Father Came Too! | |
---|---|
Directed by | Peter Graham Scott |
Written by | Jack Davies Henry Blyth |
Produced by | Leslie Parkyn Julian Wintle |
Starring | James Robertson Justice Leslie Phillips Stanley Baxter Sally Smith Ronnie Barker |
Cinematography | Reginald Wyer |
Edited by | Tom Priestley |
Music by | Norrie Paramor |
Production company | |
Distributed by | J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Father Came Too! is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter. [1] It was written by Jack Davies and Henry Blyth.
It is a loose sequel to The Fast Lady (1962). [2]
Dexter and Juliet Munro are a young newly married couple who move to a run-down country cottage in hopes of escaping from Juliet's overbearing father, Sir Beverly Grant. However, they are soon confronted by their new home's battered structure. Juliet's father offers help from a reputable building firm, but this help is refused by Dexter, who wants to remain independent of Juliet's father.
Dexter sees an ad in the local paper and employs Josh to do the work. The house is finished, although well over budget, and eventually burns down because Juliet's father had changed the fuses from 15A to 30A. Roddy, their estate agent (and aspiring actor) saves the day, telling Dexter and Juliet that a motorway is soon to be built on their land, so they can sell at a profit, and gives them the keys to a cottage requiring no work in the adjoining field.
The film was produced by Independent Artists for distribution by Rank. [3] It was shot at Beaconsfield Studios with sets designed by the art director Harry Pottle. [4] The pageant scenes were filmed in the village of Turville in Buckinghamshire. The film's dresses were designed by Julie Harris. [3]
Kinematograph Weekly called the film a "money maker" at the British box office for 1964. [5]
Monthly Film Bulletin said "Strained comedy which divides its footage more or less equally between James Robertson Justice's familiar act as a curmudgeonly egotist, and a motley collection of well-worn disaster jokes (falling through rotten floor-boards, sloshing paint all over the place, etc. etc.) In the intervals Stanley Baxter and Sally Smith suggest that they might, given half a chance, make a likeable comedy couple; and good supporting actors like Raymond Huntley, James Villiers, Philip Locke and Timothy Bateson have next to nothing to do." [6]
TV Guide noted "A broad British comedy." [7]
Leslie Halliwell said: "Less funny sequel to The Fast Lady, with comic household disasters striking every couple of minutes. Easy-going, and predictably amusing in spots." [8]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "This is a disappointing outing, considering that it had all the makings of being an amusing inversion of the old mother-in-law joke. James Robertson-Justice stars as the father-in-law from hell who shatters the bliss of newlyweds Stanley Baxter and Sally Smith with his tactless intrusions and incessant hectoring. Such is his dominance of the action that there simply aren't enough gags to go round, leaving Leslie Phillips and Ronnie Barker twiddling their thumbs on the periphery." [9]
Leslie Samuel Phillips was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the Carry On and Doctor in the House film series as well as the long-running BBC radio comedy series The Navy Lark. In his later career, Phillips took on dramatic parts including a BAFTA-nominated role alongside Peter O'Toole in Venus (2006). He provided the voice of the Sorting Hat in three of the Harry Potter films.
Stanley Livingstone Baxter is a Scottish actor, comedian, impressionist and author. Baxter began his career as a child actor on BBC Scotland and later became known for his British television comedy shows The Stanley Baxter Show, The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, The Stanley Baxter Series and Mr Majeika.
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The Fast Lady is a 1962 British comedy film, directed by Ken Annakin and starring James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips, Stanley Baxter, Kathleen Harrison, and Julie Christie. The screenplay was by Henry Blyth and Jack Davies, based on the 1925 novel The Fast Lady by Keble Howard. It was the third in a trilogy of comedies written by Jack Davies that Annakin made for Independent Artists.
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Sally in Our Alley is a 1931 British romantic comedy drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Gracie Fields, Ian Hunter, and Florence Desmond. It is based on the 1923 West End play The Likes of Her by Charles McEvoy.
Saloon Bar is a 1940 British comedy thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Elizabeth Allan and Mervyn Johns. It was made by Ealing Studios and its style has led to comparisons with the later Ealing Comedies, unlike other wartime Ealing films which are different in tone. It is based on the 1939 play of the same name by Frank Harvey in which Harker had also starred. An amateur detective tries to clear an innocent man of a crime before the date of his execution.
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