Petticoat Pirates

Petticoat Pirates is a perfectly innocuous British comedy completely ruined by the insertion of popular TV comedian Charlie Drake into the action. This was Associated British Picture Corporation's second attempt to propel Drake to movie stardom following the previous year's "Sands of the Desert". This time ABPC were not only filming in colour, but also in CinemaScope (at a time when Rank were only granting their big comedy star Norman Wisdom, massive at the box office, black and white 1.75:1). The plot revolves around a Women's Royal Naval Service base, the chief of which has been lobbying for WRENs to serve at sea (an advanced concept for 1961!). When the admirals refuse, the WREN's take over a frigate one quiet night and put to sea. Surprisingly, the plot does not involve the women being hopeless and having to be rescued by men (although there is a rather patronising sequence involving seasickness) and the results of the WRENs efforts require the admiral to eat his words. Interspersed with this action, in a totally haphazard way, are various scenes with Drake (who's character is imaginatively named Charlie Drake) involving his trademark slapstick and all totally irrelevant to the story. If this had been shot in black and white in the standard ratio it would probably be remembered fondly along with the host of other British comedies of the era, the insertion of Drake, however, kills it stone dead.

A bizarre anomaly of colour filmmaking in the British cinema of the fifties & sixties was that the more ambitious the intentions of the makers the cheaper the colour process; which explains why the handful of artistically ambitious productions of the period tended to be made in Eastmancolor while it was vehicles for TV comedians such as Charlie Drake and Harry H. Corbett so often employed Technicolor & Scope.

This explains the resources lavished upon the likes of 'Petticoat Pirates' - a film so cheap that the assault party don't even wear wetsuits - yet obviously got extensive access to naval facilities; although the film does show occasional flashes of imagination such as the vivid colours that serve as the backdrop for a dream sequence.

I am inserting a review for all films I've seen that so far lack one, my 'review' such as it is follows... 'Battle of the sexes comedy on the high seas, starring C.Drake.' Not the most useful I admit, I saw the film on BBC1 19 Jun 1977, in the UK, I have no recollection of it so can't add to my review, I can say that I am a fan of under-rated largely forgotten director D.MacDonald, and that C.Drake was better known as a TV than film comedian in the UK. Also note this has just been released on DVD in the UK by Network, so hopefully a more enlightening review will not be long in coming. Need to fill review too short, check out THE BROTHERS (1947) as a good D.MacDonald film.

Charlie Drake isn't the kind of comedian people would want to remember in this day and age. His style leaves a fair bit to be desired and he faded from memory LONG before he died. "Petticoat Pirates" is one of only a handful of films that Charlie Drake made and a good thing as well. Like Arthur Askey, Drake wasn't suited to film and the above movie makes this painfully obvious. The trouble with comedy and with comedians in general, is that you either like what you see or you don't. Charlie Drake falls into the latter category. "Petticoat Pirates" is cringeworthy to sit through. There are hardly any laughs and Drake gets on my nerves rather quickly. Every time I heard his terrible squeaky voice, I felt like cringing.

Associated British obviously saw Drake as the new Norman Wisdom.Thus the first seven minutes are entirely devoted to Drake.It is embarrassingly unfunny.The plot of this film,when it gets going,concerns the plot by WRENS to take over a Navy ship to prove their worth.Unfortunately from time to time Drake reappears thus bringing the film to a full stop.Drakes material was more suited to the halls and tv.However his style went out of fashion and he is now long forgotten.