What the Butler Saw

What a surprise "What the Butler Saw" turned out to be. Some benefactor to mankind using the name "flashbackcaruso" has posted this apparently "rare Hammer film" on YouTube. THANK YOU, flashbackcaruso!

From the very retro title to the sometimes superlative cast -- "The Earl" especially -- this was an intriguing experience.

Much of "What the Butler Saw" looks like a stage play. It's essentially one set, with a few rooms, and not a lot of action.

Some of the dialog and plot are at least slightly contrived, and some of the acting, especially by "Gerald," is over-done, but "The Earl," by the veteran Edward Rigby, is so perfect, I am horrified that I knew nothing about him before.

He died the year after this film was released and the world is a poorer place without him. Whatever else he might have done, and at IMDb he has 78 credits, he and this role are perfectly complementary.

Getting her first screen credit, the adorable Mercy Haystead looks about as "South Pacific native" as, say, Jane Russell, whom she does slightly resemble. Over the next dozen or so years, she had an average about about two roles a year, then retired, into a reportedly very happy and successful marriage. Again, the world was poorer without her presence on the screen. She was adorable.

Being British, the cast was generally excellent, as was the directing.

The story was a bit contrived, and occasionally the action was telegraphed, but ultimately it was resolved beautifully -- and surprisingly.

I want to thank, again, flashbackcaruso for uploading this charming and delightful movie, previously completely unknown to me, but now one I want to recommend to everyone for a light and very pleasant hour.

Another film watched for the "House of Hammer" Podcast, "What the Butler Saw" is a "Comedy" released by Hammer in 1950. It's pretty awful and, judged by today's standards, fairly racist.

A Britsh nobleman, The Earl (Edward Rigby) returns home having overseen a South Seas Island Kingdom as part of the Empire. Whilst unpacking, he and his faithful Butler, Bembridge (Henry Mollison) discover that the Princess of the Island, Lapis (Mercy Haystead) has stowed away as she is in love with Bembridge. Whilst the household adjusts to the new arrival, the foreign office are concerned about an impending war in the region, caused by the disappearance of the Princess.

Man, it's pretty racist. "why you're not black, you're fine" is but one frankly appalling line of dialogue. Mercy Haystead looks like she comes from somewhere as cosmopolitan as Knightsbridge, despite the flower behind her ear and the flintstones-esque outfit she's wearing; and the way cast react to her is, frankly, ludicrous. They talk about love potions, cannibalism and voodoo, as well as the black magic she can cast on the house.

It's bad, but this is viewing the film through modern eyes. At the time though, it's hard to think that the film could have been much of a success. For a comedy, it's really not funny at all. Neither a farce, nor a comedy of wits, it's a tedious tread through a number of plots, none of which are properly explored and together don't add up too much. The performances are really poor, particularly from the rest of the Earl's family of upper-class twits, whose only job is to react to Lapis.

The early films of Hammer have been a mixed bag, but "What The Butler Saw" was a real low water mark.

The Earl (Edward Rigby) returns to his English manor after serving a decade abroad as the governor of a fictional British territory. However, it turns out that the jungle princess from this foreign land* has stolen inside one of the crates he's brought back. It seems that she's in love with the Earl's butler, Bembridge and has come to the UK to be with him! The stuffy daughter and grandson who live with him at the manor are NOT pleased and it's obvious that they are stuffy idiots. While the Earl is thrilled to have her visit, her disappearance leads to an international incident or even war! And how will the Earl cope with his dull old life in the English countryside?

While the setup for this film is very funny, the overall film came up short for me. Much of it is because too many of the characters seem like caricatures as opposed to believable people. Also, although there were some potentially funny situations, rarely was all that much made of it. As a result, the film is at best a time- passer and not much more. Sadly, it should have been better.

*These 'Cocoanut Isles' are an odd place indeed--in the South Seas and yet they have alligators, crocodiles and leopards!

Edward Rigby has just returned from the Coconut Isles, where he has been ... head of the British mission for ten years. His butler, Henry Mollinson, returns with him to a houseful of stuffy relatives. Meanwhile, Mercy Haystead, the princess of the Islands, has stowed away in the crates of animals Rigby has shot. Hilarity ensues.

Or at least it would, if there were any life in this lifeless relic. The movie is called a rarity, but it still turned up and I watched it regardless. The film makers were going for some sort of P.G. Wodehouse effect, but lack much in the way of comic pacing. New points, like love potions, keep popping up in order to stretch the effort out to second feature length, but despite the hard work of the actors, there's nothing to be done with the script.

I have seen the story done before but either as drama or rom com.In this film it is played strictly for laughs.With an old pro at the head of the cast,Edward Rigby,it is in safe hands.In most of these type of films the highlight is on the "fish out of water2 theme.Here it is not just on that but bringing down a peg or two the down to earth Earls haughty relatives.Particularly funny is when the love potion ends up in the glasses of the two unlikeliest suitors you could imagine.Unlike the other films all ends well as the Earl and the butler accompany Lapis back to her tropical island.A lot funnier than you would ever imagine.Good ensemble playing and a witty script help matters considerably.