I had no idea what to make of this wartime comedy/thriller but it turns out to be a simple 'old dark house' style drama in which an assorted group of larger-than-life characters end up stranded. Some of them are Nazis - inevitable, given that this was made in 1943 - while the "goodies" are led by the excellent Gordon Harker, on form with his witty wisecracks as always. Lots of murderous developments and funny situations ensue, and it all flows effortlessly along.

German agent Raymond Lovell is called upon to impersonate Lord Buckley, who fortuitously speaks with exactly the same fruity lisp; but being German (along with the German national anthem constantly on the soundtrack every time he does something) gives himself away by not knowing the correct direction to pass the port. His Prussian handler played by Carl Jaffe seems initially to have been meant to be Goebbels himself until he himself turns up at Buckley Hall (presumably by parachute).

Based on a 1941 West End hit by Vernon Sylvaine. Although sharing the same basic premise with 'The Eagle Has Landed', Ealing's 'Went the Day Well?' is actually far more like the later film. And neither of them had Gordon Harker barge in halfway through! Quite a few people die violently, but this is all treated as inconsequentially as in one of those garrulous pre-war murder mysteries set in enormous houses with sweeping if wobbly staircases in which log fires and lights blaze seemingly untended all night (despite the reference to wartime shortages shoehorned into the script...).

This has the same basic storyline as "The Eagle Has Landed" only in this instance on a rather smaller budget and made at a rather small studio at Welwyn.However in this case the story is set in a country house and there is little action outside probably a combination of wartime and budgetary considerations.The storyline is quite predictable and there are few surprises. The main character is played by that reliable character actor Gordon Harker who combines his usual roles of detective and Cockney tearaway and imbuing it all with his traditional humour. Quite an entertaining film which i kept from its last airing on Channel 4 about 20 years ago.I am afraid that there is little chance of it turning up again on TV in the near future.