Further Up the Creek

I didn't enjoy "Up the Creek" when I watched it a couple of weeks ago for the "House of Hammer" podcast. I wasn't looking forward to this sequel and, despite the fact that I think it's marginally better, I was right to feel gloomy.

The aging Frigate "Aristotle" is sold by the Navy to a North African State. Charged with delivering the ship, and spying one more chance to make a profit, the Bosun (Frankie Howerd) plans to sell tickets to the public and provide a cruise experience whilst on the journey. To do so though, they'll need a malleable Captain, so decide to organise a return for hapless Lieutenant Fairweather (David Tomlinson) to take command.

I do think that ultimately this film suffers from the same problem that befell "Up the Creek" in that it's a comedic premise that's forever in search of a few jokes to actually make it funny. I do say that this one is a tiny bit better though, and that's largely because of Thora Hird and Frankie Howerd. I deal with the sacrilegious one first - whilst I'd never say that Howerd was the equal of Sellers in any other way - I do think that Sellers was a bit too lowkey in the original, and Howerd at least brings his energy to the character, and frantic energy is what a farce needs. Thora Hird, back for another memorable Hammer role is a battleaxe wife in the (fine?) tradition of the role and she has the best delivery of the few amusing lines.

But it's not funny. It's just 90 more minutes of "don't let him look in there" as they gently point hapless Tomlinson around the ship and away from the passengers. Lionel Jeffries returns as does Hammer regular Eric Pohlmann as the President of the fictional country purchasing the boat. Pohlmann is joined by other future Bond Alumni, Shirley Eaton - who plays a love interest / distraction for Fairweather.

Happy to be done with this franchise now, although unfortunately Hammer's next film is another comedy. I'm not looking forward to it.

I've not yet seen "Up The Creek" so I can't do a comparison but this was OK. Not great but is was enjoyable enough. More like a sit-com type film than one full of many laughs as the script was not all that amusing relying on situations for laughs but this didn't really work out too well.

If I had paid to see it back in the 50s I would have been disappointed.

It's worth a watch but do not expect to be rolling about on the floor laughing as it's not that type of film at all. The two dotty old ladies were a bit wasted and they should have had a lot more do do as their total screen time was very short.

I find Up The Creek to be particularly funny so this for me gets the same rating as the original. Mind you there is nothing particularly funny or original about this film.

I found Frankie Howard to be marginally funnier than Peter Sellers. However for me David Tomlinson is a total waste of time and as funny as a cold rice pudding.

Val Hurst was a vastly experienced writer and director,so it is difficult to understand his willingness to turn in such a third rate script together with lacklustre direction,so the prospect of any further films based on the same characters was stillborn. Hammer should have kept a closer eye on its production.

'Up The Creek' proved such a success that this sequel was rushed into production and in fact debuted in the same year. Val Guest remained aboard for this second voyage as did most of the supporting cast (Jeffries, Lodge etc); the only one who refused to sign on was Peter Sellers, who was busy working on 'The Mouse That Roared'. Stepping into his shoes was Frankie Howerd, who proved to be as an effective foil to top-billed David Tomlinson as Sellers was.

In many ways this sequel improves upon the original, having a faster pace and more comic incidents. Tomlinson fares better in this movie, an early scene raises the ghost of Guest's work with comic legend Will Hay, as Tomlinson's bumbling Lieutenant-Commander crosses swords with a knowledgeable Sea Cadet.

An expanded cast including Thora Hird and the very shapely Shirley Eaton (a fixture of British comedies in this period) helps to open out this movie and the sea voyage plot line takes this into different waters from the previous movie.

'Further Up The Creek' faced troubled waters when it was released, failing to match the box office performance of the first movie (partly, in Frankie's Howerd's view, because it was released too close to the original) and plans for any further on-screen voyages were scuppered. Which is a shame as it's an enjoyable little movie, well worth watching if you are in the mood for some innocent fun.