User Reviews

This time Mr. Pastry (Richard Hearne) is a grandfather who has just been released from prison. He is well liked at the prison and he would prefer to stay on as the warden's gardener. But Mr Pastry's daughter is now in charge of rehabilitating him and back into society he must go. His daughter and her husband are quite horrible people, only interested in social climbing. They consider him the family disgrace and they plan to lock Mr Pastry into his room during a weekend of business and pleasure at the family estate.

While his daughter and her husband consider Mr. Pastry a great problem, the grandchildren have other views. In fact it is Mr. Pastry who helps the kids out of a tight jam while the parents are trying to find someone to blame. A very whimsical, slapstick affair, with Mr. Pastry suggesting a good heart is perhaps more important than good manners and social standing.

Wormwood Scrubs makes another of it's frequent fifties & sixties film appearances as 'Wandsmoor Prison' ("the only place where people believe I'm innocent") from which Mr Pastry emerges after twenty years for embezzlement (although his facility for making skeleton keys shows he could have got out long ago had he wanted to).

Working on a shoestring, director Leslie Hiscott's first postwar feature film emphasises character rather than slapstick, although Richard Hearne occasionally demonstrates the physical comedy for which Mr Pastry is remembered.

Very simple and pleasant British comedy that mixes in a bit of pathos -- but not enough to spoil the fun. Richard Hearne does his usual Mr. Pastry character -- lots of sight gags. This time he's an ex-con father of a very proper British lady (Ellen Pollock). She keeps him locked in the attic so he won't wreak havoc on her daughter's birthday party. But he gets out... and wreaks havoc. But also solves a few of their problems. Amiable, fun and passes the time well.