Sparrows Can't Sing (1963)

Charlie returns to the East End after two years at sea to find his house demolished and wife Maggie gone. Everyone else knows she is now shacked up with married bus driver Bert and a ... See full summary »

Director:

Joan Littlewood

Writers:

Stephen Lewis (play), Stephen Lewis (screenplay),

Stars:

James Booth, Barbara Windsor, Roy Kinnear

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Booth	...	Charlie Gooding
Barbara Windsor	...	Maggie Gooding
Roy Kinnear	...	Fred Gooding
Avis Bunnage	...	Bridgie Gooding
Brian Murphy	...	Jack
George Sewell	...	Bert
Barbara Ferris	...	Nellie Gooding
Griffith Davies	...	Chunky
Murray Melvin	...	Georgie
Arthur Mullard	...	Ted
Peggy Ann Clifford	...	Ted's Wife
Wally Patch	...	Watchman
Bob Grant	...	Perce
Stephen Lewis	...	Caretaker
Victor Spinetti	...	Arnold

Storyline

Charlie returns to the East End after two years at sea to find his house demolished and wife Maggie gone. Everyone else knows she is now shacked up with married bus driver Bert and a toddler, and they all watch with more than a little interest at the trail of mayhem Charlie leaves as he goes about sorting things out.

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Plot Keywords:

animal in title | butt slap | spanking | independent film | based on play

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Taglines:

Sailor, sailor, home from the sea - where little stranger can there one be ?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1964 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Hunajapupu älä karkaa

Filming Locations:

Limehouse, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carthage Films, Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in The Falls (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Sparrows Can't Sing"
Written by Lionel Bart
Performed by Barbara Windsor

User Reviews

A Comedy and a Nostalgia Trip

I saw this film when it first came out; it got very bad reviews at the time and most of my friends hated it, but I loved it then and have been haunted by the theme song ever since. For a while it was impossible to find any references to it--in fact, this is the first database where I have found the title or any information about it, though I have checked a number of commercial sites trying to find it on video. I still remember it as a charming (somewhat sentimental) and very funny comedy of a type that the British film industry did very well at that time. More recently their best work is more in a surreal or caricatural mode (such as _Cold Comfort Farm_, which is brilliant in its own way), but _The Full Monty_ caught some of the charm of the kind of comedies of everyday life that I think _Sparrows Can't Sing_ was one of. Now I just wish I could see it again.