In the Doghouse

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.

In the Doghouse is based on the reminiscences of Alex Duncan, who did for vets what Richard Gordon did for doctors. He wrote four books, A vet's life, which the film is based on, then Vet in Congress, Vets in the Manger, and Vets in the Belfry. This was turned into a good solid script by Michael Pertwee, brother of the very famous Jon Pertwee of Doctor Who and Worzel Gummidge fame; their father Roland Pertwee was a good screen writer in the 30s and 40s, and had over 40 films credits, mostly with smaller thrillers.

It's a typical British comedy pre-Carry On with a charming. kind-hearted performance by Leslie Philips, as a bumbling vet who eventually graduates after 10 years of trying and takes over a run-down practice. Philips here is immensely kind and upright and it actually suits him well going against type. His co-star and romantic interest is the stunningly and ever lovely Peggy Cummins. It could just have easily been Muriel Pavlow who'd had such success with the Doctor films, but I for one think Peggy is better here. As always she lights up the screen. She was a very good actress, appearing in several of the really good comedies of the 1950s such as The Love Lottery and Meet Mr Lucifer, but she's probably best known these days for her part in Hell Drivers with Sean Connery (And they're both very much still with us), but her best role is almost certainly the 1950 Deadly is the Female, aka Gun Crazy, where she plays a female bank robber.

In the Doghouse has a villain in the smarm of James Booth's ambitious and avaricious fellow graduate. Booth always played the slightly caddish role with relish and here he takes on the womanizing role that Philips would eventually make his trademark. It's also noteworthy as having Hattie Jacques in one of her first major comedic roles, an actress who was without a doubt one of the most prolific and hard-working of all British actresses. In a career that saw her start at 17 and keep going to her early loss in 1980, it is the comedy she came to be known for, and her we see a foreshadow of her greatness as Matron in the Carry On films, as the RSPCA helper to Philips. It was also Vida Hope's last film - anyone loving British comedies of this era would recognise her tiny mousy performance instantly.

All in all, this is good solid 50s style British comedy, director Darcy Conyers is no Ralph Thomas, but does a steady job. There are some hints of blue coming in with the early sixties, but no real smut; lots of animals, some farce, a ridiculous sixties vet practice with hypnotism and perm and set salon, some laugh out loud farce, and a nice romance. A good Saturday afternoon film indeed!

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.

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?

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.