Why Bother to Knock (1961) User Reviews

Limp Effort at Farce!

[spookyrat1 · 4/10 · 22 January 2019]

Like another reviewer here, I immediately thought of Boeing Boeing, whilst watching Don't Bother to Knock. To be fair to the latter, Boeing Boeing was made 4 years later and is therefore more likely to have borrowed from DBTK than visa versa. BB also had a couple of significant advantages; Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis, both experienced in playing comedic roles.

Don't Bother to Knock relies heavily on the shoulders of lead actor Richard Todd and he is hopelessly miscast as a philandering middle-aged travel agent, who supposedly wants to settle down with his naive fiancee Stella. However his character's behaviour and actions just aren't convincing. Instead he comes across as an unfunny 40+ Lothario, whose constant attempts to seduce women far younger than him, are more in keeping with an over-sexed teenage male. Todd, well - known for his more dramatic roles, didn't have the light touch and the timing for comedy, let alone farce.

He's not helped by the script here, which doesn't exactly crackle with humour. Ironically one of the funniest things about this movie, which is mainly set in Edinburgh (to suit the storyline in the second half), is that I only remember one character who actually spoke with a Scottish accent ... a taxi driver. So yes, a distinct failure all around.

Room for One More....

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 26 June 2020]

While Richard Todd and a bevy of beauties are the stars of this frenetic British sex farce, the real triumph comes from the newly knighted Dame Judith Anderson playing a modern day Mame Dennis with a touch of Tallulah Bankhead attached. You will not see any evidence of her classic tragedy roles as it is obvious that with TV versions of "Medea" and "MacBeth" recently on her plate, she wanted to play something a bit lighter and along the lines of what Rosalind Russell or Claudette Colbert might be cast as. She is cast as a wealthy Scottish matron who appears to be Richard Todd's boss and fairy godmother, swiping the key to his flat, pressing it in soap, and making copies which are then handed out to the bevy of beauties that she wants to set him up with. He appears to be handing them out as well, and like many a stage farce, Todd finds he is overloaded with too many women at the same time and struggles to juggle them all. Of course, they will be running into each other, so there are a lot of catty confrontations and foot stamping and temper losing as these ladies realize that they aren't his number one girl.

Nicole Maurie, Elke Sommer and June Thornburn are the three main squeezes in his life whom he meets in different circumstances. Older married women seem to be drawn to him, one of them ogling him while he's on vacation in Italy, and Elke Sommer coming across him and spending a romantic evening in the mountains with him when she rescues him from a high cliff while hiking. The film as a whole is basically a repeat of the same situation with different circumstances, and the confrontations become all too similar after a while. When Dame Judith is on screen, this becomes something special because, well, she IS Dame Judith Anderson, and fans of her Mrs. Danvers from "Rebecca" and her Minx Lockridge from "Santa Barbara" will delight in seeing her being a Scottish version of Billie Burke's similar characters. The film is also very beautiful to look at with great location sequences, lush sets and gorgeous outfits, especially the ladies hats. It's just too bad that it is like oh so many other sex farces of a more permissive era, but Dame Judith shoots this up several notches for me.

Don't Bother To Watch

[malcolmgsw · 4/10 · 3 December 2017]

This is a sex comedy without the sex and without the comedy.It is suspiciously like the big success of the early sixties,Boeing Boeing.It is a failed attempt by Richard Todd to reignite his career as a light comedian.He was 42 at the time and tries to romance girls half his age.A big surprise is seeing Judith Anderson in rubbish such as this.No wonder Todd made no further attempt at comedy. Incidentally in response to another reviewer Boeing Boeing was first performed on stage,3years before this film

A brave effort to enter the realms of modern comedy.

[autobenelux · 26 February 2005]

Richard Todd staked a lot in making this film which was received reasonably and attempted to loose his British stiff upper lip image. The cast included a plethora of pin ups of the time and the light hearted affair was very brave for the time. It however did not propel Todd into another vein of stardom and was probably his effort to galvanise his film career.He however continued to appear in many films with his most noted part being his reprise of the glider landing at the Orne river in The Longest Day.Unfortunately times change and his character type seemed no longer to be in demand as British films fell into more obscurity at this time.The mass movement of US big budgets and generally mass appeal took their toll.

Oh dear could have been charming ...

[ouzman-1 · 4/10 · 25 September 2019]

Don't bother to knock on this film -- don't expect even light humour. Very inappropriate behaviour is muted and seems a tad unsavoury now.

The "sexuality" can't save the film (is there any?) or perhaps as some odd ball testosterone fuelled epic, as it fails in that challenge.

A cringe-worthy, toe-curling "Confessions of a Travel Agent," it is not. The film doesn't deliver one kick for the prurient or voyeuristic eyes? OK I have to admit Elke is stunning eye candy, however the acting of Todd is not worth even that watch.

Todd produced this, why? Well to re-boot his film career? But why such an appalling theme? Why such a dreadful script, blah, blah.

His fellow actors are very able and competent - shame then that the lead here is so miscast. Harry H Corbett would have made this film worthy, Tony Curtis the lead believable.

How sad then that Todd ruined any chance the film might have delivered with his very odd charmless lead. Miscast? Certainly .

That somehow each woman falls for his contrived, predatory behaviour seems highly unlikely. If charmless grey is an aphrodisiac then fine the women of the 50s/60s saw more in a man than most do today.

Is this a life/love story? A witty look at the bachelor gay that is turned by the love of a "good" woman. Well no. Any woman would have grimaced then and now at this charmless "charmer." But is that down to Todd's interpretation of a lothario? Clearly miscast here, even down the English beach he is a fish out of water, fortunately Elke (Ingrid) distracts!

This type of nonsense is why the British film industry died a death in the 60s - not just from TV's competition. R.Todd et al., is found trying to entertain what must have been to a very comatose audience.

Good shot though of the city of Edinburgh as it is often seen. Nothing changed for the Scots in fifty years - dreek city plus a pipe band (obviously) then it's no wonder they want Freedom! I wanted freedom too from this bloody film!

He is "on" all the time - if my dog wished to only live to get its leg over (as Todd's character clearly wished) then a visit to the vet for my pooch would have soon sorted that out. This "film" needed to be put out of its misery.

There's no reason for anyone to watch such a humourless film.

Today then I have taken one for Team Film-goer!

PS However if scenic shots and old cars is your bag... oh and girls in bikinis, then maybe it's fine. ( ... which is why it scored yet mainly bored, a four. Without the PS then 1/10).

;--)