The Plank (1967)

[wowo]

I saw The Plank years ago, and loved it. It was quite short, and definitely black and white, hilarious and silent. I just got it on DVD and it's in colour, longer, lots of talking and not as funny!!! I thought I was going mad, but my husband says that he also saw the other one as a child. I have read a few discussions about it, and there's been lots of conflicting opinions, some say both were in colour, some say there were 3 versions, can anyone give a definite answer to this one? And where to get the one that I saw all those years ago?

[DB7]

2, one b&w, one colour, both directed and starring Eric Sykes.

[wowo]

Thanks for that... now, I'm presuming the b&W came first (I've been told otherwise!) ...? Any ideas what years they were done?

[moviemaniac]

1967 and 1979

[Sgt Dudfoot]

I have both versions of The Plank on video and they're both in colour. Maybe he did a similar storyline in one of his early 'Sykes and a...' shows?

[nickyw]

There must be three versions of this film 'cause I've seen two different colour ones!

[noglea]

I've just checked in the 'Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy' by Mark Lewishohn and there are three versions of 'The Plank'.





Sykes and A Plank from 1964 which was in black and white.

The cinema version from 1967 and the Thames version from 1979 both in colour.

[nickyw]

Yay! Thought I was right.

[mattok]

Does anybody remember the film The Plank. Tommy Cooper was in it I think It was only a short film. I remember my dad took me the pictures in the late sixties or early seventies I can't remember the main film but The Plank was a support film. I just remember laughing my head off at it. Never seen it since. Grand British comedy.

[MarkG]

Vaguely... I think it was on TV a few years ago, but I've only seen it a couple of times myself. I remember it being quite funny the first time I saw it.

[marker]

I remember this, written by and staring Eric Sykes I think there were several versions, it is often available on Ebay I watched it a couple of weeks ago

[DB7]

The Plank, Rhubarb Rhubarb and Home of Your Own must be amongst the best of the short comedies. The first two were shot again in the 80's by Sykes for ITV.



I've just been watching another short comedy courtesy of Smudge, The Waterloo Bridge Handicap, and discovered there was another short on the disc by ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz.

[Redstar]

The plank is available on dvd.



The Plank (1967) - DVD & VHS - MovieMail UK

[mattok]

Thanks I'll have to watch it again. I remember Rhubarb Rhubarb as well, Harry Seacombe was also in it. Don't make them like that anymore.

[Cuffy]

The Sykes/Coooper version is a good one and seems to be on general sale if my local HMV is anything to go by.



My favourite though is the version featuring Sykes and Arthur Lowe. It features a rather amusing scene with Harry H. Corbett, Charles Hawtrey and Joanna Lumley. And James Hunt plays a brief cameo as a one-eyed HGV driver.

[Mr Cosmo]

Mattok - I was in FOP in Tottenham Court Rd today and saw this on DVD for 5 GBP. If you have a FOPP store up where you are you may get lucky.



I also remember it as a 30 minute TV episode SYKES AND A PLANK

[v3xtr0n]

I'm a huge fan of Tommy Cooper and Eric Sykes so when this was first released on DVD I rushed out and brought it! What a great film! :)



Hanging on my wall is a signed photograph of Eric Sykes right next to Ronnie Barker.

[Nick Dando]

Why have you got Ronnie Barker on your wall? What's he done to deserve that? Why did you dig him up, couldn't you let him rest in peace?



Nick

[David Brent]

I have always loved watching the 1979 version of this classic short British comedy.

Written and directed by and starring Eric Sykes the comedy included performances from Arthur Lowe, Jimmy Edwards, Frankie Howerd, Charlie Drake, Harry H. Corbett, Bernard Cribbins ect..



I cannot recall seeing the 1967 version of 'The Plank'. Apart from Sykes and Edwards again this one also starred Tommy Cooper, Roy Castle, Jim Dale, Jimmy Tarbuck ect..



I'm wondering which version you rate the highest?

How do you compare the two versions?

More importantly - which in your opinion is the funnier version?



Dave.

[penfold]

I much prefer the '67 version, the main reason being the presence of Tommy Cooper; I watched him on telly as a kid, found him funny without being a fan....now, you know the one thing that all the commentators all say about his presence, that they started to laugh as he appeared and before he actually did or said anything?? Watch his The Plank and find the reason why...Tommy was born 40 years too late; he wasn't a comedy juggling act with a bit of stand-up; he was a silent comedian. I honestly believe he would have been huge in '20's Hollywood...and The Plank is about the best proof of it. The film is fine, Eric is fine, and a gentleman to boot - we actually screened the '67 version in Bristol, it was meant to be with Eric, but the train let him down and he missed the screening itself - but did the Q&A afterwards - but you could not take your eyes off Tommy. Without doing anything very much, he stole scene after scene after scene....not, overall a classic film, but a tantalising glimpse of how it might have been in a parallel world where silent comedy was still current in the '60's... if you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself.