The wacky, adventurous tale of a 1910 air race from London to Paris just when aviators were starting to make rapid progress with their amazing array of pioneering aircraft.
The versatile cast has Stuart Whitman as a cowboy who decides to strap into a bi-plane and forsake the horse and saddle, Sarah Miles as the delightful English lass he loves, Gert Frobe as the accident-prone German entrant, Terry-Thomas as a memorable villain, Robert Morley as the newspaper proprietor who sponsors the race and Tony Hancock and Eric Sykes as foiled villains.
The aerial stuntwork (replica vintage planes were built to fly in the movie) is tremendous and the goings-on – both in the air and on terra firma – are jam-packed with fun and hijinks.
Co-starring are Gordon Jackson, William Rushton, James Fox, Alberto Sordi, Benny Hill, Red Skelton, Flora Robson, Cicely Courtenidge, Sam Wannamaker and Irina Demick.
Ken Annakin directs, with the excellent camerawork organised by Christopher Challis and the bouncy, bright music from Ron Goodwin.
Orvil Newton
Stuart Whitman
Patricia Rawnsley
Sarah Miles
Richard Mays
James Fox
Count Emilio Ponticelli
Alberto Sordi
Lord Rawnsley
Robert Morley
Count Manfred Von Holstein
Gert Frobe
Pierre Dubois
Jean-Pierre Cassel
Brigitte/Ingrid/Marlene/Françoise/Yvette/Betty
Irina Demick
Courtney
Eric Sykes
Sir Percy Ware-Armitage
Terry-Thomas
Neanderthal Man/Ancient Greek Flyer/Medieval Flyer/Winged Bicycle Rider/Winged Car Rider/Jet Pack Tester/Ornithopter Pilot/Passenger in Airport
Red Skelton
Fire Chief Perkins
Benny Hill
Mother Superior
Flora Robson
Harry Popperwell
Tony Hancock
Yamamoto
Yujiro Ishihara
Captain Rumpelstrosse
Karl Michael Vogler
George Gruber
Sam Wanamaker
French Postman
Eric Barker
Trawler Skipper
Maurice Denham
MacDougal
Gordon Jackson
French Painter
John Le Mesurier
Lieutenant Parsons
Jeremy Lloyd
Countess Sofia Ponticelli
Zena Marshall
Airline Hostess
Millicent Martin
Assistant Fire Chief
Norman Rossington
Tremayne Gascoyne
William Rushton
Narrator
James Robertson Justice
Director
Ken Annakin
