The Plank

This short is very reminiscent of the antics of many of the early silent film stars. Eric Sykes remade this piece in 1979, this time with Arthur Lowe (of Dad's Army and Mr. Men fame)in the role of the larger worker. Whichever version you choose to see, both Lowe and Cooper are very funny to watch, so you really can't go wrong no matter which you view.

Things like the car doors that must be closed at the same time to prevent the other popping open, and narrowly avoiding hitting people when they swing the plank around are straight from the realm of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd or even Laurel and Hardy. So if you like classic physical comedy and sight gags, in the vein of the classics, then find a version of The Plank and enjoy with a friend.

Sadly, and quite rudely, leask81 seems to have got it all wrong. The Plank was made in 1967 by some of the finest British comedians of the day - 'poms' or not. His comment was posted in February 2006 so, quite naturally, it would seem out-dated. In fact, any viewing later than 1976 would ... have you tried watching Paul Hogan's early stuff?

The sheer enjoyment out of watching the story of this errant plank of wood and its two clumsy handymen is not only a gem of British comedy, but is also a bar over which not many comedy performers since then have managed to clear.

A highly enjoyable 'short' and one for the collector.

This film is actually quite good. Eric Sykes and Tommy Cooper are brilliant. But I would say this film is not one I would buy but one that is good to watch on TV.

A myriad of stars usually mean a film is rubbish but this film proves wrong. The stars all have funny little cameo roles that keep you going "ooh I know him" and having to go here to look for them!

Many of us will have seen loads of films where the acting is wooden - but here, it is meant to be! Eric Sykes assembles a reasonable cast of stalwart British comics to regale us us with the adventures of the humble plank! Together with Tommy Cooper, the pair of workmen take us on a guided tour of what this plank (or it's identical twin) gets up to in it's wide and varied life... There is virtually no dialogue - much of it relying on the quirky Brian Fahey score and the odd mumble that set the standards for many an inaudible television drama being made even now. It does recycle the joke once too often, but it still has a charm about it. The singing opening titles; closing windows to keep out the cold - not that they have any glass in them, and the simplicity of things getting stuck, walloped and wedged is fun for a while, but that simplicity struggles to sustain the humour after the first 15-20 minutes or so. Still, it is an interesting and engaging example of what made us Brits laugh in the late 1960s.

I just happened to tape "The Plank" when it was last shown on British terrestrial television (BBC2 5/12/95) and I've held onto this treasure ever since! My family and I love it to bits.We are however die-hard British 50s/60s/and 70/s-silent film fans, e.g. Futtock's End/A Home of Your Own/Rhubarb Rhubarb etc.etc. One of the main appeals of it is that you don't have to listen to it-it's very easy to watch if you've got young kids doing their own thing in the room with you.(they'll look up every now and then and laugh at certain bits). There is now available a DVD of "The Plank" Uncut which comes out at 51 Min's allegedly; this must go some way to outlining it's obvious popularity. I definitely do not prefer the 70's T.V. remake of this as it is so obviously a dumbed down/going through the motions version.The original is the dog's ........! There is however an interesting angle about the re-make and that is several of the original locations have been re-visited so I habitually acknowledge them all each time I view the re-make(Is that sad or good?) Just had to write an uplifting review as the first review doesn't do this justice and is a tad unfair to me.