Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968)

An American plans to bilk the British out of some considerable money with the help of an English con artist.

Director:

Jerry Paris

Writers:

Max Wilk (screenplay), Max Wilk (novel)

Stars:

Jerry Lewis, Terry-Thomas, Jacqueline Pearce

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Lewis	...	George Lester
Terry-Thomas	...	H. William Homer
Jacqueline Pearce	...	Pamela Lester
Bernard Cribbins	...	Fred Davies
Patricia Routledge	...	Lucille Beatty
Nicholas Parsons	...	Dudley Heath
Michael Bates	...	Dr. Spink
Colin Gordon	...	Mr. Hartford
John Bluthal	...	Dr. Pinto
Sandra Caron	...	Pinto's Nurse
Margaret Nolan	...	Spink's Nurse
Harold Goodwin	...	Six-Eyes Wiener
Nike Arrighi	...	Portuguese Waitress
John Barrard	...	Zebra Man
Pippa Benedict	...	Fern Averback

Storyline

George Lester is a man who is chasing rainbows, looking for the pot of gold at the end. When his wife, Pamela grows tired of being dragged all over the world, she leaves him. While she is away, George converts her family home into a discotheque, when she returns, she threatens to send George to jail for fraud, cause she didn't give her approval. George needing some fast bucks, decides to turn to an old cohort of his, William Homer but Willy's a little short. George then decides to steal the plans to a new drill, Pamela's suitor, Dudley Heath is working on. But when George gets the mumps, he can't make it to the meeting place and refuses to give Willy the plans unless he gives him the cash first. And the buyers won't give unless they see the merchandise first.

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Plot Keywords:

argument | divorce | money scheme | based on novel

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Spinner

Filming Locations:

Portugal

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Walter Shenson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pippa Benedict is dubbed.

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Connections

References Alfie (1966)

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Soundtracks

"Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River"
Lyrics by Hal Shaper
Sung by Danny Street

User Reviews

Hooray for Terry-Thomas!

In a film that will only really appeal if you're a keen fan of Jerry lewis, Terry - Thomas, for me,was the saving grace of this picture. It was the only reason I bought it in the first place, but thankfully, aided by some fine support from a young Patricia Routledge, Bernard Cribbins and John Bluthal, the film is still worth a look-in. The story is also quite amusing, although I can't help feeling that it could have been used to a much bigger comic impact. Thankfully, there are enough comic scenarios are characters to help fill out some of the gaps for the film to become too slow. Terry - Thomas puts in a fantastic, stereo-typical "cad" performance and there's some great mugging from Bernard Cribbins but apart from that, the film is a bit of a dead loss.