The Iron Maiden – 1962 | 98 mins | Comedy | Colour

Plot Synopsis

A laid-back Ealingesque romantic comedy based around the clash of transatlantic cultures and new and old engineering technologies. Carry On director Gerald Thomas and co-writers Leslie Bricusse and Vivian Cox concoct a corny script that is heavy on nostalgia, similar to both Genevieve (1953) and The Maggie (1954), which had covered comparable territory and similarly felt dated but possess a warm charm and devotee eccentricity that manages to carry the whimsical storyline.

Aircraft designer Jack Hopkins (Michael Craig) passion for the past, and particularly his traction engine; The Iron Maiden, leads to trouble when he misses the test-flight of his own TGT3 advanced passenger jet and then crashes into the car of airline tycoon and prospective client Paul Fisher (Alan Hale). Hopkin’s employer, Sir Giles Thompson (Cecil Parker), instructs Jack to win the multi-million sales contract by impressing Mr Fisher with his technical prowess and by wooing the billionaire’s feisty daughter, Kathy (Anne Helm).

A competing aircraft constructor, Polygon, take a similar approach and owner Lord Upshott (Ronald Culver) tasks his snooty son, Humphrey Gore-Brown (John Standing), with similarly charming the Fisher family. Whilst Hopkins and Fisher initially clash, both bond during a trek to take The Iron Maiden to Woburn Abbey to attend a steam rally.