A Hole Lot of Trouble

This film has a copyright date of 1959.It is similar to The Plank,save that it is in colour,has dialogue and is totally unfunny.In fact the only reason for watching this is to see Arthur Lowe at the peak of his TV fame.These half hour films were made in the late sixties when double bills were being phased out.They would be described as "full supporting programme".They too would disappear when the Thatcher government abolished Eady levy.The problem is that there is not one decent joke in this film.so its rather brief running time of 27 minutes feels more like 270 minutes.There are lots of familiar faces such as Benny Lee,Leslie Dwyer,Victor Maddern and Bill Maynard but they cannot bring this film to life.

A HOLE LOT OF TROUBLE is a short comedy film obviously made to capture some of the magic of the likes of THE PLANK. The story is about some workmen digging a hole who are beset by bureaucratic busybodies and the machinations of a fashion designer who just so happens to be living nearby.

This is a virtually unseen film which is hardly surprising as it's not very good. As a comedy, it's not remotely funny, which comes as a real surprise given the talent of the cast involved. Arthur Lowe is on familiar form as the council official, and Victor Maddern and Bill Maynard are obvious choices for the workshy diggers. Leslie Dwyer even makes an appearance, randomly shoehorned into the storyline as he is.

But where's the humour? In short supply, that's obvious. Way too much of the short running time is taken up with a gay stereotype fashion designer character who I didn't much care for. Women are only around to titillate the men, and there's little of the slapstick I was hoping for. Director Francis Searle repeatedly proved himself to be a workmanlike director in the B-movies he churned out in the 1960s and ended his career making equally forgettable short films like this one.

I rarely agree with all the other reviewers, but in this case, it's simple, this short film should have followed the central idea, and when they filled in the Hole in the Ground, all the film reels should have gone in at some depth.

An array of experienced actors do what they can, but this film needed more than first aid, several experienced surgeons would have struggled with this sickly patient.

The exploits of some 'workers', and bumptious council folk (Lowe of course) should have produced lots of laughs, but there seemed no real plot, an awful script, and I had the impression it had been edited by someone who hadn't seen the full script, so a few bits might have been in the wrong order?!

I gave it one due to Lowe and Bill Maynard being in it, and, oh, you cannot actually give a zero on here??!

A Hole Lot of Trouble should be a short comedy classic like The Plank.

The fact it is forgotten and little seen is because it's rubbish with poor jokes.

It features a trio of workshy council workmen who dig a hole in the road when they are not too busy having cups of tea.

The hole is in the wrong place and near some electricity cables.

It features some well known faces, the standout character is the older man who complains about the standards of workmanship.

A brisk pace, lines that make sense and are to the point advancing a shaggy dog story about a hole in the ground and the once familiar sight of a lot workmen holding spades and spending a lot of time gazing at it. This with an inept cast would have had an audience fleeing.

However these not just familiar faces but long-standing character actors who make a great fist of it. Who, in the history of British cinema would you cast as the mouthy, sour, chippy, sarcastic leader of a gang of manual workers? And here he is: Victor Maddern. And bumbling pompous minor officialdom? Arthur Lowe. Typecasting is not always a curse, its often because the actor does it uniquely well. Amiable stuff, from a less stressful time of poorly paid but secure employment and cheap housing.