Pat Coombs Movies
- 1977
During the 1970s, British TV fans were treated to two different sitcoms bearing the title You're Only Young Twice, both of which used a retirement home as a comedy backdrop. The second, and more successful, of these two programs debuted on September 6, 1977. The series was set in Paradise Lodge, an old ladies home where the irrepressible Flora Petty (Peggy Mount) invariably led the other tenants into all sorts of mischief. The other principal characters were Flora's loyal "lieutenant" Cissy Lupin (Pat Coombs), humorless nursing home matron Miss Milton (Charmian May), and Miss Milton's equally dour assistant Miss Finch (Georgina Moon). Yielding 31 half-hour episodes and two hour-long specials, You're Only Young Twice ran until August 4, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peggy Mount, Pat Coombs, (more)
- 1973
If you've never sampled the off-the-beam humor of British comic-giant Spike Milligan, by all means look up Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall. Milligan stars as a long-in-tooth Army rookie, going through basic training in the early war years. "God smiles on the incompetent" seems to be the message here, as Milligan escapes certain death at several junctures thanks to his ingrained stupidity. Also appearing are Carry On stalwart Jim Dale and Dad's Army regular Arthur Lowe. Based on Milligan's own novel, Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall was released worldwide by United Artists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In this comedy, two men pursue four very valuable women who have tattooed the location of stolen bonds upon their rumps. The Mafia is also in pursuit of the marked women. The two fellows are lead to Rome where the lead character tries to sell the Sistine Chapel to American tourists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Emery, Derren Nesbitt, (more)
- 1972
- PG
In this crime drama, a pair of grifters flee from London to Rome in order to find thousands of dollars in missing bonds. The mob is hot on their heels. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Based on a popular British television series from the late sixties, On the Buses centers on the chaos caused in a bus depot when the boss hires a passel of female bus drivers. This marked the first of three theatrical features based on the series (the second and third installments were the 1972 Mutiny on the Buses and the 1974 Holiday on the Buses, respectively). Though all three films were critically savaged, they grossed dollar one in Great Britain, particularly this first installment - eliciting a host of sequels and imitators. The Motion Picture Guide wrote of On the Buses, " The humor is sexist, of course, and infantile, with no wit or sophistication, which of course ensured its appeal to a large segment of the masses." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reg Varney, Doris Hare, (more)
- 1969
The British sitcom Wild Wild Women was set not in the American West (as might be expected), but in Victorian England. The stories revolved around a group of feisty young ladies who worked in a milliners' shop for autocratic Mr. Harcourt (Paul Whitsun-Jones). The leading character of Daisy was played by Penelope Keith in the pilot episode, which aired May 24, 1968, and thereafter by Pat Coombs. The series itself was broadcast from January 6 to February 10, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Whitsun-Jones, Barbara Windsor, (more)
- 1969
- R
The British "Carry On" series was in its 12th year when Carry On Again, Doctor was unleashed upon a panting public in 1969. Veteran Carry On-ers Kenneth Williams, Sidney James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Jim Dale and Barbara Windsor fill the principal roles in this hospital farce. Dale has the central role as a manic medico who stumbles upon a formula for weight control. The film's South-Sea setting permits plenty of female pulchritude to insinuate its way across the screen in between the one-liners and slapstick setpieces. Gerald Thomas directs, as ever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Williams, Sidney James, (more)
- 1968
Cry Wolf has become an all-purpose movie title, used for virtually everything but a retelling of the original "cry wolf" story. This 58-minute British programmer breaks tradition by returning to the source. Little Anthony Kemp is a boy giving to elaborate lies. When he overhears a plot to kidnap the prime minister, no one believes him. The boy tries to quash the plot himself, and nearly ends up as wolf-bait. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The producers of the popular British "Carry On" series aren't going to fix something if it is not broken. This workable, slapstick comedy returns to a hospital setting and benefits from the same gags that made Carry On, Nurse a top draw in Britain. Instead of Dr. Kildare, this emergency unit has Dr. Kilmore (Jim Dale), the usual curmudgeon supervisor (Kenneth Williams) and a bedpan full of quirky quacks and petulant patients. The hospital staff is plagued by bathroom humor, romance, medical mistakes and beautiful nurses who distract the doctors and patients alike. Sight gags and comedy ensues, and this film is just what the doctor ordered for those in need of some laughs. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Howerd, Sidney James, (more)
