Our Miss Fred * (1972, Danny La Rue, Alfred Marks, Lance Percival, Lally Bowers, Frances de la Tour, Walter Gotell) – Classic Movie Review 12,639

The ghastly 1972 British wartime comedy film Our Miss Fred stars likeable and popular Danny La Rue as a British army private who dresses in drag to escape the Germans in France.

Director Bob Kellett’s ghastly 1972 British drag comedy film Our Miss Fred stars one of Britain’s highest paid entertainers Danny La Rue, along with Alfred Marks, Lance Percival (as Squadron Leader Smallpiece), Lally Bowers, Frances de la Tour and Walter Gotell.

Danny La Rue plays World War Two wartime Shakespearean actor Fred Wimbush, who is in the British army as Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) Private Fred Wimbush during the Battle of France. He is ordered to dress in drag to entertain the troops and continues his disguise in drag as Miss Wimbush to escape the Germans in France and gets into endless scrapes attempting to flee with pupils from an English girls’ finishing school.

Hugh Leonard’s slack screenplay, the dodgy acting and Kellett’s flabby direction are all blameworthy. But, above all, the likeable La Rue’s popular camp cabaret turn is too limited to sustain a movie.

Our Miss Fred is a miss all right. It is La Rue’s only starring role in a feature film.

Fred Wimbush: ‘Look at me, dressed like a bird (woman). They used to come from miles away to see my Titus Andronicus.’

The screenplay by Hugh Leonard is based an original story by Ted Willis, with additional material by Terence Feely.

Filming took place in June 1972 and it was released on 14 December 1972.

The cast are Danny La Rue – Fred Wimbush, Alfred Marks – General Brincker, Lance Percival – Squadron Leader Smallpiece, Lally Bowers – Miss Flodden, Frances de la Tour – Miss Lockhart, Walter Gotell – Schmidt, Kristin Hatfield – Hilary, Jenny Twigge – Judith, Vanessa Furse – Prunella, Seretta Wilson – Elvira, Sophie Batchelor – Emma, John Barrard – Patron, Nancy Nevinson – Patron’s Wife, Cyril Shaps – Doctor, Frank Thornton – British Colonel, André Maranne – French Resistance Fighter, Barrie Gosney – Bertie, David Ellen – Bobby, Toni Palmer – Vendeuse, Jennifer Croxton – Jeanette, Anthony Sagar – R.S.M, Noel Coleman – Senior RAF officer, Peter Greenwell – M.C, and Gertan Klauber – German Officer.

Danny La Rue OBE (26 July 1927 – 31 May 2009) was born Daniel Patrick Carroll. He lived with his manager and life partner of 37 years, Jack Hanson, until Hanson’s death in 1984. He became famous as a female impersonator, or ‘comic in a frock’ as he preferred to be called, and has also been described as ‘the grande dame of drag’. He played Dolly Levi in the musical Hello, Dolly! in its 1983 Second London West End Revival.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,639

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