In the Doghouse

Having just dashed off a trio of Brian Rix vehicles this production-line Leslie Phillips comedy could only be a step up for director Darcy Conyers; although it proved his final feature film (ditto female lead Peggy Cummins; seen modelling a basque as a showgirl in a double act with a monkey).

Although the title tells you all you need to know about the level of wit to be anticipated, some of writer Michael Pertwee's sardonic wit makes it into the film (including digs at the tabloid press and a final gag about the Queen's corgis which can still be understood after six decades) and it shows a prescient concern with animal welfare.

Leslie Phillips struggles with this drama/comedy that has a few very predictable gags and some serious scenes that don't really fit together.

As a new graduate, Phillips runs an ethical vet practice while a fellow student that cheated on his exams runs a wealthy but dodgy business, and uses Phillips in a scheme to export old horses to France for their meat.

Phillips was known at the time on the TV series "Doctor in the house", and it's a bit difficult to know at the start of the scene whether it's going to be a funny scene or tragic, which sometimes makes for uncomfortable viewing.

Episodic mix of humor and pathos as bumbling Fox-Upton (Leslie Phillips) struggles to finally pass (on his fifth attempt) his exams to become a veterinarian and begin a practice. He buys a small London practice only to find that the cheating Skeffington (James Booth) opens a swank practice around the corner.

Several little stories about Fox-Upton's dealings with the locals, meeting a woman (Peggy Cummins) and her mischievous chimp, and Skeffington's plan to sell horses for meat in France. Not always a good mix and some bits are rather too long, but Phillips is quite good.

Lots of familiar faces include Hattie Jacques as a sympathetic cop, Esma Cannon as an old-age pensioner, Dick Bentley as a horse thief, and Joan Hickson, Vida Hope, Peggy Thorpe-Bates, Joan Young, Judith Furse, Patsy Rowlands as various women, and Fenella Fielding as another of her plummy-voiced eccentrics.

Leslie Phillips plays a newly qualified vet with a heart of gold when it comes to animals. When he takes over an old practice he becomes rivals with his roguish fellow student (James Booth), foils a cruel horse meat racket with the help of an R.S.P.C.A. inspector (Hattie Jacques) and eventually finds romance with a glamorous nightclub performer (Peggy Cummins).

In the Doghouse is similar to many British comedies of the period, mainly relying on slapstick and a climactic comedy chase for laughs, with some mild, inoffensive smut thrown in for good measure. It's at it's best when the animals are on screen: a lion rampaging through a church fete and a runaway chimp (and Phillips) causing havoc in a ladies' sauna.

Phillips plays the lead very nicely, developing his character from the unlucky blunderer of the films earlier vet school scenes to become a kind-hearted and capable vet, which comes across well in his scenes with a lonely old lady and a little girl with a sick bird. His first day sees him turning away pet owners who want their animals put down for cruel and selfish reasons, but keeping the animals in his garage so he can find them new homes. These scenes are touching without being over sentimental, especially playing against Esma Cannon as the old lady, when he craftily helps her overcome the loss of her beloved dog with an unwanted puppy.

This is in contrast to James Booth as his rival, a womanising con-man who cheats during his vet school exam and is only in the profession to make money by scamming the rich and gullible pet owners who come to his fancy and ludicrously over-decorated practice. His accidental hypnotising of a poodle owner leads him into a partnership with her husband in setting up a racket illegally selling horses to France to be turned into meat.

It's irresistibly good natured with several good laughs, and although the pace occasionally flags slightly fans of British comedy tv and film can spot several familiar faces in small parts, including an uncredited Lance Percival as a bobby and Carry On regular Patsy Rowlands as a barmaid.

And how can anyone resist a chimp riding a bike?

Leslie Philips graduates from veterinary college after ten years, when they run the same exam as seven years earlier. He buys a moribund practice where everyone wants him to put down unwanted pets. His love of animals brings him unusual patients like a lion, and a chimp belonging to showgirl Peggy Cummins (in her last big-screen role). Meanwhile, unscrupulous fellow vet James Booth seduces the ladies, works out advertising and quackery, and gets Phillips involved in an unlicensed scheme to ship horses to France for butchering.

It's one of those British comedies that came into popularity with the DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE series about various professionals and their humorous tribulations. All it lacks is James Robertson Justice as the curmudgeonly authority figure. Certainly, with all the animals, it runs more to the slapstick than that series. Although I began watching it with a weary expectation, I found the combination of cute animals and Phillips' befuddled, sympathetic nature made it enjoyable.