Wikipedia

Double Bunk

Double Bunk is a 1961 British black-and-white comedy film directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and starring Ian Carmichael and Sid James.[2]

Double Bunk
Directed byC. M. Pennington-Richards
Produced byGeorge H. Brown
StarringIan Carmichael
Sid James
Janette Scott
Liz Fraser
Dennis Price
CinematographyStephen Dade
Edited byJohn D. Guthridge
Music byStanley Black
Distributed byBryanston (UK)
Release date
  • 30 March 1961 (1961-03-30) (London West End)
Running time
92 min
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£110,275[1]

Plot

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Facing eviction from their London flat, newlyweds Jack and Peggy are tricked into buying a rundown houseboat by owner Alfred Harper and his put-upon wife. Mr Watson, who owns Jack and Peggy’s mooring, soon introduces them to his mooring tariffs and associated surcharges.

Jack's used-car-salesman friend Sid helps him rebuild the engine, and the newlyweds take the boat down the River Thames to Ramsgate with Sid and his girlfriend Sandra as passengers. On the way they have trouble with an official from the Thames Conservancy and a member of the river police.

After Sandra's transistor radio gets misplaced next to the compass, they end up in Calais. With no fuel or supplies they must resort to desperate actions to get themselves and the houseboat back home. Sandra puts on a striptease for Watson, who also happens to be in Calais, so Jack and Sid can "borrow" some of Watson’s fuel and food. The next morning they follow Watson back across the English Channel, as their own compass is broken, and enter into a wager with Watson on who can get back to their mooring first. They win the bet when Watson's boat runs aground.

Cast

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Production

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The houseboat, Jasmine Cot, was actually Joan Mary, an Admiralty 48-foot "Personnel Launch, Diesel" conversion. She was based at Newmans Shipyard, 1, Strawberry Vale, Twickenham.[citation needed]

Tagg's Island, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, was a filming location on 26 September 1960.[3]

Soundtrack

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The musical score was composed by Stanley Black, and the title song (by Stanley Black, Jack Fishman and Michael (Mike) Pratt), sung by Sid James and Liz Fraser, was released as a single (Decca – 45-F 11328).[4]

Release

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The film opened at the Leicester Square Theatre in London's West End on 30 March 1961 and went on general release in the UK on 8 May 1961.[citation needed]

The film went over budget by £4,500 and the producer had to write off personally £5,000.[5]

Critical reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Moments of inventiveness, such as Sidney James plotting a course with sugar tongs in place of dividers, are submerged in the copious slapstick, doubtful jokes and stale situations of conveyor-belt British farce. A familiar cast give all they can to stock character parts, with James making much of his sardonic lines, and the piece has pace and gaiety; but there is a limit to the number of times actors falling into rivers can draw a laugh."[6]

The New York Times called it an "extremely anemic little British comedy."[7]

The Spinning Image called it "a gently amusing feel-good comedy that chugs along nicely. ... You know you're in for a good time as soon as Double Bunk's opening credits kick in accompanied by a jaunty ditty sung by co-stars Sid James and Liz Fraser."[8]

Britmovie wrote, "the supporting cast is a veritable treasure trove of familiar faces, including Sid James, Naunton Wayne, Liz Fraser, Irene Handl, Miles Malleson and Noel Purcell and Dennis Price."[9]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "There's more pleasure to be had from spotting the support cast than from following the stars in some vintage British movies, and this under-directed comedy about honeymooners racing their houseboat is no exception. The nominal lead is lan Carmichael, displaying his usual dottiness, but he had lost his ability to carry a picture by this point, and lovely though Janette Scott may be, she's no great shakes as an actress."[10]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Thin comedy which turns out not to be leakproof."[11]

References

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  1. ^ Petrie, Duncan James (2017). "Bryanston Films : An Experiment in Cooperative Independent Production and Distribution" (PDF). Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: 7. ISSN 1465-3451. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Double Bunk". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Tagg's Island, Liz Fraser, Sid James". Alamy. 25 September 1960. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023. Liz Fraser, English actress, pictured on location at Tagg's Island, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, where she is currently filming Double Bunk, Monday 26th September 1960. Our Picture Shows ... Liz Fraser and Sid James, actor who also stars in the film.
  4. ^ "Double Bunk". Discogs. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  5. ^ Petrie p 10
  6. ^ "Double Bunk". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 28 (324): 47. 1 January 1961. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ Howard Thompson (17 November 1961). "Movie Review - Double Bunk - 'Double Bunk' Shown". NYTimes.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Double Bunk Review (1961)". Thespinningimage.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Double Bunk 1961 | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  10. ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 266. ISBN 9780992936440.
  11. ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 291. ISBN 0586088946.
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