School for Scoundrels

British comedy about a born loser who enrols at the College of Lifemanship and turns his life around by learning how to charm and cheat his way to the top with the minimum of effort. Adapted from the Oneupmanship books by Stephen Potter., In the British farce School for Scoundrels, Ian Carmichael plays a naïve young loser, Henry Palfrey, who is anxious to get ahead in the world. He enrolls in a “school” that specializes in teaching one-upmanship — the slogan is “How to win without actually cheating.” Through fair means and foul, Henry learns how to come out top dog in any situation, with such experts as (the real-life) Stephen Potter (Alastair Sim) as his guide. A perceptive series of comic blackouts exposing the essential hypocrisy in all walks of life, School for Scoundrels was based on the book by Potter., British comedy based on Stephen Potter’s classic ‘Oneupmanship’ books, starring Ian Carmichael as a born loser who is transformed into a natural winner by Alastair Sim, principal of the College of Lifemanship., A down-on-his-luck, kind-hearted man has taken almost all that life has thrown at him. He decides to enroll in the College of Lifemanship, where he learns valuable secrets of success that he must just find the courage to put into practice., 1960. Classic British comedy about a born loser who enrols at the College of Lifemanship and learns how to charm and cheat his way to the top with the minimum of effort. Dir: Robert Hamer.