The Bulldog Breed (1960)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Robert Asher

Writers:

Henry Blyth (original screenplay)
Jack Davies (original screenplay)

Release Date:

24 April 1961 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

When he is crossed in love, grocers assistant Norman Puckle joins the Navy, where he is recruited to man the first British rocket. |

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film | Actor Shares First Name With Character

Cast

Norman Wisdom	...	Norman Puckle
Ian Hunter	...	Adm. Sir Bryanston Blyth
David Lodge	...	CPO Knowles
Robert Urquhart	...	Cmdr. Clayton
Edward Chapman	...	Mr. Philpots
Eddie Byrne	...	PO Filkins
Peter Jones	...	Diving instructor
John Le Mesurier	...	Prosecuting counsel
Terence Alexander	...	Defending counsel
Sydney Tafler	...	Speedboat owner
Brian Oulton	...	Bert Ainsworth (cinema manager)
Harold Goodwin	...	Streaky Hopkinson
Johnny Briggs	...	Johnny Nolan
Frank Williams	...	Mr Carruthers
Joe Robinson	...	Tall sailor

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (TV rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Beaconsfield Studios, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

A film poster shows the name "Normana Sapienza" -- a feminized, Italianized version of the name of the star, Norman Wisdom.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mike Baldwin & Me (2001) (TV)

The old formula – will amuse fans

Grocer delivery boy Norman Puckle is frustrated in his attempts to et a local girl and tries to kill himself. However he is saved at the last minute and told that to join the navy is to get all the girls he'll ever want. However Norman is not a sea-faring man by trade and struggles with the disciplined lifestyle required. Things are made worse when The Admiral selects him for an experimental rocket as proof that any sailor could operate it given the proper training. He hadn't planned on Norman.

Wisdom is very much an acquired taste. I'm not an Albanian but I do still enjoy most of his films. Here the plot sees him as, wait for it, a lowly worker who makes good, gets the girl and shows up the toffs at the same time! So not a mile (or a yard) away from the usual fare then. But that's fine, the usual stuff is actually OK. Here his usual routines are mostly OK but some are just average. If you usually get a laugh from it then this will just about suffice.

Wisdom is good and has a strong support cast. However the problem is that it feels too heavily on his shoulders and the rest aren't used well enough to share the load. When you've got actors like Hunter, Chapman, Jones, Alexander and the ever great Le Mesurier then you need to use them. Most have the odd good line or two but I wanted more from all of them.

The comedy is basic and times and you know where it's heading from minute number 1! I'm a fan and found this to be amusing but not Wisdom's best by any means. If this is your first meeting with Wisdom then you may be disappointed, fans will enjoy it.