The Happy Family (1952 film)

The Happy Family is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Stanley Holloway, Kathleen Harrison and Naunton Wayne. The plot of the film centres on resistance by a family to the disruption caused by the construction of the Festival of Britain. It is also known in the U.S. by the alternative title Mr. Lord Says No. It was an adaptation of a play The Happy Family by Michael Clayton Hutton.

Their plans are disrupted by the arrival of Filch, a senior civil servant dressed in a black suit. He announces that he is overseeing work on the Festival of Britain, due to begin in just six weeks. He explains that, due to an error by one of the planners, the Lords shop and house will have to be demolished to allow an entrance route to be built assuring them that they will be financially compensated and will be moved to a new house in South Harrow. He expects this to settle the matter. However, the Lords show reluctance to leave their house with Henry demandingmillion if he is to move an amount he calculates by Mr Filchs account of the estimate of the monetary value the Festival of Britain will bring. Filch goes away hoping either to buy them off eventually or to forcibly evict them.Filch has underestimated how attached they are to their property, which is a symbol of security and family to them after their years of hardship during the Great Depression and the Second World War where they lost a son. In an attempt to halt the eviction the Lords appeal to a series of political figures including their councillor, mayor and MP. They are eventually sent to the official in charge of the work, who insists it must go ahead. They are served with eviction notices, and demolition is due to begin in a few days. Filch expects them to leave now, but they are unmoved by these threats, declaring that they would rather go to jail than South Harrow. When it becomes clear that their appeals from political channels are not working, the Lords turn to more active resistance at the urging of Cyril, their daughters fianc. They begin barricading their house and preparing to fight the governments attempts to turn them out. At the appointed hour, Filch demands they leave the house but they refuse. They are joined by Maurice Hennessey, an ambitious BBC broadcaster hoping to use the case as a springboard to greater career success. He begins a running commentary on the events to the outside

Source: Wikipedia