Bless This House (1972)

1970s English suburbia: middle-aged homeowner Sid Abbot just wants to get on with building his illegal whisky still, but is frustrated by his workshy son, and otherworldly daughter. Then ... See full summary »

Director:

Gerald Thomas

Writer:

Dave Freeman (screenplay based on the Thames Television Series)

Stars:

Sidney James, Diana Coupland, Sally Geeson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sidney James	...	Sid Abbot
Diana Coupland	...	Jean Abbot
Sally Geeson	...	Sally Abbot
Peter Butterworth	...	Trevor Lewis
Terry Scott	...	Ronald Baines
June Whitfield	...	Vera Baines
Robin Askwith	...	Mike Abbot
Carol Hawkins	...	Kate Baines
Patsy Rowlands	...	Betty Lewis
George A. Cooper	...	Mr Wilson
Bill Maynard	...	Oldham
Marianne Stone	...	Muriel
Janet Brown	...	Annie Hobbs
Julian Orchard	...	Tom Hobbs
Tommy Godfrey	...	Alf Murray

Storyline

1970s English suburbia: middle-aged homeowner Sid Abbot just wants to get on with building his illegal whisky still, but is frustrated by his workshy son, and otherworldly daughter. Then the rude and arrogant Ronald Baines and his family move in next door. Garden-fence hostilities soon commence.

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Plot Keywords:

family relationships | suburb | rummage sale | environmentalist | wine making | 

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Taglines:

The Greatest Family Comedy Team Now on the Big Screen!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

Schütze dieses Haus

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Rank Organisation,Peter Rogers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was filmed between Series Two and Series Three of the series and although there were a number of cast changes, all of the original cast returned for the third series.

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Goofs

Sid hands Trevor a shovel to help him mix concrete for his shed. A cutaway shot of the mixing shows Sid's legs and his arms holding the shovel and mixing the concrete.

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Quotes

Removal Van Driver: Has his steering gone?
Ronald Baines: I don't know whether it's his steering, or him!

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Connections

Spun-off from Bless This House (1971)

User Reviews

Nice if rather unexceptional spin off movie from the TV series

From what I have seen of the TV series, it is a very enjoyable one that is funny and relaxing to watch. This spin off movie is not too bad, but it is nothing exceptional.

The good things: It is nicely filmed, the cinematography is very nice and the scenery lush, and the music is beautiful, it has a nice whimsical feel to it. The costumes are also nice to look at, by today's standards perhaps the fashion may be outdated and perhaps naff but in a glorious way. The best thing though is the casting. Sidney James, who I have loved since the Carry On franchise(which I admit I still enjoy), is incomparable as Sid. He just has a warm and fun presence whenever he is on screen as the grouchy father, and it is this presence that saves the film. The remainder of the cast are good too, Sally Geeson is rather so-so in the acting department, though it was nice to see her in a bikini, but Peter Butterworth, Wendy Richard, Diana Coupland and June Whitfield are great value.

The not so good things: The film does feel a little too short, at only 85 or so minutes. If it was made 5 minutes longer, some scenes could have been expanded on. The script does have some funny exchanges such as "Has his steering gone?" "I don't know whether it is his steering, or him!", but some of the material doesn't quite make the most of the running time. The humour here is amusing but nothing quotable or side-splittingly funny, and there were times when the slapstick was a little too much.

Overall, not bad, but unexceptional. 7/10 Bethany Cox