Too Many Crooks

For any fans of British comedy films of the 50's/60's, this is one of the best. It has a calvacade of British comic character actors, who all turn in well-honed performances, with the icing on the cake provided by Terry-Thomas, at the top of his form. His rapid fire delivery, clever mugging and sheer enthusiasm in the lead role is a joy to behold. I can't think of any other actor who could have carried off this characterisation half as well. The whole film simply bristles with that unique joie-de-vivre that was inherent in the very best of the British comedies at that time. An undoubted treat for all comedy-loving film buffs.

One of the better British farces of the late fifties, the plot of Mario Zampi's "Too Many Crooks" was later used for the Bette Midler vehicle "Ruthless People". The humour here is broad and decidedly British and is often laugh-out-loud funny. The cast comprises of some of the best British comedy actors of the time, (Terry-Thomas, George Cole, Bernard Bresslaw, Sidney James), as well as that wonderful character actress Brenda De Banzie as the kidnap victim whose husband, (the sublime Terry-Thomas), refuses to pay the ransom to get her back. What happens next may be predictable but thanks to Michael Pertwee's screenplay is also hugely enjoyable and on its own simple level, Zampi's direction is just about perfect.

A wonderful British caper comedy from 1959, this film, along with School for Scoundrels (made the same year), probably stands as the most perfect vehicle for the caddish comic talent of Terry-Thomas. He plays wide boy entrepreneur Billy Gordon, who is targeted by the incompetent Fingers, or 'Mr X' (George Cole) and his criminal gang. When robbing the safe at Gordon's office proves unsuccessful, Fingers instead decides to kidnap Gordon's daughter, but things don't go according to plan... Too Many Crooks is a hilarious film, stylishly directed by Mario Zampi and featuring a wonderful script from Michael Pertwee. But it is the performances that really make it work, none more so than Terry-Thomas, who is a full-on tornado of one-liners, indignant snorts, impatient outbursts, and caddish cackles. Cole is also brilliant as a sort of proto-Arthur Daley, a bumbling no-mark with a taste for the lifestyle of a criminal mastermind, but almost no idea how to make it a reality. Further down the cast list, Bernard Bresslaw is memorably gormless as ex-wrestler Snowdrop (I love his Spike Milligan-style line 'I never heard of anything more precious than money. Except dollars.'), whilst Sidney James (a year away from achieving leading-man status with his first Carry On film) is as good as always as the frustrated professional crook fed up with Cole's fiascos; as is usual with James, his character is of course called Sid. The stunning Vera Day (who also appeared with Sidney James in the classic thriller Hell Drivers and Hammer's movie adaptation of the TV serial Quatermass II) plays Fingers' moll (or his 'nice little bit of X-certificate'), whilst such familiar faces as John Le Mesurier, Sidney Tafler, and Terry Scott have very funny cameos. About the only performance that doesn't quite work is that of Brenda De Banzie as Gordon's wife; a actress more noted for her dramatic turns in films like Hobson's Choice and The Entertainer, De Banzie does a good job as the meek housewife in the early scenes, but quite fails to convince as the re-invented crime boss and glamour puss later on; she plays these later scenes totally straight, and oddly, the script doesn't give her a single funny line. My favourite scene in the film has to be the one in which Fingers and Sid go to Gordon's office in the guise of police officers, which includes Cole's truly insane comic line 'A nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse. That's an old Latin quotation and it means 'is this your old woman's nightie?'', as well as Gordon's incandescent rage when the real police subsequently turn up and Gordon accuses the entire force of trying to blackmail him. The film is full of such wonderful episodes (the first attempted robbery and Gordon's appearance in court are also stand-outs), and it is a great reminder of a time when Britain used to make better comedy movies than any other country in the world.

This film popped up on TCM last week and I'm glad I caught it. I'm a fan of British comedies, from Ealing to Carry On, but this one had somehow escaped my radar. It's a delightful cast, and they make the most of scriptwriter Pertwee's gags (even the tired ones). There are little bits of plots from elsewhere, such as O Henry's RANSOM OF RED CHIEF (the unlovable kidnap victim) or the original LADYKILLERS (banknotes in the breeze). An upbeat, jazzy 50s score adds to the merriment, and George Cole is a stand-out for the many different characters he portrays throughout the film. Terry-Thomas, Bernard Bresslaw & Sid James, and Brenda De Banzie also deserve special mention. If you recall that Ms De Banzie played a very sinister villain just three years earlier in THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, you'll appreciate her acting range. You might even want to watch twice so you don't miss some of the more subtle verbal gags.

Just watched this again and I am a bit bemused to say the least as to why this film is so overlooked in the catalogue of British comedies of the period, or any period. It is sensationally scripted for a start, this has to be one of the sharpest British screenplays of all time. It is as dark as any of the more celebrated Brit-coms, such as Ladykillers, but unlike that film it doesn't take itself so seriously, being directed and played as a light comedy, almost a theatrical farce. And it is possibly this lightness of touch that has left it sidelined against the others. Terry-Thomas is at his slimiest as the womanising miser who's amassed a fortune by avoiding the dreaded taxman, and George Cole is very nearly as good as the bungling self styled Mr. Big of a hapless criminal gang. The busy plot turns this way and that and has some really funny scenes in it, but the best thing about this film is in the cleverness of the screenplay and the subtle nuances of comedy that are handled very slickly by the cast of expert comedy character actors.