The Sandwich Man (1966)

[sizey]

I am presuming everyone here has seen this film, but I am curious to know if anyone has views on it. A quirky curio if ever there was one. I'm still of the opinion it is an interesting failure- despite the fact it has a stellar cast for its time. Certainly "London" as a location steals the limelight, but it's a pretty interesting concept which (sadly) isn't ever properly realised. Anyway,your views please.





Simon Wells

[arty-dave]

Makes a change from women in the cinema. Must be on a different course

[smudge]

I loved this film from when I was a kid ; everybody who was anybody in British comedy at the time was in it. Then I grew up and lived in the Metropolis for a wee while and re-discovered it's joys as it has so much old London in it. Now it's graduated again as a nostalgia piece because so many of the familiar faces have since disappeared.



Is it a good film ? Difficult to say. It's a series of very loosely strung together vignettes ; it's not 'laugh out loud' humour. I no longer focus on Mr. Quilby - in fact, he sometimes gets in the way. I still revisit it every now and then though.

SMUDGE

[jacobean]

(smudge @ Nov 25 2005, 03:31 PM)

I loved this film from when I was a kid ; everybody who was anybody in British comedy at the time was in it. Then I grew up and lived in the Metropolis for a wee while and re-discovered it's joys as it has so much old London in it. Now it's graduated again as a nostalgia piece because so many of the familiar faces have since disappeared.

Is it a good film ? Difficult to say. It's a series of very loosely strung together vignettes ; it's not 'laugh out loud' humour. I no longer focus on Mr. Quilby - in fact, he sometimes gets in the way. I still revisit it every now and then though.

I am just trying to recall this film. Was there a scene in it where a group of Indian musicians (I think Spike Milligan with dark make-up was one of them) started palying 'For he's a jolly good fellow' on sitars???

[sizey]

(jacobean @ Nov 25 2005, 04:20 PM)

I am just trying to recall this film. Was there a scene in it where a group of Indian musicians (I think Spike Milligan with dark make-up was one of them) started palying 'For he's a jolly good fellow' on sitars???

You're right mate! in fact that's at the end of the film (with Burt Kwouk on guitar no less.) I recommend another watch if you can. One wonders if something like this could be made today-somehow don't think so By the way, the goddess Suzy Kendall is in it, and is as always, riveting. The soundtrack by Mike Vickers is pretty good too- following on from his superb score for Norman Wisdom's "Press for Time". All in wall, a major curiousity. I'm just so pleased that there are others here who are aware of it. By the way Smudge, thanks for your generous reply, I was keen to read that there are a couple of versions knocking around. Any idea what's missing?



SW

[smudge]

(jacobean @ Nov 25 2005, 04:20 PM)

I am just trying to recall this film. Was there a scene in it where a group of Indian musicians (I think Spike Milligan with dark make-up was one of them) started palying 'For he's a jolly good fellow' on sitars???

Yes, at the end ; it's Hugh Futcher in the cocoa powder... and Leon Thau IIRC.



Spike is one of the few characters of the time who DIDN'T appear.



SMUDGE

[Marky B]

I enjoyed it,but I feel Michael Bentine's genius was moresuited for television and I think it is a bit over due for a reappraisal of the man's contribution to British television comedy.

Ta Ta

Marky B

[smudge]

(sizey @ Nov 25 2005, 04:34 PM)

You're right mate! in fact that's at the end of the film (with Burt Kwouk on guitar no less.) I recommend another watch if you can. One wonders if something like this could be made today-somehow don't think so By the way, the goddess Suzy Kendall is in it, and is as always, riveting. The soundtrack by Mike Vickers is pretty good too- following on from his superb score for Norman Wisdom's "Press for Time". All in wall, a major curiousity. I'm just so pleased that there are others here who are aware of it. By the way Smudge, thanks for your generous reply, I was keen to read that there are a couple of versions knocking around. Any idea what's missing?



SW

It's not really a question of 'versions' ; it's just that on it's last TV run ITV did several trims. They took out the 'Tea for Charlie' sequence with Dave Lodge, trimmed the Norman Wisdom section by about 30% and completely excised the Michael Medwin 'Sewerman' sequence. There was I, thinking I'd get a nice, clear digital copy. Waste of a disc....


There may be some other short trims, but I am just going from memory. The BRITISH FILM CLASSICS (VHS) print is intact AFAIK.



SMUDGE

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devil.gif[/img]

[mysteriesofedgarwallace]

This is a film that everyone should have in their collection; the cast (except Norman Wisdom:yuk), the locations, it's pure magic.

I find it very much a relaxing, feel good film.

BRIL!!!!

[Harbottle]

I have not seen this picture for years but I have always enjoyed viewing it. I would not say it was especially funny but has warmth and charm, and I always enjoy watching the sights of life in the past. Can you imagine a film like this being made today?

[David Brent]

I've seen the full film version and I have tried very hard to like it, mainly because of it's great cast. In the end though I was very disappointed by it. I think the casts combined talents were wasted on a very poor script.

The film didn't make a whole lot of sense to me and was too zany by half.

Not one of my favourites.


Dave.

[mysteriesofedgarwallace]

I like it mainly for the locations.

I wouldn't really call it funny.

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

(mysteriesofedgarwallace @ Mar 29 2006, 05:25 PM)

I like it mainly for the locations.

I wouldn't really call it funny.

Excellent film that I have fond memories of, that I have not seen since I was a kid. Look forward to its release in August

[glyn horton]

I loved this film when I was a kid but when I saw it again recently I was a bit disappointed. Great for the locations and seeing all that talent but like many films of that time it thinks it's a lot funnier than it actually is. I thought the most self indulgent bit was the river scene which goes over the top entirely and the wrestling sequence at the end almost seems to be from a different film! But it's always good to see Terry-Thomas and co.

[Garry1963]

Has anyone managed to see the Michael Bentine movie "The Sandwich Man" from 1966? it is a very underrated movie with a lot of great stars in it too. Even Roger Delgado gets in the laughs as a jolly rascal Arab conman.

The story centres on Michael Bentines day job as a Sandwich Man walking round London and some of the weird and wonderful characters he encounters along the way including two Seikh music performers who try to get across London to a jazz festival after being refused getting on the bus with their very large and heavy drum and bass instruments, and also a team of wacky road diggers who can never seem to get their boss a cup of tea without something happening to it!

There is also a great scene with one of my all-time favourites Terry-Thomas as a bungling scout master who tries to help out but ends up being charged with about 20 offences.

The cast in this is awesome : Diana Dors (who sadly is on no longer than a minute), Ian Hendry, Wilfred Hyde-White, Norman Wisdom, Dora Bryan, Bert Kwouk, Fred Emney, Stanley Holloway, Bernard Cribbins, Terry-Thomas, Peter Jones and Ron Moody and that's just a few!


Incredibly this movie bombed at the cinema but is great nevertheless

any more thoughts on this movie anyone?

[man-in -the-moon]

I saw this film on its release at the Odeon Loughborough taken there for a friends party.I've seen it a few times since and the end scene of the wrestling has always puzzled me as being out of place. Mildly amusing,I do like the music that runs through the film and the shots of London.I could do without Norman Wisdom though.

[Garry1963]

I have just bought "The Sandwich Man" on DVD and there are one or two scenes that I have never seen when it was broadcast on ITV several years ago. One of them is where there are motorcyclists hanging around outside of a cafe and when one young biker rides away his pillion passenger unknowingley gets her leather trousers caught on a spike and they are ripped off as he drives away much to the hilarity of the other bikers.

There is also a longer conversation between Diana Dors and her friend as they stroll through the fish market.

In these days of Politically correctness I think the sight of two men going round dressed and blacked up as as Indian Sikhs would not get a peak time showing for this movie I'm afraid, but great fun this movie is still.