The Night We Got the Bird | |
---|---|
Directed by | Darcy Conyers |
Written by | Darcy Conyers Brian Rix Tony Hilton |
Produced by | Darcy Conyers Brian Rix |
Starring | Brian Rix Dora Bryan Ronald Shiner Liz Fraser |
Cinematography | S.D Onions |
Edited by | Thelma Connell |
Music by | Tommy Watt |
Distributed by | British Lion |
Release date |
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Running time | 82 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Night We Got the Bird is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Darcy Conyers and starring Brian Rix, Dora Bryan, Ronald Shiner and Irene Handl. [1] It was written by Conyers, Rix and Tony Hilton, based on Basil Thomas's 1957 play The Lovebirds. [2]
It was the follow-up to The Night We Dropped a Clanger (1959), and includes the last film appearance by Ronald Shiner.
The title references a phrase in British English with its origin in the world of 19th century theatre, where it was customary to hiss like a goose to express disapproval. [3] [4]
When unscrupulous Brighton antiques dealer Cecil Gibson dies in a road accident, his widow Julie remarries, and her new husband Bertie was Cecil's innocent but naive business partner. One of their wedding presents, from an unknown source, is a mouthy South American parrot, which appears to be a reincarnated Cecil whose aim is to make married life difficult for Bertie. As Bertie and Julie go off on their honeymoon, they are chased by a gangster because of a fake antique bed that the late Cecil substituted for the real thing which he then sold for a profit.
The film was made at Shepperton Studios, Surrey, England, and on location.
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Really rather a lamentable example of British slapstick, studded with hoary gags about honeymoons, dominating mothers, discarded trousers and all manner of cloacal by-play. The brisk pace fails to make up for an appalling lack of discrimination, and only one good scene, with John Le Mesurier as a long-suffering Court Clerk and Kynaston Reeves as a deaf magistrate, manages to emerge above the general seaside-postcard level." [5]
TV Guide wrote, "sophomoric British comedy ...The script finds lots of excuses for people to lose their pants and make vulgar, inane sexual jokes that wouldn't amuse a 10-year-old." [6]
Allmovie wrote, "several hilarious slapstick scenes involving chases or sexual encounters, as well as the more reserved wit found in caricatures like an inept magistrate, are all hallmarks of a typically British sense of humor here (shared by many non-Brits)." [7]
Sky movies wrote, "a fast and furious farce ...With humour that's a notch below the contemporary 'Carry On' films. Never mind, there are some priceless cameo performances from the supporting cast, including Robertson Hare as a dithering doctor, John le Mesurier as a long-suffering court clerk, Kynaston Reeves, hilarious as a deaf magistrate, and Terry Scott as a constable." [8]
Irene Handl was a British character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films; she also wrote novels.
The Pure Hell of St Trinian's is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Cecil Parker, George Cole, Joyce Grenfell and Eric Barker. It was written by Launder, Sidney Gilliat and Val Valentine, and set in the fictional St Trinian's School. It was the third in a series of four films.
Raymond George Alfred Cooney OBE is an English playwright, actor, and director.
The Early Bird is a 1965 British comedy film directed by Robert Asher and starring Norman Wisdom, Edward Chapman, Bryan Pringle, Richard Vernon, John Le Mesurier and Jerry Desmonde. It was the first Norman Wisdom film to be shot in colour. The title is taken from the expression "the early bird catches the worm".
Ronald Alfred Shiner was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall.
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Happy Is the Bride is a 1958 black and white British comedy film written and directed by Roy Boulting and starring Ian Carmichael, Janette Scott, Cecil Parker, Terry-Thomas and Joyce Grenfell. It is based on the 1938 play Quiet Wedding by Esther McCracken, previously filmed in 1941.
My Wife's Family is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gilbert Gunn and starring Ronald Shiner, Ted Ray, Greta Gynt, Diane Hart and Robertson Hare. It was written by Gunn and Talbot Rothwell.
John Roy Chapman was a British actor, playwright and screenwriter, known for his collaborations with Ray Cooney.
Night Beat is a 1947 British Brit noir crime thriller drama film directed by Harold Huth and starring Anne Crawford, Maxwell Reed, Ronald Howard, Hector Ross, Christine Norden and Sid James. Following the Second World War, the two comrades go their separate ways; one joins the Metropolitan Police while the other begins a police career but becomes a racketeer in post-war London. Sky Movies described the film as a "British thriller that examines a challenging issue of its times: the problems encountered by servicemen when trying to adjust to civilian life."
The Night We Dropped a Clanger, is a 1959 black and white British comedy film directed by Darcy Conyers and starring Brian Rix, Cecil Parker, William Hartnell and Leslie Phillips. It was written by John Chapman.
Nothing Barred is a 1961 British black and white comedy film directed by Darcy Conyers and starring Brian Rix, Leo Franklyn and Naunton Wayne. It was written by John Chapman.
Top of the Form is a 1953 British black-and-white comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Ronald Shiner, Anthony Newley and Harry Fowler. The film draws inspiration from Will Hay's 1937 classic Good Morning, Boys.
Up to His Neck is a 1954 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs, starring Ronald Shiner, Hattie Jacques and Anthony Newley.
Not Wanted on Voyage is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Ronald Shiner, Brian Rix and Catherine Boyle. It is based on the play Wanted on Voyage by Ken Attiwill and his wife Evadne Price, and was made at British National Studios.
Keep It Clean is a 1956 British black-and-white comedy film directed by David Paltenghi and starring Ronald Shiner and Joan Sims. The screenplay was by Carl Nystrom and R. F. Delderfield.
Brothers in Law is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Richard Attenborough, Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas and Jill Adams. The film is one of the Boulting brothers successful series of institutional satires that begun with Private's Progress in 1956. It is an adaptation of the 1955 novel Brothers in Law by Henry Cecil, a comedy set in the legal profession.
Henry B. Longhurst was a British actor.
Darcy Conyers (1919–1973) was a British screenwriter, actor, producer and film director. He is sometimes credited as D'Arcy Conyers.
Reluctant Heroes is a comedy play by the British writer Colin Morris. It premiered at the White Rock Theatre in Hastings before transferring to the Whitehall Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 1,610 performances between 12 September 1950 and 24 July 1954. The original West End cast included Brian Rix, Larry Noble, Dermot Walsh, Wally Patch, Bruce Belfrage and Elspet Gray. Other actors who appeared during the run included John Slater, Peter Hammond, Darcy Conyers, Bernard Fox and Gene Anderson. It was the first of the Whitehall farces, and concerns a group of National Service recruits.