Saturday Night Out follows the misadventures of a group of merchant seamen (and a passenger) from the freighter Riebeek Castle on a night’s leave in London before they return to their ship in the morning.
Irishman Paddy (Nigel Green) is only concerned with consuming as much whiskey as he can, while Arthur (David Lodge) claims to be visiting his “mother” and heads straight for the bed of his girl in this particular port, Julie (Margaret Nolan).
Meanwhile, Australian Lee (John Bonney) is entranced by Penny (Heather Sears), a whimsical beatnik and existentialist intent on committing suicide.
Loudmouthed Brummie Harry (Inigo Jackson) ends up in a Soho clip joint where he’s robbed while being distracted by hostesses Marlene and Arlene (Caroline Mortimer and Vera Day).
He then takes a beating from a bouncer played by ex-boxer Freddie Mills (ironically soon to be the victim of a fatal shooting connected to his real-life involvement in shady nightclubs).
Passenger George Hudson (Bernard Lee) – a successful businessman – is picked up at an upmarket Mayfair hotel by the exotic Wanda (Erika Remberg) only to become a victim of the old badger game which the French girl is running with her smarmy “business associate” Paul (Derek Bond), but adroitly turns the tables on their blackmail attempt to extort £1,000 from him – writing them a cheque for a tenner.
The shy and inexperienced Jamey (Colin Campbell) and Jean (Francesca Annis) meet in a pub (the long-demolished White Hart in Poplar) where The Searchers just happen to be playing (The Beatles were offered the chance to appear in the film, but the producers were reluctant to pay their train fare from Liverpool!)
Despite finding themselves sharing a room in a boarding house for the night, after coming to the aid of the landlady’s drunken mother (a funny cameo from Patricia Hayes), Jean and Jamey do not sleep together, but he decides to jump ship and stay with her.
This film captures London’s Dockland in its last throes before it was transformed into office blocks and unaffordable apartments
Penny
Heather Sears George Hudson
Bernard Lee Wanda
Erika Remberg Lee
John Bonney Jean
Francesca Annis Jamey
Colin Campbell Harry
Inigo Jackson Arthur
David Lodge Paddy
Nigel Green Marlene
Caroline Mortimer Arlene
Vera Day Edie
Shirley Cameron Edie’s Mother
Patricia Hayes Paul
Derek Bond Manager
David Burke Joe
Freddie Mills Margaret
Toni Gilpin Miss Bingo
Barbara Roscoe Julie
Margaret Nolan Barmaid 1
Martine Beswick Barmaid 2
Patsy Fagan Doorman
Gerry Gibson Barman
Barry Langford Kathy
Wendy Newton The Searchers
Themselves
The shy and inexperienced Jamey (Colin Campbell) and Jean (Francesca Annis) meet in a pub (the long-demolished White Hart in Poplar) where The Searchers just happen to be playing (The Beatles were offered the chance to appear in the film, but the producers were reluctant to pay their train fare from Liverpool!)
