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helped by the script, which is at times so involved as to be almost incomprehensible; with a good "feed" and a script better suited to his own style of fantastic comedy he might be more successful. The supporting cast – notably
Margaret Rutherford in one of her familiar characterisations and George Coulouris as the man from Scotland Yard – is so strong as rather to overwhelm than to support the star."
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Two of the crooks are caught; under questioning by
Inspector Henley, one breaks down and admits the gold was stowed on the coach and that the mysterious and notorious "Banker" is the mastermind. Henley informs Percy by radio, but the fog is so thick, Percy has no idea where he is. In mid-call, Peter
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wrote: "This is the first film to star
Frankie Howerd. He is unable to bring to the cinema those qualities which have made him so successful on the radio and in the music hall, and relies on mannerisms and grimaces which, though often quite funny, are not sufficient to sustain a film. He is not
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13 and reserve driver Percy Lamb to transport her. Lamb is so hapless he cannot find his way around the airport, much less the roads. Beeston is joined by mild-mannered Henry
Waterman, pulp-thriller addict Janie Grey and Ernest Schroede. To satisfy a regulation, stewardess "Nikki" Nicholls is
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Guest said that Howerd was initially reluctant to make a film, "Films? Oho, that's a dangerous game. Get your name up there outside a cinema and if they don't go in it's all your fault! Thank you but no thank you!" Howerd finally agreed, but made three demands. Firstly, Guest had to write a
322:, while Schroeder is a police officer. Miss Beeston – the Banker – ends up with the gun, and her henchman Henry tries to start the coach. Percy saves the day: He removed the rotor arm from the engine beforehand, and knocks the pistol out of Miss Beeston's hand with a stone.
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Guest says the film was "enormously" successful. "Everybody made an enormous amount of money out of that... And it comes back time and time again you know it was re-released in movies, in cinemas again and was a very big hit."
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led to
British film companies signing up other comics from TV, radio and variety. The company Eros decided to make a film with Frankie Howerd. Guest says the idea to use Howerd came from Peter Noble.
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comedy-thriller, so that if the comedy part did not work, the thriller part might. Second, he did not want his name first above the title. And finally, he wanted his favourite comedy actress
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where Howerd was topping the bill in a long-running variety show. The two men became friends. Howerd later said he "wanted to do a comedy thriller. Bob Hope’s first real success was in
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On the last day of filming, Guest realised that the movie was coming in at 72 minutes, three minutes short to qualify as a feature, so Howerd improvised a scene in a phone box.
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said " Lee is gorgeous to look at and is quite funny; the film did not turn Howerd into a film star (that came later, off the back of TV success) but it is entertaining."
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gun, Peter grabs it. Schroeder then informs him that it does not work, and produces a pistol of his own. After a scuffle, it turns out that Peter is working for
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Howerd later said Guest "wrote the story but I mostly wrote my own part and we did it. In those days we didn't have much money so in order to make the film
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and star Howerd and
Belinda Lee, who the paper said had never acted before and was the seventy-seventh girl who auditioned.
708:"Motion Picture Activities Along the Thames – Peter Brook Clicks As a Movie Director With 'Beggar's Opera' – Other Matters"
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assigned to shepherd them. Rounding out the party is airline first officer Peter Jones, who hitches a ride.
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pokes what Percy thinks is a gun into his back and tells him to keep driving. They wind up at a deserted,
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In
September 1953 the New York Times announced that the film would be called
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When heavy fog wreaks havoc with the plans of air travellers throughout
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had first met
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Unbeknownst to most of them, robbers have stolen £200,000 worth of
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from the airport bonded store and hidden the proceeds in the
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780:"A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee"
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755:(240): 42. 1 January 1954 – via ProQuest.
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237:while a gang of crooks tries to carry off a
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696:Val Guest 'So You Want to be in Pictures'
615:British Film Institute Collections Search
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311:village used by the Army for training.
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1332:English-language comedy mystery films
662:British Entertainment History Project
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491:and a very half-hearted reworking of
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439:Alastair Hunter as Detective Spencer
1337:English-language crime comedy films
495:" which Guest had helped adapt for
421:Richard Beynon as transport officer
778:Vagg, Stephen (7 September 2020).
209:produced, written and directed by
14:
636:"There's a Rush to Borrow Stars"
1218:Confessions of a Window Cleaner
706:Watts, Stephen (21 June 1953).
642:. 25 February 1954. p. 11.
1302:Films shot at Southall Studios
1202:When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
583:Frankie Howerd: Stand-Up Comic
483:Howerd's biographer said that
276:, insists on being taken from
16:1954 British film by Val Guest
1:
1312:British black-and-white films
1138:The Day the Earth Caught Fire
1327:Films scored by Ronald Binge
1282:1950s English-language films
1277:British comedy mystery films
1292:Films directed by Val Guest
427:as airport security officer
256:. It was the film debut of
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1272:British crime comedy films
1267:1950s comedy mystery films
994:The Men of Sherwood Forest
686:. No. 34. p. 60.
658:"Interview with Val Guest"
249:with sets designed by the
144:16 February 1954
120:Conquest-Guest Productions
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748:The Monthly Film Bulletin
546:called it "boisterous".
534:The Monthly Film Bulletin
430:Cyril Conway as 1st crook
28:
1262:1950s crime comedy films
1074:The Camp on Blood Island
1018:The Quatermass Xperiment
585:(illustrated ed.).
225:and an ensemble cast of
938:Miss Pilgrim's Progress
906:I'll Be Your Sweetheart
678:Williams, Tony (2001).
394:as transport dispatcher
314:When Schroeder finds a
241:. The film was shot at
1066:The Abominable Snowman
1034:It's a Wonderful World
930:Murder at the Windmill
922:William Comes to Town
489:The Cat and the Canary
470:The Cat and the Canary
346:as Lee "Nikki" Nichols
1322:Films set in airports
412:as American traveller
1090:Further Up the Creek
656:Fowler, Roy (1988).
640:Kinematograph Weekly
448:The huge success of
388:as transport officer
205:) is a 1954 British
1317:1950s British films
1297:Films set in London
1170:Where the Spies Are
1010:Break in the Circle
970:Life with the Lyons
946:Mister Drake's Duck
914:Just William's Luck
512:Scream in the Night
478:Margaret Rutherford
376:as Inspector Henley
338:Margaret Rutherford
229:in a story about a
219:Margaret Rutherford
202:Scream in the Night
72:Margaret Rutherford
1130:The Full Treatment
1026:They Can't Hang Me
1002:The Lyons in Paris
978:Dance, Little Lady
868:Films directed by
712:The New York Times
684:Psychotronic Video
581:(1 October 2004).
352:as Ernest Shroeder
340:as Cynthia Beeston
282:Blackbushe Airport
274:"Positive Thought"
1307:1954 comedy films
1287:Films about buses
1244:
1243:
1162:The Beauty Jungle
1098:Yesterday's Enemy
986:The Body Said No!
743:"The Runaway Bus"
611:"The Runaway Bus"
589:UK. p. 214.
398:Reginald Beckwith
362:Terence Alexander
358:as Henry Waterman
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1234:The Boys in Blue
1114:Life Is a Circus
1042:Carry On Admiral
898:Give Us the Moon
890:Bees in Paradise
882:Miss London Ltd.
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501:Southall Studios
466:London Palladium
455:Trouble in Store
434:Arthur Lovegrove
400:as telephone man
382:as duty official
350:George Coulouris
320:airport security
270:southern England
243:Southall Studios
227:character actors
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716:. Retrieved
714:. p. X5
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618:. Retrieved
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436:as 2nd crook
416:Lisa Gastoni
374:John Horsley
356:Toke Townley
344:Petula Clark
313:
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297:gold bullion
294:
286:
267:
251:art director
223:Petula Clark
201:
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195:
194:
193:
160:Running time
137:Release date
106:Ronald Binge
76:Petula Clark
18:
368:Belinda Lee
258:Belinda Lee
213:. It stars
207:comedy film
56:Produced by
38:Directed by
1257:1954 films
1251:Categories
1050:The Weapon
768:at Variety
596:1841153109
560:References
444:Production
233:caught in
164:78 minutes
148:1954-02-16
130:Eros Films
113:Production
48:Written by
1194:Toomorrow
870:Val Guest
528:Reception
462:Val Guest
211:Val Guest
92:Edited by
59:Val Guest
51:Val Guest
42:Val Guest
833:AllMovie
425:Sam Kydd
177:Language
102:Music by
64:Starring
784:Filmink
718:12 June
620:11 July
550:Filmink
543:Variety
188:£45,000
180:English
169:Country
146: (
115:company
1237:(1982)
1229:(1976)
1221:(1974)
1213:(1972)
1205:(1970)
1197:(1970)
1189:(1968)
1181:(1967)
1173:(1965)
1165:(1964)
1157:(1963)
1149:(1962)
1146:Jigsaw
1141:(1961)
1133:(1960)
1125:(1960)
1117:(1960)
1109:(1959)
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949:(1951)
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933:(1949)
925:(1948)
917:(1947)
909:(1945)
901:(1944)
893:(1944)
885:(1943)
814:at BFI
593:
519:
505:London
247:London
185:Budget
822:TCMDB
289:coach
239:heist
807:IMDb
720:2020
622:2024
591:ISBN
326:Cast
316:Sten
301:boot
264:Plot
221:and
831:at
820:at
805:at
503:in
452:in
280:to
245:in
235:fog
231:bus
1253::
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753:21
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624:.
599:.
150:)
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