The Girl on the Boat

Sir Norman Wisdom is perhaps best known in terms of films for those he made for the Rank organisation, so this film remains a bit of a rare gem.

What's nice about it is that we get to see Norman play something a bit different from the Gump character he played in the Rank films. It's a different sort of role, but he excels in it.

The story is well paced, and there's some funny moments ('We're British'), not to mention a whole string of well known faces for audiences to look at and go "oh, don't they look young".

Sir Norman is much missed.

The twenties-style title sequence by John Baker tells us this no ordinary Norman Wisdom vehicle as Our Norman ventures into P. G. Wodehouse territory with Wisdom trading in his gimp suit for Norfolk jacket & plus fours to play a patrician bounder. (The film fell flat so the experiment was never repeated.)

Further evidence that this was a venture off the beaten track is the presence of a completely different supporting cast with fresh-faced young Richard Briers in the Wooster part, Sheila Hancock as a big game Hunter and author of 'Elephant Hunting in the Punjab' with aspirations to enter Parliament while Millicent Martin in the title role shows the promise soon fulfilled as the chanteuse in 'That Was the Week That Was'.

Sam Marlowe travels to America to try and convince his Aunt to rent out her summer house in England. When his Aunt discovers Sam's cousin Eustace is planning to get married secretly she sends them both back to England. On the transatlantic ship Sam meets and falls for Eustace ex-fiancée, Billie and when they arrive in England love is a many confusing thing!

Based on a P.G. Woodhouse play this film is a very different beast from Wisdom's usual films where he plays working class mugs who come good in the end. Here he tries to be the upperclasses and it feels funny seeing him in this type of thing. The film does try to have some of his trademark type of routine but really this is all about the dialogue as the physical aspects have had to be written in.

It is still an enjoyable film and is quite witty. However fans of Wisdom may not appreciate his change of direction (even if was only for one movie). But it does allow those critics of Wisdom to see him in a different type of film (to an extent) and he just about caries it off - mainly thanks to the good cast around him who do fit in nicely with this material.

Wisdom himself seems comfortable in this different role and does well enough, but he does slip easily into his old impressions and falling down routines whenever he gets a chance. Martin is excellent as Bennett and faces such as Briers, Hancock and Cribbins more than make up for the loss of regulars such as Mr Grimsdale and those characters played by Desmonde.

Overall this is not a Wisdom picture by definition and it doesn't quite succeed as a Woodhouse adaptation either. However it is passable as both and is well worth a watch.

Interesting that our Norm was paired opposite Millicent Martin, who was to be big in the forthcoming satire boom in England in the 1960s (and "That Was The Week" in particular). Quite why Wisdom took on this type of lead role is something of a mystery - cast as he was as one of the Bertie Wooster, PG Wodehouse, upper class, chinless wonder types. Yet he does remarkably well with, I have to say, not one of P.G.'s best offerings -even though the novel was given a makeover for the big screen by the improbably named Reuben Ship (a film and TV writer who penned scripts for, amongst others, Spike Milligan and Frankie Howerd). However, some of the rough edges of the dialog do grate somewhat, presumably in a vain attempt to keep faith with the Wodehouse original. On the printed page such exchanges can still sparkle. But on screen they run the risk of coming over as being about as sharp as the blunt end of a bread pudding. As when the Norman Wisdom character (Sam Marlowe), caught by a New York cop prancing around the street in his underwear (don't ask) says: "It's all right, officer, I'm English." And the cop replies: "Well, I'm Irish, so you'll have to come up with a better excuse than that." Wisdom and Martin are most ably supported by, in particular, Richard Briers, who starred in later sitcoms such as "Brothers In Law", "The Good Life", (you name it) playing the part of the Wisdom character's useless friend, Eustace Hignett (well, with a name like Eustace he would have to be useless, wouldn't he?). Though quite unlike any character he had played before (or was later to do) Wisdom does maintain the tradition of being a (somewhat unlikely) romantic lead. And although he was pushing fifty by then (compared to M.M. being well under thirty) he still comes across as comparatively youthful and was able to pull off a number of stunts both in and out of the water while managing to look convincing. But as to whether or not he actually gets the girl in this one - you'll just have to watch the movie and see for yourself.

Interesting little piece that I watched for the second time in a few years, with Sir Norman stepping away from his usual film company and breaking away from his normal 'Pitkin' character. Very good he is too, as the upper class twit who falls head over heels in love with a woman who seems to hold the world record at engagements. Excellent support from the rest of the mostly British cast including Richard Briers, Sheila Hancock and the ever-reliable Bernard Cribbins. At the heart of the story is the shallowness of the upper crust which P.G. Wodehouse always captured so well.The script is fine and the direction very good. I one for certainly enjoyed it and on the second viewing even more so. A lovely way to spend an hour and half. They don't make actors such as Sir Norman these days, more's the pity.