samkydd

I watching this for the first time in ages last night and spotted a very young Audrey Hepburn as the South American girl who receives a generous handout from Alec Guiness near the start of the film. She doesn't appear in the opening credits but does at the end.

A great comedy and fine performances by all. A very atmospheric post-war London backdrop too, and I just love those old style vans. The run down the Eiffel Tower steps was very well done as well.

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

christoph404

I think its my favourite Ealing comedy, its brilliant and I agree totally that the period details of post war London are fascinating. The car chase at the end is good with the police radio blasting out "Old Macdonald had a farm, ee aye ee aye oh!" and the helpful copper singing along while standing on the running boards unwittingly directing the happless Guiness and Holloway! Its hilarious!.....

hankoler

One of my favourites in that film is Katy Johnson, what a lovely lady she was.

Freddy

An anecdote from the Lavender Hill Mob appears in Filmography - The Lavander Hill

“Not everyone fell in love with her. Balcon [the producer] confessed, ‘We all have our blind spots. In the prologue and epilogue of The Lavender Hill Mob we have a very pretty girl — Audrey Hepburn — selling cigarettes to Alec Guinness. I paid no particular attention to her.’ Even Tibby Clarke, who won an Oscar for his screenplay, admitted that Audrey, who spoke just one line, ‘struck nobody as star material.’ Nobody, perhaps, except Alec Guinness. During rehearsals for the Rio de Janeiro airport scene, Guinness was immediately impressed by the vision before him. He could not, for the most innocent of reasons, tear his eyes away from her. ‘She only had one line to say,’ Guinness would later explain, ‘and I don’t think she even said the line in any particular or interesting way. But her faun-like beauty and presence were remarkable.’ He excused himself from the rehearsal for a few minutes and telephoned his agent. ‘I don’t know if she can act,’ he said, ‘but a real film star has just wafted on to the set. Someone should get her under contract before we lose her to the Americans." - Ian Woodward, Audrey Hepburn

AH was also in Laughter in Paradise as the cigarette girl. Both scenes are available on youtube.

regards

Freddy

Joenoir

There is a similar scene in Bulldog Jack (1935)

Katie wasn't in this film, are you think of Edie Martin?

Start every day with a smile and get it over with.

Bruce

Katie Johnson wasn't in 'The Lavender Hill Mob'. She was in that other great Ealing comedy 'The Ladykillers' - are you thinking of that film?

Run! Run in the corridor!

hankoler

I think i got it wrong , i get these two films mixed up ,senior moment!

Arthur Linden-Jones

Took me a while to work out the difference, too .... often get The Lavender Hill Mob confused with The Gasworks Tunnel Mob, or The Ladykillers as it is known (.... and I will NEVER forgive Tom Hanks .....!!)

stevie boy

when the re make!! come out a group of senior citizens went thinking it was the classic. They were soon put right. I have not seen the re make and have no intention of doing so but I am led to believe that it is dire and full of bad language. What was Mr. Hanks thinking of??

francesgumm

The money.

tgunnell

both the ladykillers and the lavender hill mob have some marvelous scene of old london worth watching just for that alone

Windthrop

Or stepping into Alec Guinness's shoes - kudos by association

Marky B

Stand by to be appalled,gang,but going through the IMDB,looking for The Lavender Hill Mob,it seems there is a remake being made,scheduled to open in 2009.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

Steve Crook

From IMDb Pro


Project Notes
All dates refer to when the comment was entered
16 November 2004 Announced
6 April 2006 Optioned Property
In active development
14 December 2006 Development Unknown

So it's been planned for a while and they're not making much headway so far

Steve

Lady Lois

I have seen this film. It is full of filthy language which is quite unnecessary and appears only for 'shock value', the sweet little old lady has been turned into a BIG SASSY lady and the 'gang' of villains are portrayed as inept and full of obvious and gratuitous slapstick. Therefore it is not her inadvertent medling that undoes the gang but their own lack of common sense. The 'dark' humour of the original is lost, and so is all the subtlety! This film is more like "Big Momma's House" than "Ladykillers".

Tom Hanks is okay, I have to say, his performance was out of place amongst the rest of the cast. Hanks confessed he had not seen the classic Ealing comedy - but I don't believe that for one minute after watching him! His southern gentleman had a more than a touch of Guinness in there.

IF a remake of the Lavender Hill Mob came out, I would proabably watch it... eventually ... out of interest... not sure how they could make it work... but you never know! Ever the optimist, me!