Scatterbrained young civil servant Dick Lanchester (David Tomlinson) is sent by Sir William Crane (Cecil Parker), Minister of Atomic Energy, to escort Dr Spiegel (Cyril Shaps), a brilliant physicist from the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Cherwell, to a special NATO conference in London.
While Dick is flirting with Susan Turner (Mary Peach), the daughter of a wealthy local race-horse owner (John Welsh), Spiegel – who turns out to be a spy – runs off with some top-secret microfilm.
Spiegel’s confederates are waiting for him in a horsebox, but he mistakenly climbs into the box which Susan is driving to the races. The horse rears, Spiegel drops the microfilm, and the animal swallows it . . .
He buys the horse at an auction after the race, despite attempts by Lanchester to outbid him and there seems to be nothing he can do to save the film – but in a riotous climax, everything turns out fine in the end.
It’s a standard old-fashioned British farce, coaxed along by the subtly-timed performances of David Tomlinson, Cecil Parker and Richard Wattis. The film was adapted from a novel called Photo Finish by Howard Mason.
Dick Lanchester
David Tomlinson Sir William Crane
Cecil Parker Hugh Porlock
Richard Wattis Susan Turner
Mary Peach Miss Bradstock
Dora Bryan Special Branch Chief
Raymond Huntley Farrell
Sam Kydd Hammler
George Pravda Major Turner
John Welsh Garrod
Peter Copley Dr Spiegel
Cyril Shaps Blake
Victor Brooks Riley
Vic Wise Rudd
George A. Cooper Harriet
Alison Fraser
Director
Alan Bromly
Related Posts
Visit to a Small Planet (1960) Kreton (Jerry Lewis) is an innocent and childlike alien from the planet X-47 who has always been fascinated by Earth.…
Light Up the Sky! (1960) This WWII comedy-drama stars a squad of misfits who are operating a Royal Artillery plane-spotting searchlight - located on a…
Fame (1980) Fame was essentially an excuse for lots of limbs and leotards, and catchy music such as the title track sung by…
Fluffy (1965) The eponymous animal is a lion who has the misfortune to be engaged in research with Professor Daniel Potter (Tony…
French Mistress, A (1960) Headmaster John Crane, MA (Cecil Parker), the guiding light of Melbury Public School. finds himself without a French master when…
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) The fourth film in Hammer's Frankenstein series begins with a dead and frozen Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) being re-animated by…
Fury, The (1978) Brian De Palma's follow-up to Carrie (1976) keeps the telekinetic kid but swaps tampons and girl power for a psy-spy caper. CIA…
Hand, The (1960) Captured by the Japanese in Burma during World War II, British infantrymen Private Mike Brodie (Reed De Rouen) and Corporal…
While Dick is flirting with Susan Turner (Mary Peach), the daughter of a wealthy local race-horse owner (John Welsh), Spiegel – who turns out to be a spy – runs off with some top-secret microfilm.
