zardoz-13 "Saint in London" director John Paddy Carstairs' amusing comedy of errors "Trouble in Store" ranks as Norman Wisdom's finest and funniest film with him in the lead role. Indeed, before he toplined in "Trouble in Store," Wisdom worked primarily in British television after playing a peripheral role in the 1948 comedy "Date with a Dream" with Terry-Thomas. Cast as a bungling buffoon who seems like a walking booby-trap, Wisdom plays a well-meaning but shy stockroom clerk in a major London department store who cannot seem to quit getting in trouble. Carstairs puts Wisdom through an obstacle course of slapstick shenanigans that the young comic indulges in with considerable flair and spontaneity. An underdog from the word go, our goofy hero yearns to become a window dresser, but he does himself no favors when a new 'chief' comes aboard to run the company. Wanting to know everybody from bottom to top, Augustus Freeman (Jerry Desmonde of "A King in New York") meets Norman and everything that can go wrong—does go wrong for our hero. No sooner has Norman brought credit to himself, he does an about-face and disgraces himself. The running gag through this 85-minute bit of hilarity is that Freeman fires Norman but then turns around and rehires him! Of course, our fine young protagonist feels Cupid's arrows sink into him when he lays his eyes on pretty young co-worker, Peggy Drew (Moira Lister of "The Limping Man), who works in the recording department. Margaret Rutherford has a field day as a shoplifter who fools everybody with whom she comes into contact. Initially, she hauls off quite a lot of merchandise and gets the unwitting Norman to carry it for her. The comedy is basic, but good comedy never goes out of style, and poor Norman is such a sympathetic soul that you can overlook his idiocy. The big plot concerns a well-organized group of thieves that plan to take over the shop on a clearance day and make away with a horde of cash. By this time, our madcap hero has become a persona non-grata as he struggles to warn Mr. Freeman about this wholesale onslaught of larceny. Jerry Desmonde is just as hilarious as the new chief whose best-laid plans go awry.

elshikh4 The British comedy is something, for my taste, isn't existent. Only Norman Wisdom's movies that give me a chance to change my mind ! Wisdom was brilliant. As if a mix of talking Charles Chaplin and British Jerry Lewis. Sometimes he has a miserable lonely soul, and most of the time a loose sense of childhood. The way he used to smile in sadness was exceptional.I'm familiar with most of his comedies. And according to them; this movie from 1953, his first as a lead, is their best. For the next 15 years he'd make what's lower and lower than that. For instance try to avoid one of his last movies (Press for Time – 1966); it's totally the opposite quality !In (Trouble..) the formula achieves itself worthily and perfectly : a kind idiot as a lead + a systematic environment that goes crazy because of his idiocy + a light touch of sexuality + a love story between the lead and a girl as good as him. Hmmm, how many comic movies, old and recent, British or else, used that ?! Anyway, be sure and secure, it's well done here. Utilizing the TV shows as a background for the end's chase sequence was smart. It made the climax so comic, so dazzling despite the passing of 50 years, and the fact that this is a British movie ! However, still the best scene at all is the party of the rich people. What a moment when Norman joins it, thinking it a party of poor servants. The punch line of that scene is invaluable !This is rare, for its time, place, and – sorrowfully – lead actor. Watch the rest of Wisdom's movies to see how the blaze faded away gradually.

crossbow0106 This is a comedy starring Norman Wisdom as a bumbling stock person in Burridge's, the big London department store. This is a slapstick comedy with heart. He really likes Sally, a salesclerk played by the sweet looking Lana Morris. There are many rich characters in this film, such as Moira Lister playing supervisor Peggy Drew (Miss Srew, if you don't mind!) and the comic icon Margaret Rutherford playing a crafty shoplifter. The Jerry Lewis film "Who's Minding The Store?" borrowed some elements of this film, but this film is better. It is more engaging and involves great sight gags, such as the big sale with thousands of marauding shoppers and Norman trying to catch Sally to give her her purse while on roller skates. No need to go into the central plot, it doesn't matter. This is a fun comedy from the great Norman Wisdom. I recommend this. In these crazy times you need a laugh and this film gives you some.

Theo Robertson When I was aged 6 or 7 our local school used to hold a Saturday morning matinée . We'd get to see crap westerns or those really patronising crap movies made by the Children's Film Foundation . I don't know about you but I was really dying to see some movies featuring hardcore battle scenes between soldiers and monsters like I would see on DOCTOR WHO during the same period . As a child I would have happily have watched ALIENS , DOG SOLDIERS and 28 DAYS LATER in the morning followed by Jon Pertwee era DOCTOR WHO in the early evening I'm mentioning this because one of the movies shown was TROUBLE IN STORE . I didn't like it as a child and I liked it even less as an adult . As with all of Wisdom's other movies it's frivolous and unsophisticated . Norman gets invited to his boss's office not realising that he's talking to his boss and pours drinks and helps himself to cigars . This of course leads him to being sacked which he deserves to be , I mean smoking cigars what a crime that is nowadays . Norman then gets mixed up with a bunch of gangsters who decide they're going to rob the store and want him out of the way . I can then perhaps understand why Bob and the others who have stated what a good comedy TROUBLE IN STORE is - It's from a truly bygone era , an era that perhaps never existed in the first place , where instead of bumping off people who know too much , villains would make witnesses swallow a sleeping pill while they carried out their criminal work . There might be a small amount of naive charm to all this but unless you're a fan of Wisdom's slapstick brand of humour you certainly won't go out of your way to watch this