Blue Murder at St. Trinian's
(1957)

15 June 2002 - Well, what a saga. After ordering the video of Blue Murder from the States, it finally arrived - in NTSC format, though I had specified I needed PAL in letters writ large. After much kerfuffle (though I must admit the vendors were very helpful), the right video arrived and I thrust it into the VCR and hooked up to my video capture card.

If you look at the credits, you'd think Sabrina was the star : in the opening credits she was billed as "Guest Artiste" and in the end credits, she billed just after Alistair Sim. However, in spite of the film's publicity stills showing her in uniform, she never got out of bed (in in this case, gentlemen, that is not a good thing.) And she never said a word .

Featuring as the 'school swot', she lounges with a good book as a jewel thief and several policemen revolve around her. It's unfortunate that the plot did not do the same.

Addendum: In 2008 I repeated the ripping process with newfangled DVD technology.
(I'll wait for the awed murmur of confusion and surprise to dwindle).
Now I can read the title of the book Sabrina is reading, and you can enjoy a new and improved rip of Sabrina in Blue Murder .

26 April 1957 - West London Observer - Friday, p4

NOW IT'S SABRINA'S LEGS!
Some people may not have realised that Sabrina — of the famous statistics — also has legs. But no doubt will remain when she has been seen as one of that gang of female fiends in human shape — the St. Trinians schoolgirls!
At the invitation of producers Sidney Gilliat and Prank Launder, Sabrina is featured in their sequel to the previous St. Trinians film, this time entitled " Blue Murder at St. Trinians ," a British Lion release.
But you won't be seeing the famous svelte Sabrina shape on the screen. Sabrina wears the regulation St. Trinians' school uniform of gym slip, shirt and tie. You will, however, see the Sabrina legs — for the very first time on any screen!

Editorial Note - Actually, you don't see her legs in the movie. Sabrina is under bedclothes at all times. (It's all right. You'll get over this - eventually.) When asked why Sabrina does not accompany the other girls to Italy, Sabrina said: "I've got to study for my Oxford Scholarship."

Scenes of her coming downstairs might have been filmed, but if they were, they did not make the final cut.

For those of you who are still in distress, here's little consolation:

Another article ( Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - Friday 19 April 1957, p.3) contributed this information:

With this film sequel to the "Belles of St Trinians" comes "St Trinians School Song." Composed by Malcolm Arnold, who is also composing the music for the film, the words have been written producer Sidney Gilliat.
The lyrics are:—

Maidens of St. Trinians, gird your armour on,
Grab the nearest weapon, scruple not which one!
The battle s to the strongest to blazes with who's right.
Trample on the weakest, glory in their plight!
St. Trinians! . . St. Trinians!! Our battle cry!
St. Trinians! . . St. Trinians!! Will never die.
If you're needing protection can quote the price;
We can fix an election - also load your dice.
Let our motto broadcast "Get your blow in first,"
She who draws the sword last — always comes off worst.

No one should accept the responsibility for any strange effects the song may have should it incorporated in any normal school's curriculum.

---

A couple of publicity shots from Blue Murder .
Unless I fell asleep, no such scene appeared in in the film.

30 Sept 2014 - Full size image located! Yabba dabba doo!

Added 19 March 06 from the Scrapbook page. It's really nice when you find Sabrina with a genuine smile rather than the cheesecake grin she often wore. Her whole face lights up immediately.

She was so integral to the film that she was given equal billing with Alistair Sim in the poster. One wonders why she missed out on an Oscar!

"Writer/artist Roland Searle's diabolical "belles" of St. Trinian's Girls School return in this raucous British comedy. Because the girls cannot behave themselves, their headmistress Alastair Sim in drag!) has been thrown in jail, and the school is surrounded by police and army troops. The students win an all-expense-paid trip to Europe (by cheating, of course). While laying waste to the Continent (with Terry-Thomas driving the bus), the girls are enmeshed in a diamond theft instigated by the safe-cracking father of one of the students. The film ends with an elongated water polo game, played with the ladies' usual sense of sportsmanship and fair play." Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A publicity poster for Blue Murder

" ...the cast even includes Sabrina as the school swot, reading Dostoevsky in bed, a self conscious reference to the artificiality of the school " - http://www.shu.ac.uk/services/lc/closeup/foale5.htm

Or maybe this is a better explanation?

Another publicity poster for Blue Murder - Sabrina being sketched by Ronald Searle.

And Matt sent in this photo in October 2010 - thanks, Matt!

And yet another poster!

With Lionel Jeffries

Found in 2016 - Sabrina reads Dostoievski. Of course.

11 November 1958 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Sabrina, the statuesque blonde of the famous dimensions, makes her debut to American screen audiences in the new comedy. "Blue Murder at St. Trinlan's." coming to the Tower Theatre.

In what will probably go down In history as the best bit of casting for the year. the well endowed charmer plays the part of the school Intellectual.

The new comedy follows those "awful schoolgirls" on a whirlwind tour of Europe as they strike terror in the hearts of human beings, and leave in their wake a trail of broken (literally) bodies.