The Ladykillers (1955)

Five diverse oddball criminal types planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writer:

William Rose (story)

Stars:

Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alec Guinness	...	Professor Marcus
Cecil Parker	...	Claude (a.k.a. 'Major Courtney')
Herbert Lom	...	Louis (a.k.a. 'Mr. Harvey')
Peter Sellers	...	Harry (a.k.a. 'Mr. Robinson')
Danny Green	...	One-Round (a.k.a. 'Mr. Lawson')
Jack Warner	...	The Superintendent
Katie Johnson	...	The Old Lady
Philip Stainton	...	The Sergeant
Frankie Howerd	...	The Barrow Boy

Storyline

A gang planning a 'job' find themselves living with a little old lady, who thinks they are musicians. When the gang set out to kill Mrs Wilberforce, they run into one problem after another, and they get what they deserve.

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Plot Keywords:

planning | octogenarian | widow | criminal | robbery | 

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Taglines:

Who was that lady I saw you outwit last night? That was no lady...That was 'Mum' Wilberforce, a lovely old doll, well known to the police, and landlady to the shadiest bunch of characters in London!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1956 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

The Lady Killers

Filming Locations:

Argyle Street, St. Pancras, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rank Organisation, The, Ealing Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Packard motor car used by the thieves as a getaway vehicle belonged to Michael Balcon.

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Goofs

When One-Round comes out to threaten the Professor and Louis above the trains, in the first shot the railway sidings are empty. After one very short cutaway, an entire commuter train (many carriages long) is now in the sidings.

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Quotes

Professor Marcus: You're most kind, and if I may say so, you have a very curious and charming house. Such, um, pretty windows.
Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: Oh, thank you,
[pointing to a window]
Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: And I rather favour positions...
Professor Marcus: [interrupting] I always think the windows are the eyes of a house, and didn't someone say the eyes are the windows of the soul?
Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: I don't really know. Oh, it's such a charming thought, I do hope someone expressed it!

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, roses are shown, to highlight the fact that William Rose wrote the screenplay.

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Connections

Featured in Empire: The World's Best Movie Quiz (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Minuet in E major"
(uncredited)
By Luigi Boccherini, arranged for string ensemble
[playing on the phonograph whenever the robbers are pretending to be practicing]

User Reviews

A golden classic of British comedy cinema.

When film studios are churning out rubbish like 'The Full Monty' and 'American Pie' under the heading of comedy, you have to wonder what sort of brainless morons are filling cinemas with laughter. It is nothing short of tragic that gargantuan amounts of cash are being expended on useless blow-outs like Titanic,Star Wars- The Phantom Menace, and just lately, The Beach. When Ealing Studios ceased production, the cinema world was suddenly very much poorer.

The Ladykillers is undoubtedly one of the finest comedies ever made, certainly the best Ealing film of them all. Here is a film from the golden age of British cinema that will forever amuse and entertain. It is easy to be nostalgic about these old films but they are still held in high regard for a good reason-they were made by people who knew the art of film making. Moreover, they were made at a time when a trip to the cinema was still a special occasion. So they were made with love and care and with respect for the audience.

The Ladykillers is unusual for an Ealing comedy, being made in colour. It would have worked just as well in black and white, possibly even etter.( I have watched it in black and white on TV by turning the colour controls off!) The location shots, which were done around the back of King's Cross station in London, capture forever something of the old London I used to know as a child.

I suppose they best description for this film is a comedy of a bank robbery gone wrong. The ensemble acting is of the highest order; Katie Johnson as Mrs. Wilberforce just about steals the film from Alec Guinness. The hilarious script leaves you wanting more, even though a lot of the comedy is based on sight gags; the extended scene when the supposed 'musicians' come downstairs one by one while the Boccherini Quintet continues playing is wonderful, as are the moments involving General Gordon the parrot. The cinematography is beautifully realised and so British.

Having read all of the comments on this film, I was suprised that so many American film lovers liked this film - British comedy like this doesn't usually travel well across the water. So a sincere big thank you to all of you guys over there who commented favourably on The Ladykillers.

I don't think that we will ever see the return of institutions like Ealing Studios again, so The Ladykillers should be watched, enjoyed and loved by generations of film lovers to come.