Film Poster [1]
Notes[]
Nautical comedy based on the long-running BBC radio series. Co-scripted by the series’ creator Laurie Wyman, the film emerges as the usual mixture of broad services’ farce and skulduggery, briskly directed by Gordon Parry to undemanding Carry-On style comic effect. Leslie Phillips makes the transition from the original radio cast, and he’s joined by familiar actors Cecil Parker, Ronald Shiner and Gordon Jackson.
Plot Synopsis[]
A small naval station on the isle of Boonzey off the coast of Portsmouth is home to inshore minesweeper HMS Compton captained by Cmdr Stanton (Cecil Parker). Charged with recovering WWII mines, very few exist so the redundant crew, including Lt. Pouter (Leslie Phillips), Chief Petty Officer Banyard (Ronald Shiner) and Seaman Johnson (Gordon Jackson), enjoy a laidback life of relaxing, smuggling and various money-spinning wheezes until interfering Capt. Povey (Nicholas Phipps) attempts to have them declared surplus to requirements and closed down.
The crew attempt to preserve their cushy life of jolly japes by first requesting accommodation for a fictitious Pullson’s Fulminator, but when the determined Povey sees through that ruse they warn of an outbreak of Yellow Fever on Boonzey – but again Povey unmasks their scheming. As a last throw of the dice the crew invent a revolution and persuade the locals to pose as guerrillas.[2]
Cast[]
- Cecil Parker as Commander Stanton
- Ronald Shiner as Chief Petty Officer Banyad
- Leslie Phillips as Lieutenant Pouter
- Elvi Hale as Leading WREN Heather
- Nicholas Phipps as Captain Povey
- Cardew Robinson as Lieutenant Binns
- Gordon Jackson as Leading Seaman Johnson
- Harold Kasket as Gaston Higgins
- Hattie Jacques as Fortune Teller
- Reginald Beckwith as CNI
- Kenneth J. Warren as Brown
- Wanda Ventham as Mabel
- Richard Coleman as Lieutenant Bates
- Llewellyn Rees as Admiral Troutbridge
- Clive Morton as Rear Admiral
- Gordon Harris as Group Captain
- Van Boolen as Fred
- Gordon Whiting as Commander
- Tom Gill as Naval Commander
- Walter Hudd as Naval Captain
Production Team[]
- Gordon Parry - Director
- Gordon Dines - Cinematography
- Basil Warren - Film Editing
- Tommy Reilly - Original Music
- Laurie Wyman: Play
- Herbert Wilcox - Producer
- Sid Colin - Script
- Laurie Wyman: Script
External links[]
- New York Times August 8th 2008
- IMDB entry
- The Sea Mine Clip from Youtube
- The plot from Youtube
References[]
- ↑ Wikipedia Entry
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Navy Lark Film on Britmovie (http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/The-Navy-Lark_1959)