This 1957 Ealing Studios comedy revolved around William Horatio Ambrose (Alec Guinness), who desperately wanted to live up to his proud family naval tradition. But Ambrose has a debilitating problem – he suffered from violent seasickness. As a result, his contribution to the Second World War consisted of testing cures for the malady.
Upon retiring from the Royal Navy, he satisfies his craving for the sea by purchasing the dilapidated Victorian-era amusement pier at Sandcastle Bay with his life savings.
The workers on the pier are an apathetic bunch, led by the insolent Figg (Victor Maddern), who quits when the new owner begins imposing some discipline.
With the assistance of his new second-in-command – a former RN rating named Tommy (Percy Herbert) – and much hard work with the help of a group of bored local teenagers, Ambrose soon has the pier repaired.
He then has to deal with the local town council, headed by the crooked Mayor Crowley (Maurice Denham) and the hostile matron Arabella Barrington (Irene Browne), who mistakes him for a Peeping Tom when they first meet. Every time he comes up with an ingenious way to make his business profitable, they see to it that the council outlaws it.
When Crowley finally decides to confiscate and demolish Ambrose’s pier and Barrington’s bathing huts (under compulsory purchase) to further his own business interests, she resigns from the council and informs Ambrose.
He counters by registering his property as a foreign naval vessel (christened the Arabella) under the flag of convenience of the easygoing country of “Liberama”, which removes it from the town’s jurisdiction.
He soon attracts many happy, paying passengers for his inaugural stationary “cruise”.
Thwarted, Crowley hires Figg to take his dredger and demolish the structure late at night.
Using a seasickness remedy suggested by Barrington, Ambrose takes to sea and foils the scheme – with his ghostly ancestors watching approvingly (all played by Guinness).
In the process, part of the pier becomes detached and floats away.
Ambrose remains aboard to prevent salvagers from claiming it and drifts over to France, where he is hailed as a naval hero.
The majority of the film was shot at Hunstanton Pier in Norfolk. A storm destroyed most of the pier in January 1978. What remained was destroyed by a fire in 2002.
Released in the US as All at Sea.
Capt. William Horatio Ambrose
Alec Guinness Reporter
Harry Locke Barman
Frederick Piper Bus Driver
Fred Griffiths Commander
Gerald Case Captain
William Mervyn First Surgeon
John Horsley Second Surgeon
Derek Waring Cashier
Donald Pleasence Bank Manager
Newton Blick Mrs Arabella Barrington
Irene Browne Tommy
Percy Herbert Figg
Victor Maddern Duckworth
Harold Goodwin Evie
Junia Crawford Artie White
Warren Mitchell Bald Man
Frank Burdett Mayor Crowley
Maurice Denham Superintendent Browning
Lloyd Lamble Reggie
Martyn Woodman Roy
Donald Churchill Larry
Mike Morgan Phil
Max Butterfield June
Jackie Collins Sheila
Susan Gibson Mrs Figg
Diana Chesney Angler
Miles Malleson Chailey
Allan Cuthbertson Tritton
Charles Lloyd Pack Garrod
Lionel Jeffries Bullen
George Rose Registrar of Shipping
Richard Wattis Liberamanian Consul
Eric Pohlmann Major Kent
Charles Cullum Mrs Kent
Joan Hickson Adrian
Alexander Harris Frogman
Sam Kydd Timmins
Toke Townley Mrs Gray
Elsie Wagstaff Coxswain
Anthony Sagar
The workers on the pier are an apathetic bunch, led by the insolent Figg (Victor Maddern), who quits when the new owner begins imposing some discipline.
He soon attracts many happy, paying passengers for his inaugural stationary “cruise”.
