Displaying items by tag: Rodney Bewes

WE JOINED THE NAVY

UK, 1962, 104 minutes, Colour.

Kenneth More, Lloyd Nolan, Joan O’Brien, Jeremy Lloyd, Dinsdale Landon, Derek Fowlds, Mischa Auer, John Le Mesurier, Lally Bowers, Laurence Naismith, Andrew Cruickshank, Walter Fitzgerald, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Esma Cannon, Kenneth Griffith, Warren Mitchell, Graham Crowden, Cameos: Michael Bentine, Rodney Bewes, Dirk Bogarde, Sid James.

Directed by Wendy Toye.

British comedy at the beginning of the 1960s, broadening of humour, the period of the beginning of the Carry on series… And, glancing at the cast list, quite a number of names of popular British actors of the time and those who were emerging (and a couple of celebrity cameos, particularly Dirk Bogarde as Dr Simon Sparrow, his character in the Doctor series, where he played with Kenneth More). Sid James does a chuckling variation on his Carry on characters. Notable supporting performances from Kenneth Griffith and, especially, Warren Mitchell. And for fans of veteran actress, Esma Cannon, this is one that definitely should be seen, decked out in official royalty costume and with an accent!

There are several Americans in the cast because of the screenplay, notably Lloyd Nolan, first appearing in American films in the mid-1930s, a 50 years career, his last film Woody Allen’s Hannah and her Sisters.

Much of the screenplay now seems very corny. And there is a great deal of farce. There are interview sequences for inept candidates for the Navy. There are plenty of training sequences. But, with Kenneth More as the central character, always speaking out and being transferred to other jobs, put in command of three potential officers, Jeremy Lloyd (actor but later writer of such television series as Are You Being Served and ‘Ullo ‘Ullo), Dinsdale Landon and Derek Fowlds who came to prominence as the meek public servant in Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.

There are sequences in the Riviera, clashes between the Brits and the Yanks, more farce about romance for Kenneth More.

Finally, an intervention in an African revolution, Kenneth Griffiths, often so meek on screen, as a yelling and ranting revolutionary, veteran Mischa Auer as two characters leading the country, extremely eccentric.

This comedy has, some humour, but a great deal of silliness as well.