Fun At St Fannys DVD   British Film Institute

Schoolboy howlers abound in this unforgettably odd vintage classroom comedy caper, starring radio favourite Cardew 'The Cad' Robinson and a host of familiar British film and television faces. Gormless 25-year-old Cardew, wealthy beneficiary of the Robinson inheritance, should have left St. Fanny's School many years ago. However, seedy headmaster Dr Jankers (music hall favourite Fred Emney) is in the toils of shady bookmaker Harry the Scar (boxer Freddie Mills) and has so far kept his golden goose perched firmly at the bottom of the class. Blissfully unaware of nefarious intrigue around him, Cardew continues to flirt coyly with the French mistress and gamble for school dinners on the form room roulette wheel. But canny Scots solicitor McTavish has been sent to investigate... Transferred in High Definition from the original negatives, this cracking Adelphi comedy also stars Vera Day, Gerald (Billy Bunter) Campion, Will Hay cohort Claude Hulbert, muddle-mouthed Stanley Unwin, and a young Ronnie Corbett. A fully illustrated accompanying booklet includes original promotional materials, detailed film notes, and newly commissioned essays by Ronnie Corbett, Vera Day, British comics expert Norman Wright and BFI Curator Vic Pratt.