Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
        • 1960s Movies
        • 1970s Movies
        • 1980s Movies
        • 1990s Movies
      • Movies by Country
        • UK Movies
        • USA Movies
        • Australia & NZ Movies
        • Canada Movies
        • Europe Movies
        • Japan Movies
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies A to K»Movies G
    Movies G 3 Mins Read

    Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery, The (1966)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Leaving a notorious trail of arson behind them, the St. Trinians schoolgirls are always on the move. When we last saw them in The Pure Hell of St Trinian’s, they burned down their school building.

    But their headmistress, Amber Spottiswood (Dora Bryan inadequately filling Alistair Sim’s shoes) is more than “just friends” with the Minister of Schools, Sir Horace (Raymond Huntley) so armed with a government grant, she re-houses her girls in yet another home, this time at Hamingwell Grange.

    What she doesn’t know is that the Great Train Robbers have got there before her and left £2.5 million hidden under the ballroom stage.

    Amber rounds up her staff: The Deputy Head Miss Radnage (Barbara Couper) is collected from Holloway Prison; the maths mistress Miss Bledlow (Elspeth Duxbury) drops six aces and leaves the poker table; the French mistress Mademoiselle Albertine (Carole Ann Ford) vacates her premises and takes down her notice “French model – third floor”; the games mistress Magda (Maggie McGrath) releases her wrestling opponent in the ring; and the art mistress Susie Naphill (Margaret Nolan) finishes her striptease in double-quick time.

    A couple of delinquent young ladies – Marcia (Maureen Crombie) and Lavinia (Susan Jones) – are entered on the register by an oaf called Alfred Askett (Frankie Howerd, pictured below) who masquerades under the name ‘Alphonse of Monte Carlo’ as a hairdresser in his salon on Chiswick High Road.

    gstr2

    He is the mastermind behind the train robbery whose booty is hidden in the school, and his daughters are sent to St Trinian’s to help him get the money out – a plan which misfires when other St Trinian’s girls accidentally stumble across the loot.

    Alphonse now has quite a battle on his hands.

    It’s a slow-starting but eventually heartily funny skit on the famous train robbery, with the girls of St Trinians eventually driving – literally so, in a slapstick climax with trains running up and down the down and up lines – the gang into chaos and surrender.

    Richard Wattis does sterling work as the man from the ministry, but, try as they might, Dora Bryan, Reg Varney and Stratford Johns (providing the booming voiceover) can’t hold a candle to the much-missed Alastair Sim and Joyce Grenfell.

    George Cole makes a welcome though brief appearance as Flash Harry. Sally Geeson makes an (uncredited) appearance as a schoolgirl.

    Schoolgirls from a Catholic convent school in Altona, Hampshire were used as extras in the film – the first of the St Trinian’s series to be filmed in colour.

    Alfred Askett/Alphonse of Monte Carlo
    Frankie Howerd
    Gilbert
    Reg Varney
    Amber Spottiswood
    Dora Bryan
    Minister (Sir Horace)
    Raymond Huntley
    Manton Bassett
    Richard Wattis
    Culpepper-Brown
    Eric Barker
    Georgina 
    Portland Mason
    Truelove
    Godfrey Winn
    Noakes
    Colin Gordon
    Leonard Edwards
    Desmond Walter-Ellis
    Big Jim
    Arthur Mullard
    William (Willy the Jelly Man)
    Norman Mitchell
    Maxie
    Cyril Chamberlain
    The Voice
    Stratford Johns
    Chips
    Larry Martyn
    Marcia Askett
    Maureen Crombie
    Lavinia Askett
    Susan Jones
    Mabel Radnage
    Barbara Couper
    Veronica Bledlow
    Elspeth Duxbury
    Mademoiselle Albertine
    Carole Ann Ford
    Susie Naphill
    Margaret Nolan
    Magda O’Riley
    Maggie Rennie (as Maggie McGrath)
    Miss Brenner
    Lisa Lee
    Butters
    Peter Gilmore
    Gore-Blackwood
    George Benson
    Liftman
    Michael Ripper
    Flash Harry
    George Cole
    Hutch
    Aubrey Morris
    Mr Parker
    William Kendall
    Dr Judd
    Edwina Coven
    Policeman
    Terry Scott

    Director
    Frank Launder
    Sidney Gilliat

    Related Posts

    • Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, The (1980)
      Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, The (1980)
      The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle was Malcolm McLaren's self-aggrandizing rewrite of recent history. His beloved Sex Pistols figured only as…
    • Go, Johnny, Go (1959)
      Go, Johnny, Go (1959)
      Jimmy Clanton stars as Johnny Melody, a poor orphan boy who makes it big through a talent search held by Alan…
    • Ghost Goes Gear, The (1966)
      Ghost Goes Gear, The (1966)
      This 24-carat piece of 60s pop trivia was made as a showcase for the popular British blues-soul band The Spencer…
    • Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
      Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
      Good Morning Vietnam is a long, rambling and rather pointless vehicle for the multifaceted comic genius Robin Williams, but his performance…
    • G.I. Jane (1997)
      G.I. Jane (1997)
      Demi Moore plays Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil, a naval intelligence officer who becomes the first woman to train with the macho…
    • Girl Can't Help It, The (1957)
      Girl Can't Help It, The (1957)
      This rock 'n' roll comedy starring Tom Ewell and the pneumatic Jayne Mansfield is witty, stylish, clever and (by today's…
    • Good Thing Going, A (1978)
      Good Thing Going, A (1978)
      This is the second in a series of made-for-television films by the Australian Channel Nine network in collaboration with Film…
    • G.I. Blues (1960)
      G.I. Blues (1960)
      Serviceman Tulsa MacLean (Elvis Presley) is an American soldier stationed in peacetime West Germany who plays with Cooky (Robert Ivers)…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleGreat Race, The (1966)
    Next Article Green Berets, The (1968)

    Comments are closed.

    A Labour of Love

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love for me since 1998.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small – to help me with the running costs of the site and ensure I can keep Nostalgia Central running for your entertainment and education.

    Thank you so much, and please enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • 55 Days At Peking (1963)
      In June 1900, Major Matt Lewis (Charlton Heston) rides into […]
    • Skylab
      In July 1979, people began to stare nervously at the sky. After […]
    • Geordie Scene, The
      1 9 7 4 – 1 9 7 6 (UK) This rock and soul music show from […]
    • Lance at Large
      1 9 6 4 (UK) 6 x 25 minute episodes Alan Day (Lance Percival) […]
    • Meatballs (1979)
      This amiable Canadian-produced comedy featured Bill Murray as […]
    • Give Me Your Word
      1 9 6 9 (UK) 13 x 20 minute episodes This short-lived BBC panel […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    60 years of Billy Liar: how the Bradford locations have changed today ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    60 years of Billy Liar: how the Bradford locations have changed today

    theb.fi

    Not everything is at it seems about the shooting locations for this classic story of a Yorkshire daydreamer.
    1 day ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 7
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    “I’ll tell you what Charlie, there’s always been a Holroyd at Holroyd’s mill and by god there always will be” Love this film.

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65006801 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Terry Hall: Coventry scooter ride-out pays tribute to singer

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Hundreds of people ride through Coventry on what would have been the singer's 64th birthday.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 12
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    metro.co.uk/2023/03/13/the-whos-roger-daltrey-thinks-theres-no-point-releasing-an-album-18434779/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    The Who's Roger Daltrey thinks there's 'no point' releasing another album

    metro.co.uk

    Bad luck.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64963359 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Sir Michael Caine's first Rolls Royce sells at Duxford for £120K

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The Italian Job actor hired a chauffeur to drive the 1968 Silver Shadow, with its doors still intact.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64900348 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mystic Meg: Astrologer dies aged 80

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The TV star, whose real name was Margaret Lake, was a well-known TV figure in the 1990s.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Do you think she know it eas going to happen

    PlayTalk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay

    Talk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 8
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Guitarist Gary Rossington had survived a 1977 air crash that killed several of his bandmates.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 2
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    What a talented man. Lucky enough to see original band in concert. BRILLIANT.

    Rest in peace Dickie Davies. An absolute giant of British sports broadcasting.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Dickie Davies, World of Sport presenter, dies at 94

    www.theguardian.com

    The broadcaster became something of a cult figure after fronting the ITV show for 20 years
    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Yes, one of the great presenters. R.I.P.

    For fans of the radio series Round The Horne (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty close to the edge, even by modern standards. Bona! 

https://open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA

    For fans of the radio series "Round The Horne" (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty "close to the edge", even by modern standards. Bona!

    open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA
    ... See MoreSee Less

    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 12
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    For those interested, the complete “Jules and Sandy” is available on Audible…

    Bona to vada your jolly old eek. Lovely riah....

    RIP the beautiful Stella Stevens, who has died at the age of 84.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Stella Stevens: Nutty Professor and Poseidon Adventure star dies at 84

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The co-star of Elvis Presley also worked in TV on series such as Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I.
    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Tag Cloud
    Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games British Invasion Britpop Bubblegum music Canada Civil rights Cold War Computer games Crime Disc Jockeys Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Folk rock Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen James Bond JFK Kraütrock Labels Madchester Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave New Zealand Nixon Northern Soul NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Politics Power Pop Prog rock Pub rock Punk Radio Reggae Rolling Stones Scotland Ska Ska revival Skiffle Soul music Space Race Sport Surf music Video games Vietnam war
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.