The Ladykillers (1955)

Five diverse oddball criminal types planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writers:

William Rose (story), William Rose (screenplay)

Stars:

Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Cecil Parker

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alec Guinness	...	Professor Marcus
Cecil Parker	...	Claude (a.k.a. 'Major Courtney')
Herbert Lom	...	Louis (a.k.a. 'Mr. Harvey')
Peter Sellers	...	Harry (a.k.a. 'Mr. Robinson')
Danny Green	...	One-Round (a.k.a. 'Mr. Lawson')
Jack Warner	...	The Superintendent
Katie Johnson	...	The Old Lady - Mrs. Wilberforce
Philip Stainton	...	The Sergeant
Frankie Howerd	...	The Barrow Boy

Storyline

A gang planning a 'job' find themselves living with a little old lady, who thinks they are musicians. When the gang set out to kill Mrs Wilberforce, they run into one problem after another, and they get what they deserve.

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Plot Keywords:

poetic justice | planning | widow | octogenarian | criminal | 

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Taglines:

The Titan of Comedy in his most hilarious frolic!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1956 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

The Lady Killers

Filming Locations:

Argyle Street, St. Pancras, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ealing Studios,Michael Balcon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Colour by) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tommy Cooper was suggested for the role of One-Round, but stage commitments prevented him from auditioning.

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Goofs

When all the money falls out of Lawson's cello case it scatters all over Mrs. Wilberforce's doorstep. By the time the criminals come back to try and cover up the story, all the money has disappeared.

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Quotes

Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: Simply try for one hour to behave like gentlemen.

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, roses are shown, to highlight the fact that William Rose wrote the screenplay.

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Connections

Featured in Richard E. Grant on Ealing Comedies: Killer Jokes (2016)

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Soundtracks

Silver Threads Among The Gold
(1873)
Music by H.P. Danks
Lyrics by Eben E. Rexford
(played and sung in the parlour of Mrs. Wilberforce's house)

User Reviews

A real classic

Alec Guiness has to be one of the greatest actors of all time, and his role in The Lady Killers does not buck the trend. From the first moment I saw his dark shape looming through the doorway, I knew the character would be well creepy. And boy was it! With that horrible grin, those horrible teeth and that horrible laugh, it's little wonder that even the grim Herbert Lom starts to get a little freaked out.

Nevertheless, Katie Johnson as the infuriating Mrs Wilberforce almost succeeds in stealing the show. There cannot be a more annoying person in the world, from the point of view of policemen, criminals and baggage handlers alike.

The best scene of all, in my opinion, is the very last one, but I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it. I haven't actually watched the re-make of the film, and I'm certainly a big Tom Hanks fan, but I think it must be hard-pressed to beat this hilarious original. 8 out of 10. Obviously, it's rather old-fashioned and might not appeal to everyone's sense of humour. Ko, Izzy.