Whisky Galore (1949)

Scottish islanders try to plunder 50,000 cases of whisky from a stranded ship.

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writers:

Compton MacKenzie (novel) (as Compton Mackenzie), Compton MacKenzie (screenplay) (as Compton Mackenzie)

Stars:

Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, Catherine Lacey

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Basil Radford	...	Captain Paul Waggett
Catherine Lacey	...	Mrs. Waggett
Bruce Seton	...	Sergeant Odd
Joan Greenwood	...	Peggy Macroon
Wylie Watson	...	Joseph Macroon
Gabrielle Blunt	...	Catriona Macroon
Gordon Jackson	...	George Campbell
Jean Cadell	...	Mrs. Campbell
James Robertson Justice	...	Dr. Maclaren
Morland Graham	...	The Biffer
John Gregson	...	Sammy MacCodrun
James Woodburn	...	Roderick MacRurie
James Anderson	...	Old Hector
Jameson Clark	...	Constable Macrae
Duncan Macrae	...	Angus MacCormac

Storyline

Based on a true story. The name of the real ship, that sunk Feb 5 1941 - during WWII - was S/S Politician. Having left Liverpool two days earlier, heading for Jamaica, it sank outside Eriskay, The Outer Hebrides, Scotland, in bad weather, containing 250,000 bottles of whisky. The locals gathered as many bottles as they could, before the proper authorities arrived, and even today, bottles are found in the sand or in the sea every other year.

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Plot Keywords:

home guard | hebrides | scotland | cave | barbed wire | 

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Taglines:

A Highland fling on a tight little island

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Scottish Gaelic

Release Date:

25 December 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Whisky Galore

Filming Locations:

Allasdale, Barra, Western Isles, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ealing Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eight bottles of whiskey were recovered in 1987 by Donald MacPhee, of South Uist, when he explored the wreck. He sold them at auction at Christie's for a total of £4,000.

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Goofs

Had there really been whisky (or really about anything except air) in those wooden crates piled as high as a person on the rowboats the villagers use to loot the cargo ship, those boats would have capsized or sunk by the sheer weight of the crates.

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Quotes

Narrator: To the west, there is nothing. Except America.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: By a strange coincidence the S.S. Cabinet Minister was wrecked off the Island of Todday [in the movie] two years after the S.S. Politician, with a similar cargo, was wrecked [in real life] off the Island of Eriskay. But the coincidence stops there, for our story and the characters in it are pure fiction.

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Connections

Featured in Scotland on Screen (2009)

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Soundtracks

The MacaPhee song
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played at the engagement party

User Reviews

Compton Mackenzie's farcical finest!

I have seen Whisky Galore so many times I lost count during the 'eighties. Most films so viewed tend to lose their sparkle somewhat. Not with this little gem - I laugh every time.

I have been promised that these strange happenings were based in fact, but I cannot believe that such a concatenation of hilarious happenstance could possibly have occurred, here in the British Isles, where the ridiculous is commonplace, or anywhere else. This film is full of the finest British character actors of the era, and a few acting 'non-entities' as well, who all give marvellous performances. The laughter doesn't stop, and the whisky keeps on flowing - I love it. I hope you get half as much out of Whisky Galore as I have - you'll be well pleased.