A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (film)

Last updated

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.jpg
Directed by Ralph Thomas
Written by Guy Elmes (story and screenplay)
Produced by Benjamin Fisz
Starring Richard Jordan
Oliver Tobias
David Niven
Elke Sommer
Gloria Grahame
Hugh Griffith
Richard Johnson
Cinematography John Coquillon
Edited byPeter Boita
Music by Stanley Myers
Production
company
Benjamin Fisz Productions
Release date
  • 1979 (1979)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square is a 1979 British heist film directed by Ralph Thomas, written by Guy Elmes and starring Richard Jordan, Oliver Tobias and David Niven. It is subtitled "based on one of the biggest robberies in London". The film takes its name from the 1940 published song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square".

Contents

Plot summary

Pinky (Jordan) is released from prison and has decided to go straight from now on, but takes a job as a maintenance man at a large bank, which gives him a lot of undue attention from "Ivan the Terrible" (Niven), the local hoodlum. By using Pinky, Ivan hopes to rob the bank, and Pinky starts to like the idea of going back to his old ways.

Production

Ralph Thomas later said the film "had quite a superb cast" and "he was really quite fond" of the movie "but I didn't do it as well as I should have done because by the time we started it David was already sick, and so we had to do the best we could as quickly as we could and it didn't come off as I'd hoped. But it was still a fun film and we enjoyed making it." [1]

It was shot at Twickenham Studios and on location around London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Lionel Couch.

Cast

Also known as

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Niven</span> British actor, memoirist and novelist (1910–1983)

James David Graham Niven was a British actor, soldier, raconteur, memoirist and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. He received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<i>The Magnificent Yankee</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by John Sturges

The Magnificent Yankee is a 1950 American biographical film adapted by Emmet Lavery from his 1946 play of the same title, which was in turn adapted from the 1942 book Mr. Justice Holmes by Francis Biddle. The story examines the life of United States Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square</span> Song

"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a British romantic popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Butterworth</span> English actor and comedian (1915–1979)

Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth was a British actor and comedian best known for his appearances in the Carry On film series. He was also a regular on children's television and radio. Butterworth was married to actress and impressionist Janet Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Johnson (actor)</span> British actor (1927–2015)

Richard Keith Johnson was an English stage and screen actor, writer and producer. Described by Michael Coveney as "a very 'still' actor – authoritative, calm and compelling," he was a staple performer in British films and television from the 1960s until the 2010s, often playing urbane sophisticates and authoritative characters. He had a distinguished theatrical career, notably as a cornerstone member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and was once acclaimed as "the finest romantic actor of his generation."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Thomas</span> English film director (1915–2001)

Ralph Philip Thomas MC was an English film director. He is perhaps best remembered for directing the Doctor series of films.

<i>An Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé</i> 1982 live album by Mel Tormé

An Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé is a live album by Mel Tormé, accompanied by George Shearing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinky Pinkerton</span> Fictional character

Percival "Pinky" Pinkerton is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character's first appearance was in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #8, in which he replaced Jonathan Junior Juniper who was killed in issue #4. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.

<i>The Biggest Bundle of Them All</i> 1968 film by Ken Annakin

The Biggest Bundle of Them All is a 1968 American crime film set in Naples, Italy. The story is about a mobster and a novice gang of crooks who team up to steal $5 million worth of platinum ingots from a train. The film stars Robert Wagner and Raquel Welch and was directed by Ken Annakin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Campbell</span> English actress (1916–2004)

Judy Campbell was an English film, television and stage actress, widely known to be Noël Coward's muse. Her daughter was the actress and singer Jane Birkin, her son the screenwriter and director Andrew Birkin, and among her grandchildren are the actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, the late poet Anno Birkin, the artist David Birkin and the late photographer Kate Barry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davy Kaye</span> English comedy actor and entertainer (1916–1998)

Davy Kaye MBE was a British comedy actor and entertainer.

<i>The Love Lottery</i> 1954 film

The Love Lottery is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Charles Crichton and starring David Niven, Peggy Cummins, Anne Vernon and Herbert Lom. Produced by Ealing Studios it was one of several Ealing Comedies that veered away from the standard formula. The film examines celebrity and fan worship with an international setting including Lake Como, ambitious dream sequences, and an uncredited cameo appearance at the end by Humphrey Bogart as himself.

<i>Campbells Kingdom</i> 1957 British film by Ralph Thomas

Campbell's Kingdom is a 1957 British adventure film directed by Ralph Thomas, based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Hammond Innes. The film stars Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker, with Michael Craig, Barbara Murray, James Robertson Justice and Sid James in support. The story is set in Alberta, Canada, and largely follows the principles of the Northwestern genre of film-making.

<i>Upstairs and Downstairs</i> 1959 British film by Ralph Thomas

Upstairs and Downstairs is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Anne Heywood, Mylène Demongeot, Claudia Cardinale, James Robertson Justice, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson and Sid James. It features the first English-language performance of Claudia Cardinale.

<i>The Wicked Lady</i> (1983 film) 1983 film

The Wicked Lady is a 1983 British-American period drama directed by Michael Winner and starring Faye Dunaway, Alan Bates, John Gielgud, Denholm Elliott, and Hugh Millais. It was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. It is a remake of the 1945 film of the same name, which was one of the popular series of Gainsborough melodramas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Toronto International Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. The Fifth Estate was selected as the opening film and Life of Crime was the closing film. 75 films were added to the festival line-up in August. A total of 366 films from 70 countries were screened, including 146 world premieres.

<i>Sinatra: London</i> 2014 box set by Frank Sinatra

Sinatra: London is a 3CD & 1DVD Frank Sinatra box set released on November 25, 2014. It is the third in a series of city-themed box sets following Vegas and New York. The set includes the 1962 album Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain as recorded in London, as well as unreleased outtake material from those sessions and spoken introductions for each song intended for a BBC radio special. The live material consists of a 1953 session from BBC Radio's The Show Band Show, a full concert recorded in 1984 at the Royal Albert Hall, and two concerts on the DVD, both recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in 1962 and 1970. The liner notes are written by Ken Barnes.

VE Day 70: A Party To Remember was a 1940s themed concert and party held on Saturday 9 May 2015 on Horse Guards Parade in London. It was hosted by The Royal British Legion, as part of the three-day celebration to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sid Sumner</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Sid Sumner is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Billy Price, who made his first appearance on 9 May 2019. He is introduced as the son of recurring character Stuart Sumner and joins several established characters when he begins to attend Hollyoaks High. He initially appears as part of the show's high profile far-right extremism storyline in a guest role, but was promoted to a series regular after it concluded when the producers began to plot a year-long county lines drug trafficking storyline. He made an unannounced departure on 7 October 2022.

References

  1. Collected Interviews: Voices from Twentieth-century Cinema by Wheeler W. Dixon, Southern Illinois University Press, 2001, p.113
  2. "The Biggest Bank Robbery (1980)". BFI. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017.