Here Come the Huggetts

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ken Annakin directs. Reginald H. Wyer behind the camera. Gordon Hales cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 178 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 2Part of the "Huggett Family Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
• 3Directed by Ken Annakin, shot by Reginald H. Wyer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Editor Gordon Hales shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison and Jane Hylton carry the top of the cast.
• 6IMDB entry: tt0040431 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 7Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

Reginald H. Wyer

Editing

Gordon Hales

Runtime

93 min · 1h 33m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

IMDB

Here Come the Huggetts (1948) ↗

Part of

Huggett Family Collection

The Huggett family, Dad Joe, Mum Ethel, daughters Jane/Susan/Pet, star in these British films from the late 1940s

• 
  Holiday Camp

  1947
• 
  Here Come the Huggetts

  1948 · this one
• 
  Vote for Huggett

  1949
• 
  The Huggetts Abroad

  1949

Also by

Ken Annakin

• 
  The Wonderful World of Disney

  1954 · ★ 7.9
• 
  The Longest Day

  1962 · ★ 7.6
• 
  Landfall

  1949 · ★ 7.6
• 
  Vote for Huggett

  1949 · ★ 7.2
• 
  Fenlands

  1946 · ★ 7.0
• 
  Murder at the Mardi Gras

  1978 · ★ 7.0

Community reviews

What people are saying

• CinemaSerf2024-12-01
  ★ 7/10

  OK, so it's maybe a bit on the long side this film, but I always enjoyed the on-screen dynamic between Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison as "Joe" and "Ethel" as they take us through some fairly monumental family moments in the lives of their family. Though it wasn't in 1948, I do remember when we first got a telephone and yes - it was quite an event and equally, yes, my dad could never get near the thing. All "Joe" wants is to arrange a peaceful pint and a game of snooker! The UK is recovering from the travails of WWII and with HRH The Princess Elizabeth about to marry her dashing naval officer, the family quickly move on from the excitement of their new gadget to planning how and where they are going to see the procession. Their invitations to the abbey clearly lost in the post. Then there's a fire at the adjacent factory - poor old "Joe" can't even get a decent night's sleep... Oh yes, and underpinning this whole series of minor catastrophes is "Diana" (Diana Dors) who is the niece of "Ethel" and who has come to stay for a few days whilst her mother "Edie" (Dandy Nichols) is under the knife. Turns out she's a bit of a selfish lass who does nobody any favours, least of all her uncle when he rather foolishly gets her a job at his factory. Daughters "Jane" (Jane Hylton), "Susan" (Susan Shaw) and "Pet" (Petula Clark) are all having, to varying degrees, man trouble and by the end of this engaging story of ordinary Brits, their trauma around the telephone proves the least of their worries. It does run out of steam a bit towards the end, but there's still plenty of light-heartedness, grumbling, panic and entertaining dialogue to keep this observation of a lifestyle long since passed well worth a gander.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• GA

  Gainsborough Pictures

  GB

Key crew

• ProducerBetty E. Box
• MusicAntony Hopkins
• EditorGordon Hales
• Art DirectionNorman G. Arnold

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• telephone
• holiday camp
• huggett family

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1948-12-02