One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1975)

Lord Southmere escapes from China with a microfilm of the formula for the mysterious "Lotus X", and is captured by Chinese spies who have been instructed to retrieve the microfilm from him.... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Bill Walsh (screenplay), David Forrest (novel)

Stars:

Peter Ustinov, Helen Hayes, Derek Nimmo

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Derek Nimmo	...	Lord Southmere
Hugh Burden	...	Haines
Bernard Bresslaw	...	Fan Choy
Helen Hayes	...	Hettie
Joan Sims	...	Emily
Deryck Guyler	...	Harris
Peter Ustinov	...	Hnup Wan
Clive Revill	...	Quon
Molly Weir	...	Scots Nanny
Andrew Dove	...	Lord Castleberry
Max Harris	...	Truscott
Max Wall	...	Juggler
Natasha Pyne	...	Susan
Joss Ackland	...	B.J. Spence
Arthur Howard	...	Thumley

Storyline

Lord Southmere escapes from China with a microfilm of the formula for the mysterious "Lotus X", and is captured by Chinese spies who have been instructed to retrieve the microfilm from him. Escaping from his captors, Lord Southmere hides the microfilm in the bones of a large dinosaur at the National History Museum. However, he has been followed into the museum by the spies, so Lord Southmere asks Hettie, (his former nanny), to retrieve the microfilm before the spies can find it. He is then promptly recaptured by the head spy, Hnup. Hettie, and her friend Emily (another nanny), devise a plan for a group of nannies to search for the microfilm, but they are unsuccessful in their endeavors. The spies then decide to steal the dinosaur, but are outmaneuvered by Hettie and Emily, who - with a young nanny named Susan - take the dinosaur skeleton on an unforgettable journey around the countryside. When Hettie's two young charges, Lord Castleberry and his younger brother, Truscott, also become ...

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Plot Keywords:

spy | nanny | museum | spoof title | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

It's kung-fu fun...that'll tickle your funny bone!

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Genres:

Family | Adventure | Comedy | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ellopták a dinoszauruszt

Filming Locations:

Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Five of the cast have made a number of appearances in the Carry on series of Films Jon Pertwee, Amanda Barrie, Joan Hickson, Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw.

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Goofs

When the nannies are searching the dinosaur, Hettie observes that if the skeleton fell on them they would be the first people to be killed in a dinosaur in two million years. Dinosaurs actually became extinct about 65 million years ago. Humans emerged only about 500,000 years ago, so Hettie is wrong on multiple counts.

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Quotes

Susan: You lose 3 points, you hit a Granny!

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Connections

Referenced in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

User Reviews

Yee Haw!

English slapstick comedy spy caper definitely a must for fans of that genre. Director Robert Stevenson (Mary Poppins, The Love Bug) dresses up the scenery with nice old British cars, trucks and storefronts (watch for one called THE RELUCTANT DRAGON a tip of the hat to an old Disney animated classic) and his usual trademark special effects which includes a neat little stunt where a group of men stand on each other's shoulders to see above a fog filled street. Fans of Agatha Christie movies will note Peter Ustinov (who played Hercule Poirot) and Helen Hayes and Joan Hickson (who both played Miss Marple). A final note regarding some ill-placed, ill-thought out comments about Peter Ustinov's performance that was meant to be broad comedy. Ustinov (an Englishman) also portrayed a Belgium (Hercule Poirot), a Russian, and a Frenchman in other films without any comments about their appropriateness. From Peter Sellers who played a wickedly unflattering portrayal of a Frenchman in the Pink Panther series to Ben Kingsley's stately performance as Ghandai to Jews playing Christians (sometimes unflattering) what the heck...it's called acting. If you don't like the performance that's one thing, but to call it racist then all these performances should be called racist and ALL performances that require an actor to play someone not himself would be on some level bigoted. Don't you think? To those who would call Ustinov's performance racist you are wrong and you should sue your parents and teachers for raising an idiot. By the way. I am Chinese. If I do a good Texan accent no one would think me a racist. If I do a bad Texan accent all it means is that I do a bad Texan accent. Yee Haw!