Up the Creek

Comedies about military service were common during the 1950s and 1960s. In Hollywood, most tended to be big film efforts, while in England, they were mostly B films. But that takes nothing away from the entertainment of those films on the east side of the pond. Indeed, "Up the Creek" is a gem of a British comedy. The film is something of a spoof of the Royal Navy in the time after World War II.

This is one of Peter Sellers' first full-length films in a starring role. David Tomlinson is very good as Lt. Humphrey Fairweather. All of the supporting cast are very good. But, Sellers, who has second billing behind Tomlinson, steals the show as the boatswain (bosun), Chef Petty Officer Doherty. To the men of his crew, who can be remarkably sharp when the situation calls for military decorum, Doherty is called "boss." And for good reason. I won't say why that is, because it's part of the humorous plot.

Hollywood made a number of military comedies with big-name stars and the budgets and trimmings to go with them. Among the best of these were "Kiss Them for Me" of 1957 with Cary Grant, "Operation Petticoat" of 1959 with Grant and Tony Curtis, "Wake Me When it's Over" of 1960, "The Wackiest Ship in the Army," of 1960, and "The Horizontal Lieutenant" of 1962.

But none of those were as funny as "Up the Creek." Four years after this British film came out, the military comedy show, "McHale's Navy" began airing on ABC TV in the U.S. It has an uncanny resemblance to this earlier British movie. "McHale's Navy" was highly popular and indeed, very funny. It led to a movie in 1964 with some of the same cast.

Life aboard the H.M.S. Barclay wasn't all that bad for a time. Watch this movie if you get the chance, and I'm sure you'll agree.

When Lieutenant David Tomlinson tests out his rocket and it destroys his superior's bathroom, Admiral Wilfred Hyde-White can't court-martial him; Tomlinson has family connections. So, in the best traditions of Her Majesty's Navy, he's promoted to command of a ship. True, it's part of the mothball fleet, and true, it doesn't have the full complement. That doesn't stuff bosun Peter Sellers from drawing rations and pay for the missing sailors, selling them to the locals, and running some money-making operations besides.

It's a type of service comedy very familiar to those of us who grew up in the 1960s with TV shows like F TROOP. Writer-director Val Guest may have started out doing music-hall sort of movie farces, but this one has a nice satiric bite about Navy wastage, as well as a full complement of skilled comic actors, including Lionel Jeffries, and Peter Pettingell.

Val Guest directs this movie that owes a debt to Sergeant Bilko from The Phil Silvers Show.

Peter Sellers is Chief Petty Officer Doherty running get rich schemes on the understaffed mothballed Royal Navy vessel, HMS Berkeley.

It has had no commanding officer for several years and moored at a wharf near the village of Meadows End. The small crew keep animals. They sell naval rum and cigarettes to the local pub. Make food and do the laundry for the villagers. Doherty even claims wages for some non existent crew members.

All this is about to come to an end when hapless Lt Humphrey Fairweather (David Tomlinson) is posted there by the horse racing mad Admiral.

Fairweather caused chaos and damage with each rocket he builds as a sideline. This is a way to keep him out of harms way.

Having not much idea in commanding a ship, Doherty connives Fairweather to let him continue with his schemes. Then one day the Admirals visits for a surprise inspection.

There is not much comedy or much originality. The story is threadbare but worth watching for an early appearance by Peter Sellers.

Despite being in the Royal Navy, the Lieutenant (David Tomlinson) spends all his time toying with his home-made rockets--with very disastrous results. In fact, he's been bounced from base to base in an attempt to get rid of him. Finally, in a last effort to get him out of the way, he is given his first command...of a ship which is in mothballs. However, what he doesn't know is that during the two years that this aging ship has been without a commander, the crew have run amok--and behaving very, very unlike British sailors. The leader of the commanding officer-less ship has been the CPO (Peter Sellers). The crew are quite reminiscent of the later American TV show "McHale's Navy"--as they scheme, steal and even raise livestock on the boat! Yet, because Tomlinson is pretty daft and focused on his rockets, the crew think that, perhaps, they can continue their wayward ways without his discovering that they're all a group of slackers.

While this is a pleasant enough film, I found one thing a bit annoying--the bouncy soundtrack that was ever-present. It seemed to try very, very hard to create a silly mood--and I don't need the music to keep reminding me this way that it's a comedy--sort of like having a laugh track. Perhaps others won't find this so noticeable, but I sure did.

Tomlinson was nice in the lead as was Sellers, though his performance was more subdued than usual--though the more of his films you see, the more you'll see that he did perform quite a few of these sort of roles in the 1950s.

As for the film, it's not particularly good though it isn't a bad time-passer if you haven't got anything better to do. The plot is a bit far-fetched and silly (not in a good way) and the ending too kooky. But otherwise it's harmless enough. But don't assume that because this is a British comedy of the 1950s that it's anything close to the quality of an Ealing film! Yes, the Brits did manage to make some mediocre comedies during this era and this is one of them.

One of a hoard of service comedies that hit the British cinema screens in the late '50's, early '60's, 'Up The Creek' is far from being the best or most memorable. Basically it is a cross between radio's 'The Navy Lark' and the later 'Watch Your Stern' , with a bit of 'Bilko' mixed in, as 'silly ass' David Tomlinson, a rocket mad navy officer, is given command of a navy vessel and forced to contend with the schemes of his Chief Petty Officer (Peter Sellers).

Sellers is perhaps the main reason for watching this movie and its fun to see him in this, his very first starring role. But, to be honest, it's probably his least memorable performance of this period, never reaching the heights of his work in 'The Naked Truth' or 'The Battle Of The Sexes' (to name just two).

A good supporting cast helps deliver the laughs, while the under-rated Val Guest directs efficiently. The movie is fun while it is on, but ultimately it is a bit anonymous (it could be any one of a number of similar movies) and fails to live on in the memory.