A Home of Your Own

Essential viewing for everyone involved in building houses. Although this was only a B film, it had me rolling in the isle of the cinema with laughter. A very clever film with all our favorite comedians when they were young men.

I'm biased! I worked on this film and therefore know all the ins and outs. It was made for very little money and qualified for 'Double Eady' and that helped make it one of the most successful pics of all times, (returns as % of production cost).

It premiered at London's Odeon (Leicester Sq) as second feature to 'A Shot in the Dark'. It is the only time I have seen a cinema audience give a standing ovation to any picture - let alone a 4 reeler.

For about two years afterwards it was featured on cinema billboards as support film, a testament to its popularity.

This film started out as a sponsored comedy short for the Construction company Tersons but such was Jay Lewis's and Johnny Whytes's expertise that it soon became clear from the rushes that a masterpiece was in the making and it was finished with the cinema in mind.

The pic is still seen from time to time on UK TV and it is well worth setting the VCR.

Of course the joke is that 40 years on, the same comedy is still to be seen on our building sites and men digging up the same hole in the roads.

The existing reviews of this film identify many of the points which make this a really enjoyable way to spend 45 minutes. The film is a wonderful time capsule, showing how houses were built in the UK in the 1960s. The film has a lovely collection of familiar faces from the world of British comedy.

What has not been mentioned is the sound track. This is one of the iconic "silent" comedy films of the 1960s, two of the others include San Ferry Ann and The Plank, but this is probably the original and best. The score for this film was by the accomplished Ron Goodwin, who found most fame for composing for war films (633 Squadron and Battle of Britain) and Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines. The music adds greatly to this film, with various themes being used for each of the characters. The music is well arranged to fit in with what is happening on the screen, and adds to the humour. Ron would later go on to conduct the music for San Ferry Ann and to compose the music for The Early Bird (a Norman Wisdom comedy which has a near 15 minute 'silent' introduction).

This is a great little film and highly recommended.

I first saw this classic film about 1965. The second time I saw it was in the Queen's Cinema, Union Street, Aberdeen (now unfortunately a nightclub). I had intended to take my then girlfriend (now my ex-wife) to see Carry On Cleo at the Cinema House (unfortunately now also a nightclub). However, I got the cinemas mixed up and we entered the Queen's Cinema. As soon as we sat down I was in raptures, saying, 'I've seen this before'. It's a predecessor of Eric Sykes 'The Plank' and is very amusing. The scenes where the Electricity, Gas and Water companies dig up the same piece of road, install what they are putting in and repair the surface, watched over by the same policeman with his trusty bicycle is a comment on the lack of co-ordination of utility companies which I assume still continues to this day. The water divining scene where it is discovered that the hazel twig is twitching to Bill Fraser doing what was natural in a trench before portable toilets is a joy. Also Ronnie Barker laying the cement only for the tea boy playing his transistor radio loudly to leave tyre tracks from his dumper truck as he distributes the tea. Eventually this happens so often that Barker eventually throws a wobbly and dances over and throws himself all over the cemented surface. I think it's Bernard Cribbins who is the stone mason producing the plaque as when he is nearly finished he gives it one last chip and, of course, it shatters. Eventually when Fred Emney (as the Mayor) unveils the finished plaque there is a slight spelling mistake (Pubic Subscription instead of Public) which leads to shocked gasps from the various dignitaries assembled for the ceremony. I have not seen this movie for decades and would love it to be issued on a DVD as I could watch it over and over again. By the way, the main feature was Mr Moses with Robert Mitchum and Carrol Baker which my girlfriend had seen before but I hadn't. Perhaps our different tastes in movies had something to do with our eventual marriage breakdown - but I suspect there may have been other factors!!

This little 'B' movie is worth seeing if only for the entertainment value of seeing famous comedians such as Ronnie Barker as young men. I saw it in a theatre in Dublin and there were amused gasps as the familiar faces appeared.

Also nice if you like seeing see 1960's Britain in context.