''The Counterfeit Constable'' (French: ''Allez France!'') is a 1964

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 Robert Dhéry and Pierre Tchernia and starring Ronald Fraser, Diana Dors and Arthur Mullard.BFI.org
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Plot

A French

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

supporter ( Robert Dhéry), in England for a match at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

, is accidentally elbowed in the face and loses two teeth. He goes to the dentist who fits new teeth and tells him he musn't open his mouth for two hours, to allow the cement holding them to set properly. He starts to wait, and in the waiting room he sees the uniform of another patient, who's a policeman ( Bernard Cribbins). He tries it on for fun, and while wearing it by sheer chance he saves Diana Dors, a movie star who lives next door. He is congratulated by police chiefs who take him for a true police officer. He can't tell them he isn't because he can't open his mouth and besides, he doesn't speak

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. He becomes lost in London, and many misunderstandings and misadventures follow. And to make matters worse he needs to return home to France urgently as he is due to be married.

Main cast

* Robert Dhéry as Henri Martineau * Colette Brosset as Lady Yvette Brisburn 'Vévette' * Diana Dors as Herself * Ronald Fraser as Sergent Timothy Reagan *

Henri Génès Henri Génès (2 July 1919 – 22 August 2005) was a French singer and actor who appeared in such films as '' The Sucker'', ''La Grande Vadrouille'', ''The Brain'', '' The Counterfeit Constable'', and '' The Little Bather''. He was born in Tarbe ...

as Gros Max *

Jean Lefebvre Jean Marcel Lefebvre (3 October 1919Some sources indicate he was born in 1922. – 9 July 2004) was a French film actor. His erratic studies were interrupted by World War II. Taken prisoner and then requisitioned as a laborer, he escaped to joi ...

as Le supporter saoul avec le coq * Jean Carmet as Le porte drapeau * Bernard Cribbins as Bob, l'agent 202 * Jean Richard as Un français dans le bus *

Raymond Bussières Raymond Bussières (3 November 1907 – 29 April 1982) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1933 and 1982. He was born in Ivry-la-Bataille and died in Paris. He is buried in Marchenoir. He was married to the ac ...

as Un français dans le bus * Pierre Tornade as Un français dans le bus * Richard Vernon as Lord Brisburn *

Catherine Sola Catherine Sola (1941–2014) was a French film and television actress.Cowie & Elley p.135 Selected filmography * '' The Trip to Biarritz'' (1963) * ''The Counterfeit Constable'' (1964) * ''The Champagne Murders'' (1967) * ''Sweet Movie'' (1974) ...

as Nicole * Percy Herbert as L'agent Baxter *

Amy Dalby Amy Mary Dalby (3 January 1888 – 10 March 1969) was an English actress of stage and screen, often in kindly or eccentric spinster roles. Amy first acted at the age of six. Her final performance was in the 8 March 1969 episode "The Battle of G ...

as Mrs. Throttle *

Robert Rollis Robert Rollis (16 March 1921 - 6 November 2007) was a French actor. He mainly starred as a film actor, but also appeared in television and also in theatre in the 1950s and early 1960s. Amongst many roles, he starred in Yves Robert's '' War of th ...

as Le supporter avec le bonnet tricolore * Colin Blakely as L'aveugle *

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 Le dentiste W. Martin * Georgina Cookson as L'assistante du dentiste *

Robert Burnier Robert Burnier (1897–1974) was a French film actor.Goble p.920 Selected filmography * '' When Do You Commit Suicide?'' (1931) * '' Let's Get Married'' (1931) * '' Miche'' (1932) * '' The Porter from Maxim's'' (1933) * ''Ciboulette'' (1933) * ' ...

as Le supporter tarbais *

Robert Destain The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

as Le supporter cinéaste *

Pierre Doris Pierre Doris (1919–2009) was a French actor and humorist. Selected filmography * ''Comme un cheveu sur la soupe'' (1957) - Le chasseur du 'Néant' * ''Love Is at Stake'' (1957) - Le publiciste * ''Le triporteur'' (1957) - Le voyageur à la de ...

as Un français dans le bus *

Mark Lester Mark Lester (born Mark A. Letzer; 11 July 1958) is an English former child actor, osteopath, and acupuncturist who starred in a number of British and European films in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1968 he played the title role in the film ''Oliver ...

as Gérald * Arthur Mullard as Le malfaiteur * Godfrey Quigley as Inspecteur Savory *

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American popular music and country music singer who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard' ...

as La femme de l'agent 202 * Pierre Olaf as Le standardiste du commissariat

Production

Diana Dors was then living in Los Angeles but returned to Europe to make the film. Location shooting took place around

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Interiors were shot at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused w ...

and the

Billancourt Studios Billancourt Studios was a film studio in Paris which operated between 1922 and 1992. Located in Boulogne-Billancourt, it was one of the leading French studios. It was founded in the silent era by Henri Diamant-Berger. During the Second World War ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Jean Mandaroux.

Review

Although it is a French film, ''The Counterfeit Constable'' nevertheless carries all the hallmarks and shows the type of humour found in an Ealing comedy. This is probably because nearly half the cast were composed of British actors and the film was mostly set in London.

References

External links

* 1964 films 1960s French-language films French comedy films Films set in London 1960s police comedy films 1964 comedy films Films shot in London Films shot at Billancourt Studios Films shot at Shepperton Studios Films with screenplays by Pierre Tchernia Films directed by Pierre Tchernia 1960s French films {{1960s-comedy-film-stub