The Plank (1979)

This is a pantomime about two construction workers, who discover that a plank is missing from the floor they are just building. They discover that two children have taken the plank and use ... See full summary »

Director:

Eric Sykes

Writer:

Eric Sykes

Stars:

Eric Sykes, Arthur Lowe, Lionel Blair

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Sykes	...	Larger Workman
Arthur Lowe	...	Smaller Workman
Lionel Blair	...	Paint-covered House Owner
Henry Cooper	...	Beer drinker
Harry H. Corbett	...	Amorous Van Driver
Bernard Cribbins	...	House painter
Robert Dorning	...	Fork-Lift Truck Driver
Diana Dors	...	Woman with Rose
Charlie Drake	...	Delivery man with cake
Jimmy Edwards	...	Policeman
Liza Goddard	...	Young lady helped across the road
Deryck Guyler	...	Milkman
Charles Hawtrey	...	Co-Driver
Frankie Howerd	...	Photographer
James Hunt	...	One-Eyed Truck Driver

Storyline

This is a pantomime about two construction workers, who discover that a plank is missing from the floor they are just building. They discover that two children have taken the plank and use it for a seesaw. Instead of taking it back, they decide to go and buy a new one. However, this may not have been a very good idea, for all the troubles and problems they encounter, just by buying a plank, are countless.

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Plot Keywords:

remake | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 1979 (UK)

Also Known As:

Deska

Filming Locations:

Barnes Pond, Barnes, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thames Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

28 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frank Windsor's character is the driver who leans out of his car window tapping his watch, as he does so a short burst of the Music Hall tune "If you want to know the time, Ask a Policeman". Windsor was well known in the UK for playing a detective in Z Cars (1962) and later Softly Softly (1966)

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Connections

Featured in 40 Years of Laughter: The Sitcoms (1995)

User Reviews

A tribute to old-style slapstick

The Plank is a straight-forward slapstick short. To me, it summarizes the old-style slapstick of the old silent movies in a single movie. This means that some of the humor feels pretty outdated, like getting a cake in the face. But that is as it should in this movie. It is still very enjoyable. It has a wonderfully minimalistic theme, the transportation of a plank, executed with nice under-acting by Eric Sykes and Arthur Lowe.

So don't expect the British humor from the same times by Monty Python/Feldman/Allen/Goodies/Atkinson. Watch it as a tribute to the old classics. Sykes and Lowe do it the old way, and they do it very well. I laugh at the references to the origins as much as the jokes as such. I could live without the laughter track though.

Apart from Sykes and Lowe, the cliché old-times policeman (Jimmy Edwards) is wonderful, with mustache and all! Also, some scenes driving around with the plank are very good. As so often, the more subtle the humor, the better, and that is the case here too. The "delivery man" (Charlie Drake) is usually too crude (but necessary to deliver that side on the classic humor) as well as the painter, while the photographer, the milkman and the van drivers are funnier.

Chaplin and Laurel&Hardy are (mostly) funny even today, and this movie builds on their work. It is the 20's in color.