''Nearest and Dearest'' is a 1972 British comedy film starring

Hylda Baker Hylda Baker (4 February 1905 – 1 May 1986) was an English comedian, actress and music hall performer. Born and brought up in Farnworth, Lancashire, she is perhaps best remembered for her role as Nellie Pledge in the Granada ITV sitcom ''N ...

and

Jimmy Jewel James Arthur Thomas Jewel Marsh (4 December 1909 – 3 December 1995),Gifford, Denni''The Independent'', 5 December 1995. Note: This obituary wrongly gives the year of birth as 1912, which is contradicted by the Ben Warriss obituary. Retrie ...

as feuding brother and sister Nellie and Eli Pledge, owners of "Pledge's Purer Pickles". A spin-off from the long running TV sitcom ''

Nearest and Dearest ''Nearest and Dearest'' is a British television sitcom that ran from 1968 to 1973. A total of 45 episodes were made, 18 in monochrome (black & white) and 27 in colour. The series, produced by ITV Granada, Granada Television for the ITV (TV netw ...

'', it was produced by

Hammer Films A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

in conjunction with a film making arm of

Granada TV ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

. As well as starring in the film,

also sings the title theme song. Despite the popularity of the TV series, the film version failed to match that success at the box office.

Plot

On their father's death, Eli and Nellie Pledge inherit a pickle factory in Colne, in the north of England. The warring siblings struggle to keep the decrepit "Pledge's Purer Pickles" afloat, hampered by severe lack of funds, zero business acumen and by having inherited a workforce that is a decade beyond retirement age. While Nellie works hard to keep the business going, Eli prefers to indulge in the delights of beer, cigarettes, gambling and women. The annual Summer holiday is soon upon them and the entire factory is closed down. Nellie takes Eli to a Blackpool boarding house run by landlady Mrs. Rowbottom, whose eyes light upon bachelor Eli. Eli though, only has eyes for the younger Freda. Eli's attempts to further his financial ambitions by marrying off Nellie to a colleague in the pickling business are challenged when Vernon Smallpiece is snatched from the altar by bailiffs for non-payment of his debts.

Cast

as Nellie Pledge *

as Eli Pledge *

Joe Gladwin Joseph Gladwin (22 January 1906 – 11 March 1987) was an English actor, best known for his roles as Fred Jackson in Coronation Street, Stan Hardman in Nearest and Dearest, and Wally Batty in the world's longest-running sitcom, ''Last of the ...

as Stan *

Edward Malin Edward Ernest Malin (23 October 1894 in Stoke Newington, London – 1 March 1977 in Ealing, London) was a British actor. He is perhaps most famous for portraying the mute and geriatric Walter in the sitcom ''Nearest and Dearest''. He also had ...

as Walter *

Madge Hindle Madge Hindle (born Madge Railton; 19 May 1938) is an English actress, known for her roles in British television shows. Career Hindle was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. Her break came when her friend, playwright Alan Bennett, asked her to appear i ...

as Lily *

Norman Mitchell Norman Mitchell Driver (27 August 1918 – 19 March 2001), known professionally as Norman Mitchell, was an English television, stage and film actor. Born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, his father was a mining engineer and his mother a ...

as Vernon Smallpiece *

Pat Ashton Pat Ashton (28 February 1931 – 23 June 2013) was an English actress. Her engaging cockney, blonde persona is best remembered for appearances in English TV-sitcom film spin-offs ''On the Buses'' (1971) and ''Mutiny on the Buses'' (1972). She wa ...

as Freda *Bert Palmer as Bert * Peter Madden as the court bailiff *

Norman Chappell Norman Chappell (31 December 1925, Lucknow, India – 21 July 1983) was an English character actor, known for numerous roles in television and film. Biography Born in India, during the British Raj Chappell appeared mainly in television series as ...

as a man on the bus *

Yootha Joyce Yootha Joyce Needham (20 August 1927 – 24 August 1980), known as Yootha Joyce, was an English actress best known for playing Mildred Roper opposite Brian Murphy in the sitcom ''Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and its spin-off ''George and M ...

as Mrs Rowbottom * John Barrett as Joshua Pledge *

Carmel Cryan Carmel Cryan (born 8 July 1949) is an English Actor, actress, known for the role of Brenda Boyle in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. She was the wife of the actor Roy Kinnear (1934–1988). Life and career Cryan was born in London. She was marr ...

as the Club hostess *Sue Hammer as Scarlet O'Hara *Janie Collinge as Vinegar Vera *

Donald Bisset Donald Bisset (30 August 1910 – 10 August 1995), was an English actor. He also wrote stories for children which he mostly illustrated himself. They have been translated into 16 languages. Selected filmography * ''Murder in the Cathedral'' ...

as Vicar *

Kerry Jewel Kerry Jewel is a British theatre producer. He has produced a large number of shows in collaboration with his wife Elyse, notably ''Pan'', an adaptation of ''Peter Pan''. He had two sons, Dean and Dale. Dale died in 1998 in an accident working ...

as Claude *Adele Warren as Mimi la Vere (stripper) *

Nosher Powell George Frederick Bernard Powell (15 August 1928 – 20 April 2013), credited as Nosher Powell, Freddie Powell, or Fred Powell, was an English actor, stuntman and boxer. He is best known for his work in the ''James Bond'' film series, most ...

as a bouncer

Critical reception

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema ...

said, "a kind of bumper bundle of seaside postcard jokes, with acting honours going to Jimmy Jewel, underrated as a character actor, and Yootha Joyce, who pops up as Mrs Rowbottom."

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0282783 1972 comedy films 1972 films Films based on television series Hammer Film Productions films British comedy films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films