"Winsome Welshmen". Later in the film he succeeds in trading the car back to them for an ex-works Austin-Healey 100-six and 100 guineas (£105). The "Swiftmobile" was in fact based upon a 1928 4½ litre Open four-seater Bentley, with a custom two-seat open body. The car, minus the body, was sold by the studio in 1961 for £50, and re-sold (with new body) at an auction in 2003 for £110,000. The Austin-Healey 100-six used in the film was passed in at auction in the 1970s at around £30,000. The "Bellini 3.6" driven by Terry-Thomas is in fact a disguised Aston Martin DB3S. Release After passing the British censors on 14 December 1959 School for Scoundrels premiered at the Warner Theatre in Leicester Square, London on 24 March 1960. When the film was released in the United States on 11 July 1960, it was given the subtitle "or How to Win Without Actually Cheating!", reflected in the US poster by Tom Jung. Reception Kine Weekly called it a "money maker" at the British box office in 1960. While the review in The Times was very noncommittal, Leslie Halliwell described the film as "an amusing trifle, basically a series of sketches by familiar comic actors", and awarded it one star (of a maximum of four and a minimum of zero). Michael Brooke, reviewing for the British Film Institute' Screenoline website, criticised the film as having "little sign of the elegance and wit that characterised earlier Hamer films such as Kind Hearts and Coronets or The Spider and the Fly", but praised its script and performances, particularly those of Terry-Thomas and an under-used Sim. In 2007, CNN listed the performance of Terry-Thomas among the top 10 British villains, stating, "generally found twirling his cigarette holder while charming the ladies — at least, when not swindling, cheating or behaving like an absolute rotter." References External links 1960 films 1960 comedy films British comedy films British black-and-white films Films shot at Associated British Studios Films about con artists Films directed by Robert Hamer Films scored by John Addison Films set in schools Films set in London Films set in Somerset 1960s English-language films 1960s British films