En avant amiral!

I watched this film on Talking Pictures this morning and it brought back many happy memories.

I remember my Mother and Father taking me to see this film when I was 7 years old, not long after it was made. David Tomlinson and Ronald Shiner seemed to turn up in a lot of British films in those days. At 7 years old, I was not old enough to recognise the names to some of the actors that I saw at the cinema. I can only say that my naïve child's mind was sometimes curious about the way the same men turned up in different films playing different characters. It was very confusing - I used to think that they just looked like each other.

Incidentally, this was the third time that I had seen David Tomlinson donning the uniform of an officer in the Royal Navy. The other two films were "Up the Creek" and "Further Up The Creek.

Although not too well known, the film is interesting inasmuch as nearly all the supporting and uncredited roles are played by well-known actors. Familiar faces like, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson, Alfie Bass, and the ubiquitous Sam Kydd, all made the film worth watching. It almost ran like a potted history of British Cinema of the 1950s and '60s.

I also enjoyed seeing Eunice Gayson, looking just as lovely as she did in the first two James Bond films, Doctor No and From Russia With Love, where she played the casino croupier, Sylvia Trench.

Some of the scenes were shot in and around Portsmouth. As a man who served in the Royal Navy and having lived and served in Portsmouth for most of my working life, I recognised some of the locations, especially the area that stood in for the "Harbour Hotel".

In the background I could see the seating area of Spice Island - a lovely part of Portsmouth which has not changed very much since 1957. Although, I think The Union Hotel, has possibly changed names many times since this film was made. The view of Spice Island suggested that the hotel might have been The Coal Exchange, which is next to the Still and West public house.

I was a bit confused about the other locations in Portsmouth, but I think they may have been distorted for security reasons, as with the name of the warship.

Ever since William Shakespeare penned his immortal lines in such plays as Twelfth Night and Midsummer Night's Dream, cases of mistaken identity have always been a good formula for comedy.

As an ex-Navy man, myself, who has lived in Portsmouth for most of his life, there are a lot of flaws in the storyline that I could pick out, but why bother? It was a very funny film and it passed an hour and a half this morning while my wife was doing the hoovering.

After a few years without seeing one another, two friends enjoy more than a few drinks together, a mix-up with their clothes, lands the pair in real trouble, they have to take up each others roles, professionally.

Don't come here expecting any traditional Carry on humour, the only thing this film shares is the title, and the presence of Joan Sims, other than that it's a bit of a damp squib.

I wonder if this was the inspiration behind the name of the legendary carry on film series.

There's a lot of talent here, but sadly nobody really cuts through, Ronald Shiner, David Tomlinson and Peggy Cummins are all decent, but nothing memorable.

The one saving grace is A. E. Matthews, who played Admiral Sir Maximilian, he's a scream, and his comic timing is wonderful, he stands out.

5/10.

Although it has only an average plot the 1957 film of an Ian Hay stage play is worth seeing for three reasons. First, it has some great cameos by a range of British bit-part actors, including a perplexed Reginald Beckwith, a young Joan Sims, a lugubrious Ronald Shiner, a too-short appearance by Alfie Bass and uncredited James Hayter (the original voice of Mr Kipling Cakes). Secondly, it has a barnstorming appearance by the elderly British character actor A.E. Matthews who was in his late 80s when the film was shot and had been playing the same role of a peppery old admiral/colonel etc for decades. He fluffs a few lines but carries the film along with his enthusiasm. Finally David Tomlinson, one of Britain's finest comedy actors, is a joy to behold. His comic timing is faultless and he lights up every scene he's in.

An admiralty civilian and ship's officer get drunk one evening and swap uniforms. The following morning it is a case of hangovers and mistaken identity as each then knowingly undertakes the other's duties.

If you can get over the incredulity that these two men would allow themselves to be mistaken for each other, and go along with this for a whole day, then there's a chance you might enjoy aspects of this movie. But only a chance! A weak lead performance from Brian Reece, and an annoyingly bombastic yet doddery turn out from AE Matthews don't help this thin comedy. It is some of the cameo performances that steal the film - Joan Hickson and Joan Sims make the most of their bit parts, whilst the scene with Alfie Bass and Ronald Shiner steals the show (it provided the only scene I thought funny). It's a shame this is only about one minute long.

When Eunice Gayson died, obituaries noted that she had been the first Bond girl, but otherwise tended to draw a veil over the rest of her career. Some years before Dr. No, she had a supporting role in this mediocre naval farce. An unlikely tale of confused identities, it is quite amusing in parts, but is really not that good. The best that can be said of it is that it passes the time in an inoffensive manner. The real enjoyment of something like this is spotting all those character actors who were once a staple of British films and television