Double Bunk

Double Bunk is a British black-and-white comedy film set on a

Double Bunk
houseboat. It was released in 1961, and stars Ian Carmichael and
Sid James.[2]

The musical score was composed by Stanley Black, and the title
song, sung by Sid James and Liz Fraser, was by Stanley Black,
Jack Fishman and Michael Pratt (later better known as the actor
Mike Pratt).

Contents
Plot
Background
Release
Cast
Critical reception
Directed by C.M.
References
Pennington-
External links
Richards
Produced by George H.
Brown
Plot
Starring Ian Carmichael
Facing eviction from their London flat, newlyweds Jack (Ian Sid James
Carmichael) and Peggy (Janette Scott) are tricked into buying a Janette Scott
rundown houseboat by its current owner Alfred Harper (Reginald Liz Fraser
Beckwith) and his put-upon wife (Irene Handl). Mr Watson Dennis Price
(Dennis Price), who owns Jack and Peggy’s mooring, soon makes
Music by Stanley Black
their acquaintance by introducing them to his mooring tariffs and
associated surcharges. Cinematography Stephen Dade
Edited by John D.
Jack's used-car-salesman friend Sid (Sid James) helps him rebuild Guthridge
the engine, and the newlyweds take the boat down the River
Distributed by Bryanston (UK)
Thames to Ramsgate with Sid and his girlfriend Sandra (Liz
Fraser) as passengers. On the way they have trouble with an Release date 30 March 1961
official from the Thames Conservancy (Naughton Wayne) and a (London West
member of the river police (Terry Scott). End)
Running time 92 min
After Sandra's transistor radio gets misplaced next to the
Country United Kingdom
compass, they end up in Calais. With no fuel or supplies they
must resort to desperate actions to get themselves and the Language English
houseboat back home. Sandra puts on a striptease for Watson, Budget £110,275[1]
who also happens to be in Calais, so Jack and Sid can "borrow"
some of Watson’s fuel and food. The next morning they follow Watson back across the Channel, as their
own compass is broken, and enter into a wager with Watson on who can get back to their mooring first.
They win the bet when Watson's boat runs aground.

Background
The houseboat, "Jasmine Cot", was actually "Joan Mary", an Admiralty 48-foot "Personnel Launch,
Diesel" conversion. She was based at Newmans Shipyard, 1, Strawberry Vale, Twickenham.

Release
The film opened at the Leicester Square Theatre in London's West End on 30 March 1961 and went on
general release in the UK on 8 May 1961.

The film went over budget by £4,500 and the producer had to write off personally £5,000.[3]

Cast
Ian Carmichael as Jack
Janette Scott as Peggy
Sid James as Sid
Liz Fraser as Sandra
Dennis Price as Watson
Reginald Beckwith as Harper
Irene Handl as Mrs. Harper
Noel Purcell as O'Malley
Naunton Wayne as 1st Thames Conservancy Officer
Bill Shine (actor) as 2nd Thames Conservancy Officer
Michael Shepley as Granville-Carter
Toby Perkins as Pukka Type
Miles Malleson as Rev. Thomas
Jacques Cey as French Official
Hedger Wallace as 1st River Policeman
Terry Scott as 2nd River Policeman
Desmond Roberts as Freighter Captain
Peter Swanwick as Freighter Pilot
Gerald Campion as Charlie
John Harvey as Johnnie
Graham Stark as Flowerman
Gladys Henson as Madame de Sola
Willoughby Goddard as Prospective Purchaser
Marianne Stone as Prospective Purchaser's Wife
Tom Gill as Customs Officer (uncredited)
Critical reception
The New York Times called it an "extremely anemic little British comedy." [4]
The Spinning Image called it "a gently amusing feel-good comedy that chugs along nicely.
... You know you're in for a good time as soon as Double Bunk's opening credits kick in
accompanied by a jaunty ditty sung by co-stars Sid James and Liz Fraser" [5]
Britmovie wrote, "the supporting cast is a veritable treasure trove of familiar faces, including
Sid James, Naunton Wayne, Liz Fraser, Irene Handl, Miles Malleson and Noel Purcell and
Dennis Price." [6]

References
1. Petrie, Duncan James (2017). "Bryanston Films : An Experiment in Cooperative
Independent Production and Distribution" (http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/114988/1/Bryansto
n_Films_An_Experiment_in_Cooperative_Independent_Film_Production_and_Distribution.p
df) (PDF). Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: 7. ISSN 1465-3451 (https://www.
worldcat.org/issn/1465-3451).
2. "Double Bunk (1961) | BFI" (http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6a923c5a). Explore.bfi.org.uk.
Retrieved 25 July 2014.
3. Petrie p 10
4. Howard Thompson (17 November 1961). "Movie Review - Double Bunk - 'Double Bunk'
Shown" (https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9402E6D8143DEF32A25754C1A967
9D946091D6CF&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar). NYTimes.com. Retrieved
25 July 2014.
5. "Double Bunk Review (1961)" (http://www.thespinningimage.co.uk/cultfilms/displaycultfilm.a
sp?reviewid=2124). Thespinningimage.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
6. "Double Bunk 1961 | Britmovie | Home of British Films" (https://web.archive.org/web/201407
28182545/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Double-Bunk_1961). Britmovie. Archived from
the original (http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Double-Bunk_1961) on 28 July 2014.
Retrieved 25 July 2014.

External links
Double Bunk (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054820/) on IMDb
Available on DVD by Odeon Entertainment (http://www.odeonent.co.uk/)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Double_Bunk&oldid=928616233"

This page was last edited on 30 November 2019, at 14:26 (UTC).

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