Island Rescue (1951)
"Appointment with Venus" (original title)

At the outbreak of WWII the British realise they can't prevent the invasion of the Channel Islands. However, someone realises that a prize cow is on the islands and the Nazis mustn't get ... See full summary »

Director:

Ralph Thomas

Writers:

Nicholas Phipps (screenplay), Jerrard Tickell (book)

Stars:

David Niven, Glynis Johns, George Coulouris

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Niven	...	Maj. Valentine Moreland
Glynis Johns	...	Nicola Fallaize
George Coulouris	...	Capt. Weiss
Barry Jones	...	Provost
Kenneth More	...	Lionel Fallaize
Noel Purcell	...	Trawler Langley
Bernard Lee	...	Brigadier
Jeremy Spenser	...	Georges
Patric Doonan	...	Sgt. Forbes
Martin Boddey	...	Sgt. Vogel
John Horsley	...	Naval Officer Kent
George Benson	...	Senior clerk
Richard Wattis	...	Carruthers (higher executive)
David Horne	...	Magistrate
Geoffrey Sumner	...	Major, Vet. Corps

Storyline

At the outbreak of WWII the British realise they can't prevent the invasion of the Channel Islands. However, someone realises that a prize cow is on the islands and the Nazis mustn't get hold of her. This is the intrepid story of the cow-napping from under the noses of the Nazis.

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Plot Keywords:

cow | island | channel islands | commando | fisherman | 

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Taglines:

...the most incredible heroine since suspense films began!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Island Rescue

Filming Locations:

Channel Islands

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Film-Makers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Venus of this film's title refers not to a Roman God from Latin mythology nor to a planet but to a prize pedigree cow which is sought by the British military during World War II because of its excellent breeding, and they don't want the Nazis to get her.

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Connections

Version of Venus fra Vestø (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Who's Taking You Home Tonight?"
(uncredited)
Music by Manning Sherwin
Lyrics by Tommie Connor

User Reviews

It would be perfectly ripping, old chum, if you would hop right back over there and get the cows.

"Appointment with Venus" author Jerrard Tickell, who also wrote "Odette", wrote that the germ of the idea for his novel, and delightful movie, came ten years or more in the past when he had a conversation with a Colonel "Duke" Wright in the British War Office. In 1940, Wright was O.C. at Guernsey and, with the fall of France, had the dangerous task of evacuating the garrison from the Channel Islands. After a nightmare journey, the exhausted, unshaven but triumphant Wright reported to the War Office at three in the morning that not a man had been lost. The junior officer who greeted him remarked what a pity it was that the Colonel had failed to bring any pedigreed cows with him. And added, "I suppose you couldn't go back and collect some." Tickell wrote that Colonel Wright's reply was as pungent as it was unprintable.