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Adventures of a Plumber's Mate

  • 1978
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
4.2/10
782
YOUR RATING
Adventures of a Plumber's Mate (1978)
Raunchy ComedySatireComedyCrime

A horny plumber, Sid, enjoys a profession which offers him ample opportunity to bed sexy housewives.A horny plumber, Sid, enjoys a profession which offers him ample opportunity to bed sexy housewives.A horny plumber, Sid, enjoys a profession which offers him ample opportunity to bed sexy housewives.

  • Director
    • Stanley A. Long
  • Writers
    • Stephen D. Frances
    • Aubrey Cash
  • Stars
    • Jonathan Adams
    • Graham Ashley
    • Neville Barber
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.2/10
    782
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Stanley A. Long
    • Writers
      • Stephen D. Frances
      • Aubrey Cash
    • Stars
      • Jonathan Adams
      • Graham Ashley
      • Neville Barber
    • 13User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos53

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    Top cast35

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    Jonathan Adams
    Jonathan Adams
    • Rent Collector
    Graham Ashley
    • 1st Thief
    Neville Barber
    • Charteris
    Lindy Benson
    • Maisie
    Christopher Biggins
    Christopher Biggins
    • Robin
    John Bott
    John Bott
    • Insurance Man
    Richard Caldicot
    Richard Caldicot
    • Wallings
    Dave Carter
    Dave Carter
    • 2nd Thief
    Peter Cleall
    Peter Cleall
    • Carson
    Angela Daniels
    • Charteris's Secretary
    Claire Davenport
    • Belinda
    Christine Donna
    • Anna
    Prudence Drage
    Prudence Drage
    • Janice
    Kim Fortune
    • Jeweller's Assistant
    Leon Greene
    Leon Greene
    • Biggs
    Linda Hartley
    • 3rd Tennis Girl
    Mary Henry
    • Mrs. Wallings
    Stephen Lewis
    Stephen Lewis
    • Crapper
    • Director
      • Stanley A. Long
    • Writers
      • Stephen D. Frances
      • Aubrey Cash
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews13

    4.2782
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    Featured reviews

    1manchester_england2004

    Not funny at all!

    What happened here? The first two movies in the ADVENTURES OF... series were quite funny. Yet somehow a trilogy was formed when the series was tied up with this painfully unfunny movie. It comes as no surprise that the series ended here and no fourth movie was made.

    As another person has commented on this page, this movie has a dreary, depressing tone hanging over it. I would like to add that the first two movies were nothing like this. Indeed, from seeing the first two, you would never guess Britain had descended to harsh economic times. In this movie, it's all too clear with its constant reminders of debt, unlikeable aggressive characters, nasty unrepentant officials and painful lack of humour.

    What happened to Christopher Neil? His character in ADVENTURES OF A PRIVATE EYE was a very funny and likable accident-prone. I thought his performance in that movie was even better than that of Barry Evans in ADVENTURES OF A TAXI DRIVER. In ADVENTURES OF A PLUMBER'S MATE, Christopher Neil seems to be sleepwalking his way through the movie, he didn't seem to enjoy being here and unlike the previous movie, his character was more annoying than likable and none of the ideas funny on paper were funny on the screen.

    As if the lead actor weren't bad enough, some first-rate supporting talent is wasted as well.

    Arthur Mullard plays a Mr. Big type character but he was too overly aggressive to be funny. Mr. Mullard deserved better than this. Jerold Wells was equally wasted as his sidekick who was given nothing to do other than stand around looking dumb. Mr. Wells had more fun on THE BENNY HILL SHOW and his great cameo in VAULT OF HORROR.

    Willie Rushton is also wasted as a quick-buck artist who allocates a number of jobs to the main character to help him pay off debts. His performance here was completely uninspired (who could blame him?) and a long way departed from KEEP IT UP DOWNSTAIRS or ADVENTURES OF A PRIVATE EYE.

    Suzy Mandell, a veteran of British sex comedies is wasted in a role as a tennis player whose only purpose is to get her kit off and go in the shower. Unlike movies such as COME PLAY WITH ME and INTIMATE GAMES, she is given nothing to do or say that is in the least bit funny. For those who want to see Miss Mandell full-frontal nude, the two mentioned movies will deliver whereas this one doesn't.

    But perhaps the most criminal waste of talent here is Stephen Lewis. He plays the boss of the main character and is in full Blakey mode. Not even he could save this movie. Not even the funniest person from the ON THE BUSES franchise could make me laugh here. This is how bad this movie was.

    On a positive note, Anna Quayle has a good time with her character, who is the owner of a club or something like that. She has a few funny lines and is backed up by Christopher Biggins, who also has a good time.

    The only genuine standout on the cameo list is Claire Davenport who raises a laugh or two as a battleaxe-type masseuse who handles her clients very roughly. Her scene was funny but it couldn't save this movie.

    All in all, this is a colossal disappointment for anyone who has seen the first two entries in this series. It brings a sad end to a franchise that was moderately funny in saucy British tradition. My recommendation is to stick to the first two movies and disregard this one as though it doesn't exist.
    5malcolmgsw

    Everyone's got to start somewhere

    Elaine Paige made her film debut in this British sex film.At the time the British film industry was in a very poor state.Often sex films were the only opportunity for actors to appear on screen.So that is the reason that Richard Caldicott appears.This film is a smaller budgeted version of the Confession series,which in turn took over when the Carry Ons had their day.This film is actually amusing in parts unlike the Confessions which were unfunny and crass.There is one very funny shot of a amateurs wobbling breasts.However Arthur Millard in his last film does rather exhibit his acting limitations.Rather redolent of the period.
    5rps-2

    British sauce 'n spice

    This is a run of the mill British farce with lots of British sex. The Italians make sex look wholesome, the French make it erotic, the Americans make it dirty but the Brits laugh about it. Lots of nude ladies and I lost count of the bare boobs. But it's all quite harmless and fun, done in that "No Sex Please We're British" style. This movie won't win critical raves or film festival honours. But I happened to be alone all weekend and it was just the ticket Saturday night with a beer and a bag of chips (crisps?) after a hard day of laying wooden flooring. It's silly and saucy in the best British tradition.
    7Groverdox

    Slips of paper and a golden toilet seat

    "Adventures of a Plumber's Mate" is definitely a cut above the average British sex comedy, and I realise that isn't saying much. Looking at the title you would expect a rip-off of those "Confessions" movies with Robin Askwith, and you wouldn't exactly be disappointed. The set-up is the same: a hapless young man with a working class job has a series of misadventures at work, usually involving loose women and their uptight husbands. There's a lot of nudity and low-brow humour, none of which is really funny, and silly accents and ridiculous characterisations.

    However, there's quite a bit more going on in this movie than that. The movie is less episodic than those "Confessions" films, and all the other movies that came in its wake, with generic jobs in the title. The thing is this one has a plot about the protagonist trying to get out of debt that he owes to his landlord and a local bookie who has two henchmen after him. Although his forays into people's homes as a plumber are the typical sex comedy fare, what with women's dresses getting stuck in garbage disposal and torn off, leaving them naked, and a seductress handcuffing herself to the hero when her criminal husband is on his way home from the klink - the overarching narrative is more grounded in reality and thus feels a bit more relatable.

    I enjoyed this movie - I say check it out.
    5BA_Harrison

    Hello darlin', I'm here to service your pipes.

    The third and last of director Stanley Long's 'Adventures of...' sex comedies, Plumber's Mate sees Christopher Neil once again taking the lead, this time as opportunistic, randy, Jack-the-lad Sidney South, who, up to his neck in debt and facing a severe pummelling, takes on a series of illegal jobs to try and earn some much needed readies. Meanwhile, a gangster and his crony want a word with Sid about a missing toilet seat that is far more valuable than it seems...

    Another attempt by Long to emulate the success of the popular Confessions series, Plumber's mate misses the mark thanks to a lack of decent laughs and a central character who is nowhere near as lovable as Robin Askwith's hapless chump Timmy Lea: as amiable as he may seem, Sid is still a gambler, a misogynistic love-rat, and a petty criminal, willing to flout serious laws in order to save his own bacon. It's hard to side with such a no-hoper, or to find his desperate antics all that hilarious.

    That said, while nowhere near as funny or as good-natured as the convivial Confessions films, Plumber's Mate still manages to be mildly diverting nonsense thanks to its endless stream of full-on nudity from a bevy of beauties, and a fun supporting cast that features many faces that will be all too familiar to fans of 70s British TV (Stephen 'Blakey' Lewis, Willie Rushton, Elaine Paige, Arthur Mullard, and Christopher Biggins, to name but a few).

    4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Elaine Paige attempted to have her name removed from the advertisements for the film after she became famous in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita".
    • Goofs
      Elaine Paige is shown as playing "Daisy" in the end credits, yet throughout her scenes she is referred to as "Susie".
    • Quotes

      Wallings: You know, I believe there's more to that lavatory seat than we thought.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Best of the Adventures (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      I'm Flying
      Written and Performed by Christopher Neil

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    FAQ13

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 8, 1978 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Benny, der Pechvogel
    • Filming locations
      • St Mary Abbots Hospital - demolished, Marloes Road, Kensington, London, England, UK("St Martin's Hospital")
    • Production company
      • Salon Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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