens, is eavesdropping on the discussion and hears all about how the teachers argue amongst themselves over whether or not to cane pupils in order to discipline them (which would reflect negatively on Wakefield’s chances) when Mr Adams, the science teacher, suggests that instead of trying to prevent trouble they should attempt to keep it away from Grigg and Wheeler. Stevens uses this information to devise a plan with his school mates to create so much trouble it would appear as though Wakefield and the teachers have no control over the school.
It’s Monday morning and Grigg and Wheeler have arrived at the school where Wakefield is at the ready to receive them. He feels it best to commence on their business by taking them on a tour to each of the classrooms so they can see how the teachers and pupils interact with each other. Each and every part of the tour leads to disaster because of the pupils’ trouble-making to incite a negative reaction from Wakefield.
In the hall Miss Short, the mathematics teacher, notices a child acting suspiciously. She pinpoints the other children involved in all the havoc that’s been wreaked this past week and warns the teachers to keep a look out for the culprits. Knowing the teachers are on to them they use this opportunity mess with their minds and have them run around in circles.
The end of the week has come and it’s the last day Grigg and Wheeler are at Maudlin Secondary School before they return to the Ministry of Education. Wakefield enters his office only to walk in on Stevens and his gang in the process of booby-trapping the place. He keeps the boys behind to hand out their punishment when Miss Short enters his office. She explains to Wakefield that she’s found out the reason the children have been causing trouble was to make Wakefield look bad so he would not get the position of head master at the new school and stay on at Maudlin. He looks out his office window and sees all the children of the school chanting and cheering his name. Wakefield realises what’s been going on and agrees to see them next term which has everyone erupting in cheer.
Buddy Holly - That'll Be the Day, 1959