Man in a Cocked Hat (1959)

A former British colony in dire need of economic aid tries to play the British against the Soviets in an attempt to secure economic aid from either side in return for political loyalty.

Directors:

Roy Boulting, Jeffrey Dell

Writers:

Jeffrey Dell (original story), Roy Boulting (original story)

Stars:

Terry-Thomas, Peter Sellers, Luciana Paluzzi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Terry-Thomas	...	Cadogan de Vere Carlton-Browne
Peter Sellers	...	Señor Amphibulos - the prime minister
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Her Serene Highness Princess Ilyena (as Luciana Paoluzzi)
Ian Bannen	...	Young King Loris
Thorley Walters	...	Colonel Bellingham of the Bays
Raymond Huntley	...	Foreign Secretary Tufton Slade
Miles Malleson	...	Resident Advisor Davidson
John Le Mesurier	...	Grand Duke Alexis
Marie Lohr	...	Lady Carlton-Browne
Kynaston Reeves	...	Sir Arthur Carlton-Browne
Ronald Adam	...	Sir John Farthing
John Van Eyssen	...	Hewitt
Nicholas Parsons	...	Rodgers
Irene Handl	...	Mrs. Carter
Harry Locke	...	Commentator

Storyline

Great Britain has had an international agreement for the last 50 years with a small pacific island. It has been ignored until the death of their king brings it to the attention of the Foreign Office in Whitehall. They decide to send Cadogan de Vere Carlton-Browne to re-establish friendly relations.

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Plot Keywords:

farce | island | foreign office | king | princess | 

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Taglines:

It's the ROAR to end WAR.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1960 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Man in a Cocked Hat

Filming Locations:

Midhurst Railway Station, Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charter Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The tune played by the marching band during the welcoming parade was used extensively in the classic BBC radio comedy, The Goon Show, which also starred Peter Sellers.

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Goofs

When Amphibulos reaches for his glass to propose the toast it is almost full. When he raises it in the next cut it is nearly empty.

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Quotes

Señor Amphibulos - the prime minister: No. No. You must drink in one. Otherwise you will get a bit - You know?
Cadogan de Vere Carlton-Browne: Delicious!
Señor Amphibulos - the prime minister: Yes. Yes. Is called "Gruzanios". Not a drop is drunk until it is three weeks old. And now we will have the musica!

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Connections

Edited into Heroes of Comedy: Terry-Thomas (1995)

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Soundtracks

Eton Boating Song
(uncredited)
Music by Algernon Drummond and lyrics by William Johnson
Played at the airport when Carlton-Browne arrives

User Reviews

Cheerio, old chap

Though this comedy is not strong on comedy and its love story is desperately short on charm, there is something about this film that is cunning enough to hold your attention. For starters it has Peter Sellers, which is usually more than enough to hold one's attention, but for a comedy in which Peter Sellers stars in, well, it should damn well be funny, right?

Because this movie has a difficult time in hammering out the laughs, especially with the likes of Sellers and Terry-Thomas, it suffers greatly.

The biggest attribute for this film is in the idea behind the story; failing upwards. I do like to see these types of films, perhaps this is why the film is cunning enough to hold one's attention.

Not a terrible film, but you could always see better films with Peter Sellers in them.

Mildly amusing, but hardly, if ever very funny.