Double Bunk

Ian Carmichael and Janette Scott getting married and anxious for a home. They buy a houseboat, which turns out to be a pig: she leaks,she has dry rot, the engine doesn't work, and harbor owner Dennis Price has just doubled the docking, water and electric fees. Ian's mechanic pal, the ubiquitous Sid James, suggests they fix the engine and go on a honeymoon on the boat, with him as dogsbody. He shows up with stripper Liz Frazer. As soon as they set off, things start to go awry.

It's a rote but well executed British comedy of the early 1960s, with lots of leering and little to be observed, although the presence of some old comedy hands offers a pleasantly nostalgic air for older folk going to the cinema: Naunton Wayne (in his penultimate film appearance), Irene Handl, Noel Purcell, Bill Shine and Miles Malleson all have cameos. If it lacks the raucous humor of the CARRY ON series, it's still pleasant family-friendly fare.

Ian Carmichael ("Jack") and his fiancée "Peggy" (Janette Scott) fall foul of her rather fastidious landlady and are soon looking for a house. As luck would have it, they discover a houseboat and for a mere £750 they have their dream home/yacht. Not long after moving in they meet their landlord "Watson" (Dennis Price) who wants to double the rent for their mooring. Extortionate, so he - a mechanic, encouraged by his pal "Sid" (Sidney James), decides to get the old tub mobile again, and off they go for some fun folics on the river with "Sandra" (Liz Fraser) along too. It's a very gently paced nautical comedy, this - it is all very predictable with some easy humour that pokes a bit of fun at the "Commodore Classes" whilst leaving you knowing just what is going to happen - and what the outcome will be, too. Noel Purcell is quite entertaining, Dennis Price gets a well deserved ducking and we certainly discover that life on the ocean waves is not for everyone.

I bought the DVD of "Double Bunk" in a sale more out of curiosity than anything else. I like the early black & white comedies of the 50s and 60s starring Ian Carmichael and Dennis Price, such as 'School for Scoundrels', 'I'm All Right Jack', 'Privates Progress' and 'Lucky Jim' in which Ian played more or less the same hapless character who gets lucky in the end. I also like the early Carry Ons such as 'Sergeant', 'Cabby' and 'Regardless'. 'Double Bunk' is like a marriage of the two because several of the Carry On team appear in this comedy about a young couple who buy a rundown houseboat moored in the Thames but soon find themselves crossing the Channel in a fog and landing in France. Less than 24hrs later they are in a race back home after stealing fuel from their competitor's powerful motor launch captained by Dennis Price. The scenes of these two large boats racing up the narrow section of the Thames and creating havoc with smaller sailing boats as well as producing a massive wake that floods the banks and half drowning fishermen out for a quiet days fishing is unique in cinematic history. I can't imagine such as stunt being repeated today. I last saw this film when it first appeared in the cinema when I was still at school. I had forgotten the plot but not song which introduces the film. I'ts called "Double Bunk' (what a surprise!) and is sung by - you'd never guess - Sid James and Liz Frazer who figure prominently in this very well made film. The film has a cast of characters whose faces are immediately recognisable. To see who they are you must watch the DVD. I found it enjoyable to see it again after 45 years. I look forward to seeing it again and again.

Mismatched British comic stalwarts Ian Carmichael and Sid James chug along the Thames in a barely sea-worthy houseboat with shapely Janette Scott and Lis Fraser in toe in this likeable comedy. Although it's only mildly amusing most of the time, the host of familiar and welcome names and/or faces makes it impossible to dislike. It's worth watching for Scott's hot pants alone.

This is a story about Jack and Peggy (Ian Carmichael and Janette Scott) who get thrown out of a rooming house for being in the same room together. They end up buying a somewhat dilapidated houseboat. enter Sid James playing a man named Sid who offers to sail the boat as part of a honeymoon for Jack and Peggy. He brings along Sandra, the always welcome Liz Fraser. After wreaking havoc with other leisure boaters they get stuck in a fog and end up in France. They have to get back and end up racing another boat owned by Watson, who was charging Jack and Perry ridiculous rent to keep the houseboat in the harbor in England. This is a fun film which gets better as it goes along. There is some slapstick and, since Sandra is a stripper, a little titillation but not much. Sid James plays a character we've seen him play so many times, the wise cracking friend not always up to complete good. I miss him a lot in films. If you like British humor that doesn't rely on tawdriness, just a decent plot with good performances, here it is. I don't think you will be disappointed.