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
Mrs Gibbons' Boys (1962) The three Gibbons boys are a terrible trio. Ronnie, the youngest (Peter Hempson) is an irrepressible lad whose high spirits…
Blackbeard's Ghost (1968) Emily Stonecraft (Elsa Lanchester), a descendant of the famed pirate, is in danger of losing her New England home to…
Trygon Factor, The (1966) This low-budget British thriller has Scotland Yard detective Superintendent Cooper-Smith (Stewart Granger doing his best Cary Grant impersonation) investigating a…
Up Jumped A Swagman (1965) This marvellously entertaining, tongue-in-cheek musical romp stars Frank Ifield as Dave Kelly, a talented young Australian singer who moves to…
Life at the Top (1965) Joe Lampton returns in this sequel to Room At The Top (1959), which is actually a strong film in its…
From Beyond the Grave (1973) From Beyond the Grave - originally titled The Undead and also known as The Creatures, Tales from Beyond the Grave,…
No, My Darling Daughter (1961) Tansy Carr (18-year-old Juliet Mills) is the vivacious schoolgirl daughter of wealthy international industrialist Sir Matthew Carr (Michael Redgrave). Tansy…
Female Trouble (1974) Along with Pink Flamingos (1972), this is the film that gained cult director John Waters his trophy for spectacularly redefining melodrama.…
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.
