A Hitch in Time *** (1978, Patrick Troughton, Michael McVey, Pheona McLellan, Jeff Rawle, Sorcha Cusack) – Classic Movie Review 13,325

The enjoyable 1978 British children’s adventure film made by the Children’s Film Foundation stars stars Patrick Troughton, Michael McVey and Pheona McLellan.

Director Jan Darnley-Smith’s 1978 British children’s adventure film A Hitch in Time stars Patrick Troughton, Michael McVey, Pheona McLellan, Jeff Rawle, and Sorcha Cusack.

Patrick Troughton is well cast as Professor Wagstaff, a stereotypically mad professor testing out his time machine on a couple of eager English schoolchildren, Paul and Fiona (Michael McVey, Pheona McLellan), who find him trapped inside the time machine on their way to school find.

There’s plenty of entertaining time-travelling through local history and time machine troubles in this slick production from the Children’s Film Foundation, nicely written by legendary Ealing Studios British screenwriter T E B Clarke, in his penultimate film. The kids give good performances and a highly entertaining Troughton is in his element in a role not a million miles from Doctor Who.

The Children’s Film Foundation made films for UK children to be shown as part of children’s Saturday morning matinée cinema programming and are about 55 minutes long.

It is Troughton’s final film before his death on March 28, 1987 aged 67.

The budget was only £18,000. Troughton asked reluctant BBC managers to help out the production with costumes from the BBC costume department.

Patrick Troughton (25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) played the second Doctor in Doctor Who from 1966 to 1969;

The cast

The cast are Patrick Troughton, Michael McVey, Pheona McLellan, Jeff Rawle as Sniffy Kemp, Sorcha Cusack as Miss Campbell, Ronnie Brody as Grandpa Hatton-Jones, Timothy Bateson as Headmaster, Gerald Case as 2nd Headmaster, Jo Maxwell Muller, Ted Burnett, Ken McDonald, Norman Mitchell, and Jeff Moon.

A Hitch in Time is directed by Jan Darnley-Smith, runs 57 minutes, is made by Eyeline Films, is released by Children’s Film Foundation, is written by T E B Clarke, is shot by Tommy Fletcher, is produced by Harold Orton, and is scored by Harry Robinson.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,325

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