It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet | |
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![]() British cinema poster | |
Directed by | Eric Till |
Screenplay by | Alan Plater |
Based on | Let Sleeping Vets Lie & Vet in Harness by James Herriot |
Produced by | Margaret Matheson |
Starring | John Alderton Colin Blakely Lisa Harrow Bill Maynard |
Cinematography | Arthur Ibbetson |
Edited by | Thom Noble |
Music by | Laurie Johnson |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | EMI Films (UK) |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
Countries | United Kingdom United States |
Language | English |
It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (in the United States also known as All Things Bright and Beautiful), is a 1976 sequel to the 1975 film All Creatures Great and Small . Although having the same title as James Herriot's second novel, the film is actually based on his third and fourth novels, Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness, which in the United States were released as a compilation volume titled All Things Bright and Beautiful. It is part of a series of movies and television series based on Herriot's novels. [1]
In this film, John Alderton has taken over the role of James and Colin Blakely that of Siegfried (portrayed in the first film by Simon Ward and Anthony Hopkins, respectively), while Lisa Harrow returns as Helen. It also features Richard Griffiths in his debut film appearance as Sam. The film was directed by Eric Till, and the screenplay is by Alan Plater. The film, which has a British-American joint venture, was entered into the 10th Moscow International Film Festival. [2]
The story continues where All Creatures Great and Small ended, and follows the lives of James, Helen and Siegfried from 1938 until the outbreak of war.
In July 1975 the film was announced as part of a slate of eleven films from EMI with a budget of £6 million. [3] Simon Ward was offered the lead role again but turned it down as his fee was the same as for the first film. [4]
The film was shot in January 1976. It was known during production as All Things Bright and Beautiful. [5]
Herriot's son Jim later recalled:
While John Alderton provided a more forceful James Herriot, with a flash of humour always evident, Colin Blakely’s role as Siegfried was more subdued than the portrayal by Anthony Hopkins. Although he brought some wonderful comedy to the part, there was hardly a trace of the spontaneous eccentricity that was the hallmark of the real man. This was partly because Alf insisted on some changes since he was not prepared to upset Donald again. After reading the scripts in advance of shooting, he was adamant that the peaks and troughs of Siegfried’s character be smoothed out. [6]
John Alderton was offered the part of Herriott in the television version of All Creatures Great and Small but turned it down. [7]
According to Herriott's biographer, "John Alderton was far and away the best of the three actors who portrayed Alf on screen, with a boyish but twinkly British charm that managed to make him appear shy and gauche without ever being wet or pathetic. Twenty years on Blakely s portrayal of Siegfried does not seem at all 'implacably fierce' but rather serious, honest, warm and highly professional." [8]
Released on VHS in the 1990s, the film has yet to see a commercial release on DVD in the UK (region 2) or US (region 1).
James Alfred Wight, better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author.
All Creatures Great and Small may refer to:
John Alderton is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah, Wodehouse Playhouse, Little Miss, Please Sir!, No - Honestly and Fireman Sam. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins.
Christopher Timothy is a British actor and narrator. He is known for his roles as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small, Mac McGuire in the BBC One daytime soap opera Doctors and Ted Murray in the BBC One primetime soap opera EastEnders.
Wallace Brian Vaughan Sinclair was a British veterinary surgeon who worked for a time with his older brother Donald, and Donald's business partner, Alf Wight. Wight wrote a series of semi-autobiographical novels under the pen name James Herriot, with Sinclair and Donald appearing in fictional form as brothers Tristan and Siegfried Farnon. The novels were adapted in two films and television series under the name All Creatures Great and Small. Tristan was portrayed as a charming rogue who was still studying veterinary medicine in the early books, constantly having to re-take examinations because of his lack of application, often found in the pub, and provoking tirades from his bombastic elder brother Siegfried.
Donald Vaughan Sinclair was a British veterinary surgeon who graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 1933. He was made famous as the inspiration for the eccentric character Siegfried Farnon, in the semi-autobiographical books of James Herriot, adapted for film and television as All Creatures Great and Small.
Thirlby is a village and civil parish in former Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. With a population of about 120 in 2003, measured at 134 at the 2011 Census, Thirlby is situated approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Thirsk.
Lisa Harrow is a New Zealand RADA-trained actress, noted for her roles in British theatre, films and television. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Nancy Astor in the British BBC television drama Nancy Astor.
Darrowby is a fictional village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, which was created by author Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot as the setting for the veterinary practice in his book It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet. The book has been adapted for two television series, both titled All Creatures Great and Small. The first was the BBC's 1978 series, which aired between 1978 and 1990. A new adaptation was produced for the 2020 series.
"All Things Bright and Beautiful" is an Anglican hymn, also sung in many other Christian denominations. The words are by Cecil Frances Alexander and were first published in her Hymns for Little Children of 1848.
"Son of Man" is a British television play by playwright Dennis Potter which was first broadcast on BBC1 on 16 April 1969, in The Wednesday Play slot. An alternative depiction of the last days of Jesus, Son of Man was directed by Gareth Davies and starred Northern Irish actor Colin Blakely. The play was shot on videotape over three days on a very limited budget: Potter was later to say that the set "looks as though it's trembling and about to fall down."
Colin George Edward Blakely was a Northern Irish stage and screen actor. He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Sidney Lumet's Equus (1977), and was nominated twice for a Best Actor in Television. He was also an Olivier Award nominee.
All Creatures Great and Small is a 1975 British film, directed by Claude Whatham and starring Simon Ward and Anthony Hopkins as Yorkshire vets James Herriot and Siegfried Farnon. It is based on the first novels by James Herriot : If Only They Could Talk (1970) and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1972).
All Creatures Great and Small is a British television series made by the BBC and based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot. Set in the Yorkshire Dales and beginning in the mid-1930s, it stars Christopher Timothy as Herriot, Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon, the proprietor of the Skeldale House surgery, and Peter Davison as Siegfried's "little brother", Tristan. Herriot's wife, Helen, was initially played by Carol Drinkwater and in the later series by Lynda Bellingham.
The All Creatures Great and Small franchise consists of a series of books, movies, and TV series based on books written by James Alfred Wight under the pen name James Herriot based on his experiences as a veterinary surgeon. The books have been adapted for film and television, including a 1975 film All Creatures Great and Small, followed by the 1976 It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet sequel, as well as a long-running BBC television programme of the same title, and a prequel series in 2011, Young James Herriot.
All Creatures Great and Small is a television series set in 1930s and 1940s Northern England, based upon a series of books about a Yorkshire veterinary surgeon written by Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot. The series, produced by Playground Entertainment for Channel 5, is a new adaptation of Wight's books, following the previous BBC series of 90 episodes that ran from 1978 to 1990 and a number of other films and television series based on Herriot's novels. It was filmed in the Yorkshire Dales, and received funding from Screen Yorkshire.
Nicholas Ralph is a Scottish actor. He plays James Herriot in the Channel 5 and PBS Masterpiece television series All Creatures Great and Small, a remake of the long-running BBC series.
Cringley House is an historic building in the English village of Askrigg, North Yorkshire. Standing on the south side of Market Place, it was built in the early-to-mid-19th century, and is now a Grade II listed building. Its railings are also of listed status.