Crooks and Coronets

A silly but rather charming comedy about two inept American rooks who hatch a plan to rob an English stately home. they ingratiate themselves with the eccentric peeress who owns the home and her grandson, and while they pretend to be interested in improving their hosts' fortunes wait for their American confederates to arrive. meanwhile, however, they find themselves getting attached to their genial English hosts, and are increasingly reluctant to go through with the plan to rob them.

Edith Evans as the eccentric peeress is entertaining as always, and the rest of the cast are good too, including a very amusing cameo by Hattie Jacques. While it's not a great film, this is very amusing and although the story is far fetched it is satisfying. not a film to watch if you are hoping for great drama or great wit, but if you are satisfied with just some simple laughter and fun this film should please you.

I guess I was expecting a lot more with this comedy, seeing that it somehow managed to wrangle Telly Savalas and Warren Oates to star in it. While the movie is never painful or boring to watch, it just isn't that funny. It has the right spirit in the background, having an amiable nature and without a mean streak or anything really negative happening. And the cast gives it a good shot, not just the two main American stars. But the attempts at humor that are played in the foreground are pretty lame, soft and not particularly clever. If Savalas and Oates were not in this movie, the end results could be easily mistaken as being an example of one of many lame family comedies the Walt Disney company made around this period.

Telly Savalas ! a couple years BEFORE Kojak. here he's a prisoner, just getting released from jail. and Sergeant Hulka from Stripes! (Warren Oates). Together, they come up wtih a scheme to rob the eccentric British Lady Sophie (Edith Evans). now they just need to convince their old crime boss (Cesar Romero) to finance it. They manage to get inside, and find its more complicated than they thought. a very slow, simmering, boil of a comedy. Turns out Lady Sophie is a wild woman, and they might just have a hard time keeping up with her. she likes a bit of adventure, herself. Savalas plays it very lightweight, and a little over the top, and it all works. a couple surprises along the way. Written and directed by Jim O'Connolly. Only directed a few things. this one is also known as Sophie's Place. i hadn't heard of the other films he did, but he was a british director, so i probably wouldn't know them.. This one's pretty good. a different kind of story.

Herbie Haseler (Telly Savalas) is released from prison. His friend Marty Miller (Warren Oates) picks him up with a stolen car. Mob boss Nick Marco (Cesar Romero) is not happy with them and considers them owing $160k for a failed armored truck robbery. Herbie has had a long list of failed criminal schemes. His new scheme is to steal from a mansion in England. The duo takes a tour and befriends the Fitzmore family who are cash poor despite their vast estate.

Savalas and Oates are incompetent criminals and they do a good job being likeable. It's just not that funny. At best, they are mildly amusing. The movie goes on by being the mildest of amusement. Mostly, I'm trying to discern if there are actual jokes being executed. On the positive side, I really do like Savalas and Oates. They are even more likeable when they befriend the family. The caper is not that exciting or that imaginative. They should be doing the Home Alone thing but the slapstick isn't that funny. It's a likeable movie but it lacks real laughs.

This film has its moments, but it is not laugh out loud, hysterically funny. Cesar Romero plays Telly's inept crime boss friend, who finances a robbery in England. The characters behave like they are in a 1960's television sitcom, with no laugh track. See this film only if you are a fan of Telly Savalas, or enjoy the Nostalgia of 1960's comedy capers.