The unexpected success of this army comedy started - and set the pattern for - a whole rush of popular Boulting Brothers capers - a run that included 'Brothers in Law' and 'Lucky Jim'. Ian Carmichael, playing the first of his several dithering heroes, and Terry-Thomas, getting the opportunity to call his men 'an absolute shower', both established distinct comic personalities that saw them through several years of crowd-pulling comedy films. It's not actually all that funny - but nearly all of the Boulting comedies that followed it were.

©ipc tx. Film content from TVTimes