Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973)

Albert Steptoe and his son Harold are junk dealers, complete with horse and cart to tour the neighbourhood. They also live amicably together at the junk yard. Always on the lookout for ways... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Sykes

Writers:

Ray Galton, Alan Simpson

Stars:

Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H. Corbett, Diana Dors

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wilfrid Brambell	...	Steptoe / Albert
Harry H. Corbett	...	Son / Harold
Diana Dors	...	Woman in Flat
Milo O'Shea	...	Doctor Popplewell
Neil McCarthy	...	Lennie
Bill Maynard	...	George
George Tovey	...	Percy
Sam Kydd	...	Claude
Yootha Joyce	...	Freda - Lennie's Wife
Olga Lowe	...	Percy's Wife
Joyce Hemson	...	Claude's Wife
Henry Woolf	...	Frankie Barrow
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Vicar
Frank Thornton	...	Mr. Russell
Richard Davies	...	Butcher

Storyline

Albert Steptoe and his son Harold are junk dealers, complete with horse and cart to tour the neighbourhood. They also live amicably together at the junk yard. Always on the lookout for ways to improve his lot, Harold invests his father's life savings in a greyhound who is almost blind and can't see the hare. When the dog loses a race and Harold has to pay off the debt, he comes up with another bright idea. Collect his father's life insurance. To do this his father must pretend to be dead.

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Plot Keywords:

debt | greyhound | sequel | sitcom | false teeth | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1973 (UK)

Also Known As:

O Cabo dos Trabalhos

Filming Locations:

St Mary Abbots Hospital - demolished, Marloes Road, Kensington, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated London Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Steptoes live at 26A Oil Drum Lane.

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Goofs

When Harold tells his dad that Hercules The Second ran away at Acton Park, Albert's pigeon-chewing varies from shot-to-shot.

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Connections

References Ryan's Daughter (1970)

User Reviews

Steptoe & Son Are Flogging A Dead Horse here!

As usual both Albert & Harold are deep in debt, and this is made worse when Harold gets ripped off buying a short-sighted greyhound from the local gangster instead of buying a decent horse for their rag & bone business.

Harold comes home from the business deal drunk to the eyeballs and Albert isn't at all impressed, especially with the dog and his rather large appetite for steaks & eggs.

Harold tries to placate Albert by telling him the greyhound is a born winner on the track and that with a bit of training the dog should be able to win enough races to make them a nice little profit.

Unfortunately the plan doesn't quite work out and the same local gangster is threatening violence if they don't repay him the outstanding loan for the dog.

With nothing else worth selling Harold decides the only thing left of any value is is father's insurance policy. The only fly in the ointment is that Albert has to die in order for the insurance company to pay up and thus free Harold of his dangerous debt.

For those who grew up on the BBC TV series of Steptoe & Son, you will probably be quite disappointed at this rather flimsy little story that is far too long for the movies and the comedy always feel forced & contrived.

The humour is often very black or vulgar, which in truth is no different from the TV show. But the real difference between the two is the movie version lacks the comedic polish & spontinaity of a live audience. Both actors seem to revel & interact far better in front of TV cameras and a bunch of people than on location with a film crew and a succession of takes & breaks.

The film has its moments, especially involving the training of the adorable little greyhound, but the bulk of the film is relatively forgettable. The acting is ok but the direction is very jagged & irritating to the point of being almost unwatchable at times.

For all the criticisms however, its still quite good for a Sunday afternoon's worth of entertainment when there's little else to do. But for purists I would opt for episodes of the TV series everytime.

**/*****