Smallest Show On Earth (1957)

A young married couple (Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna of BORN FREE) inherit a broken down fleapit of a movie house from a deceased relative. Their idea is to appear to be renovating the theatre so that a rival film house will buy them out but circumstances change that will force them to actually make a go of it. British comedies from the 1950s were never my cuppa tea but this little film is rather sweet in an innocuous sort of way despite its disturbing unethical ending.  For those who grew up in the pre-video and cable eras and whose formative movie going years are in cinemas, this should prove an engaging bit of nostalgia. Directed by Basil Dearden (KHARTOUM), three supporting players bring a lot to the table: Margaret Ruthrford as the cashier, Peter Sellers (playing much older than he is) as the projectionist and Bernard Miles as the usher.