Not So Dusty

Just found this film on the Talking Pictures TV Channel, I thought I'd take a shufty at it.

There is an old saying from the North of England that my mum used to say, "I'm not so dusty well brushed" which meant "I'm not so bad as I seem/look".

Though I don't know if that's where the film title comes from.

If that is the derivation of the movie title it is not at all appropriate as it is so Dusty, it's covered in cobwebs so ancient is the material.

If this in not bad enough it gets worse when Bill Owen starts singing, and Lobelia gets her number later on.

I don't know who wrote the script but it's so corny the gags were doubtless nicked, from from one of the old music hall comics like Arthur Askey.

Dusty and Nobby are a pair of dustmen who come into possession of a valuable book.

A standard British comedy of the time featuring television stars and up and coming actors of the day. The jokes are forced one-liners taken straight out of stage comedies and the plot is superficial to support the jokes.

As long as you are not expecting too much this is an enjoyable film with satisfactory performances. Dandy Nichols steals the show and gives us a taste of her talent which was particularly suited to Sit-Com's on television such as Till Death Us Do Part and In Sickness And In Health, both with Warren Mitchell.

This is a remake of the 1936 film which starred and was co written by Wally Patch.What ever possessed anyone to produce this remake is beyond me.It is supposed to be a comedy but fails to raise a single laugh.It has a reasonable cast including Leslie Dwyer,Bill Owen and Dandy Nichols who are unable to salvage anything from this woeful car crash of a film.It is probably only of interest to residents of the Twickenham area from the 1950s.Towards the end the dust cart careers through the streets of the area allowing those who are familiar with the area to see how it has changed in the ensuing 60 years.Little wonder the British film industry was struggling at this time if all they were capable of producing was films like this.

Another remake by Maclean Rogers of a quota quickie he made in the thirties (presumably he was responsible for the 'topical' gags that are sprinkled throughout this new version). Wally Patch, who co-wrote the earlier version in which he originally played the title role, plays a villainous supporting role this time round.

As usual, it's painful to see a book supposedly worth thousands (Volume 1 of 'The Philosophy of Diogenes' on this occasion) being roughly handled by people who plainly have no idea how to really handle rare books (or any books at all, since Dandy Nichols casually admits at one point to tearing a few pages from the back of an old algebra text book to make hair-curlers out of).

One of a long list of "churn em out quick and cheap" films of the fifties. Bill Owen is amongst the cast of dustmen who make a few quid from a rare book.The book " does the rounds" as it passes from one person to another before ending up in the right hands. The only odd piece of casting seems to be the girl playing Lobelia who somehow looks out of place amongst a cast of chirpy cockneys.

Also notable for featuring actors who found fame later in life. Bill Owen as Compo in Last Of the Summer Wine, Leslie Dwyer as the kid's entertainer in Hi De Hi, Dandy Nicholls as the silly moo in Til Death, Harold Berens in the Prisoner and William Simons ( Derek the schoolboy) as PC Ventress in Heartbeat