The Square Peg

Norman Pitkin, a cheeky roadmender in St Godric's Borough, loves provoking soldiers and even the local general. His antics draw the ire of his boss, Borough Engineer Mr Grimsdale, and soon Colonel Layton orders them into service as payback. They are drafted into the Pioneer Corps to begin their wartime misadventure.

Pitkin and Grimsdale start basic training at the camp under Sergeant Loder, one of Pitkin's former victims. The drills are chaotic and comic, highlighting their bungling teamwork. The training sets the stage for their unlikely wartime partnership.

During a lull in training, Pitkin spots ATS officer Lesley Cartland and is smitten at first sight. She is preparing to go behind enemy lines into Nazi-occupied France. The romance provides a rare bright spot amid the grim routine of war.

Pitkin and Grimsdale board the wrong transport and are parachuted into France, four miles into enemy territory. Grimsdale is quickly captured and taken to the local headquarters housed in a chateau. Pitkin, still in civilian clothes, faces a dangerous improvisation as his mission goes wrong.

In Fleury, Pitkin buys sugar and eggs while German soldiers stand nearby, oblivious to his exact resemblance to General Otto Schreiber. He recognizes Lesley Cartland working with the resistance, and his appearance blows her cover. As a result, Lesley and the cafe owner are arrested.

Pitkin and Henri Le Blanc, the local resistance leader, dig a tunnel with the aim of rescuing the prisoners from the chateau. Henri is captured during the attempt, while Pitkin continues to improvise. He then slips into Schreiber's suite, ready for a risky impersonation.

Gretchen, Schreiber's Wagnerian girlfriend, arrives and is told not to be disturbed. Pitkin, in Schreiber's uniform, watches the couple dine from an adjacent room. Gretchen mistakes him for Schreiber, and things become increasingly tense as the ruse unfolds.

A staged Schubert recital becomes a chaotic comedy as Pitkin negotiates the impossible performance. Schreiber finally emerges from the bathroom, and a barrage of hijinks—reminiscent of the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup (1933)—ensues. Pitkin ultimately knocks Schreiber out and frees the prisoners using the impersonation.

The prisoners are freed but Pitkin is soon recaptured and sentenced to be shot at dawn. The noose tightens as the execution looms, testing Pitkin's wit and nerve under pressure. The fate of the unlikely hero hangs in the balance.

Just before dawn, Pitkin tumbles into the camouflaged tunnel he had dug, enabling a last-minute escape. He ties up Schreiber in the process and escapes into the tunnels. The escape marks a turning point in the mission and preserves his life.

After the war, Schreiber takes off his disguise and becomes Mr Grimsdale again, resuming his civilian role as Borough Engineer. The local power dynamics revert to the familiar order even as the world has changed. Pitkin's antics are remembered as part of the town's wartime history.

With his wartime exploits behind him, Pitkin is proclaimed mayor of St Godric's Borough. The unlikely hero returns to local life with a new status and a humorous legacy. Grimsdale, now back in a civilian role, remains part of the town's governance as Pitkin's ally.