''Alive and Kicking'' is a 1959 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Cyril Frankel Cyril Solomon Israel Frankel (28 December 19217 June 2017) was a British film and television director. His career in television began in 1953 and he directed for over 30 TV programmes until 1990. He directed many episodes of popular British TV sho ...

and starring Sybil Thorndike,

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a worki ...

Estelle Winwood Estelle Winwood (born Estelle Ruth Goodwin, 24 January 1883 – 20 June 1984) was an English actress who moved to the United States in mid-career and became celebrated for her wit and longevity. Early life and early career Born Estelle Ruth Go ...

and

Stanley Holloway Stanley Augustus Holloway (1 October 1890 – 30 January 1982) was an English actor, comedian, singer and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in ''My F ...

, with

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

making his film debut. Three women run away from a retirement home in order to avoid being separated. They eventually end up running a successful cottage industry

sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jumper (British English and Australian English), ...

business on a remote island offshore of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

(although the film was shot in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

). In 1964, the film was released in the US, with the

film trailer A trailer (also known as a preview, coming attraction or attraction video) is a commercial advertisement, originally for a feature film that is going to be exhibited in the future at a movie theater/cinema. It is a product of creative and techni ...

establishing a

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prop ...

to Stanley Holloway's success in ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

''.

Plot

Mrs Wilmot, Miss Baker and Miss Fife run away from the Sunset Home when they are notified that they will be split up, with two of them being sent off to different cities. They hide on a motorboat when they spot some policemen, but accidentally start the engine and reach the open sea before they run out of petrol. They are picked up by a Russian freighter, though none of the crew speak English. Not wanting to return with them to Murmansk, the ladies insist on being put ashore at the earliest opportunity. They end up on an Irish island, Inishfada. They find three run-down, seemingly abandoned cottages, but are soon disappointed when MacDonagh arrives and informs them that he has purchased them for his retirement. He mentions his heart trouble. A few minutes later, he succumbs and falls off a cliff into the sea. Dora suggests they claim to be his nieces, and Rosie and Mabel agree. They are delighted when MacDonagh's new furniture is delivered. However, a joke MacDonagh had made to some local children make the residents believe he is married to all three women, and an outraged mob set out to drive away the immoral interlopers. When Dora Wilmot asks if they have come to see her "uncle", the situation is defused. The women invite the now-friendly locals in for some tea. A party breaks out, aided by two cases of MacDonogh's 12-year-old whiskey. The women notice a finely knitted sweater worn by one of the men at the party. The next day, Dora purchases one and sends it her cousin, who has a dress shop in London. This results in an order for 300 more for £5 each. Dora organises matters, offering the local women £4 10s for each sweater, keeping the remaining 10

shillings The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence or ...

for herself and her friends. Then MacDonagh's solicitor arrives and demands to see his client. When they refuse to produce him, the solicitor goes for a policeman. Fortunately, MacDonagh is not dead; he was merely stranded on another, uninhabited island. He is found and brought back just in time. MacDonagh learns about his "nieces" and plays along when the policeman shows up. MacDonagh, it turns out, is from the island and returned home after many years to help his people. He is pleased to discover that the ladies have done that for him.

Cast

* Sybil Thorndike as Dora *

as Rosie *

as Mabel *

as MacDonagh *

Liam Redmond Liam Redmond (27 July 1913 – 28 October 1989) was an Irish character actor known for his stage, film and television roles. Early life Redmond was one of four children born to cabinet-maker Thomas and Eileen Redmond. Educated at the Christ ...

as Old Man *

Marjorie Rhodes Marjorie Rhodes (9 April 1897 – 4 July 1979) was a British actress. She was born Millicent Wise in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. One of her better-known roles was as Lucy Fitton, the mother in Bill Naughton's play '' All in Good Time''. Sh ...

as Old Woman *

as Lover * Olive McFarland as Lover *

John Salew John Rylett Salew (1902 (some sources state 1 January 1897)14 September 1961) was an English stage film and TV actor. Salew made the transition from stage to films in 1939, and according to Allmovie, "the manpower shortage during WWII enabled ...

as Solicitor *

Eric Pohlmann Eric Pohlmann (german: Erich Pohlmann; born Erich Pollak; 18 July 1913 – 25 July 1979) was an Austrian theatre, film and television character actor who worked mostly in the United Kingdom. He is known for voicing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, th ...

as Soviet Captain *

Colin Gordon Colin Gordon (27 April 1911 – 4 October 1972) was a British actor born in Ceylon. Biography He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a ...

as Bird watcher *

Joyce Carey Joyce Carey, OBE (30 March 1898 – 28 February 1993) was an English actress, best known for her long professional and personal relationship with Noël Coward. Her stage career lasted from 1916 until 1987, and she was performing on television ...

as Matron * Anita Sharp-Bolster as Postmistress (as Anita Sharp Bolster) *

Paul Farrell Thomas Paul Farrell (21 September 1893 – 12 June 1975) was an Irish people, Irish film and television actor. He is best remembered as the "Tramp" who gets beaten up by Alex and his "droogs", in Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange (film ...

as Postman *

Patrick McAlinney Patrick Andrew McAlinney (9 November 1913 – 22 August 1990) was an Irish character actor who starred in many British dramas and sitcoms. His most memorable roles included a brother on the hit sitcom '' Oh, Brother!'', which starred Derek Nimmo ...

as Policeman * Raymond Manthorpe as Little Boy * Tony Quinn as Villager * Harry Hutchinson as Villager *

Brendan O'Dowda Brendan O'Dowda (1 October 1925 – 22 February 2002) was an Irish tenor who popularised the songs of Percy French. Early life O'Dowda was born in Dundalk, County Louth and was educated at the De la Salle Brothers' school in the town. His ...

as Singer * Joseph McNally as Singer *

Liz Fraser Elizabeth Joan Winch (14 August 1930 – 6 September 2018), known professionally as Liz Fraser, was a British film actress, best known for being cast in provocative comedy roles. Early life Fraser was born in Southwark, London. Her year of bi ...

as June (uncredited) *

Totti Truman Taylor Totti Truman Taylor, born Dorothy Leah Truman (7 September 1915 – 5 March 1981), was a British actress. Her mother’s 2nd husband’s surname was Taylor, and this is where her stage name came from. In 1953, she played Aunt Sally in the BBC tele ...

as Royal Personage (uncredited)

Soundtrack

* "Alive and Kicking", music by

Philip Green Sir Philip Nigel Ross Green (born 15 March 1952) is a British businessman who was the chairman of the retail company the Arcadia Group. He owned the high street clothing retailers Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge from 2002 to 2020. As of Ma ...

, lyrics by Michael Carr * "Liscannon Bay", music by Philip Green, lyrics by Michael Carr * " Sobre las Olas" (uncredited), music by

Juventino Rosas José Juventino Policarpo Rosas Cadenas (25 January 18689 July 1894) was a Mexican composer and violinist. Life and career Rosas was born in Santa Cruz, Guanajuato, later renamed Santa Cruz de Galeana, Guanajuato, and still later into Santa Cru ...

, arranged by Philip Green * " The Chop Waltz" (1877) (uncredited), music by

Euphemia Allen "Chopsticks" (original name "The Celebrated Chop Waltz") is a simple, widely known waltz for the piano. Written in 1877, it is the only published piece by the British composer Euphemia Allen (under the pen name Arthur de Lulli). Allen—whose br ...

(using the pseudonym Arthur De Lulli) * "One I Truly Love", music by Philip Green, lyrics by Michael Carr * " What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor" (uncredited), traditional song sung by Sybil Thorndike, Estelle Winwood and Kathleen Harrison in the speedboat * "

The Farmer in the Dell "The Farmer in the Dell" is a singing game, nursery rhyme, and children's song. It probably originated in Germany and was brought to America by immigrants.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Singing Game'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985), pp. 183� ...

" (uncredited), traditional song sung by the children

Critical reception

Allmovie called it a "charming comedy"; while ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' rated the film 3/5 stars, writing "this delightfully zany British comedy gets added spark from the three main actresses and the ever-precocious Holloway"; and the '' Radio Times'' also gave the film 3/5 stars, calling the three actresses "a joy to behold", and concluding "director Cyril Frankel's engaging piece of Irish whimsy is slight but diverting."

References

External links

* * {{Cyril Frankel 1959 films 1959 comedy films British comedy films Films shot at Associated British Studios Films directed by Cyril Frankel Films set in Ireland 1950s English-language films 1950s British films