''One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing'' is a 1975

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 o ...

set in the early 1920s, about the theft of a

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

from the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more ...

. The film was produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company. The title is a parody of the film title '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missing'', in which both

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

and Hugh Burden also appeared. The film was based on the 1970 novel ''

The Great Dinosaur Robbery ''The Great Dinosaur Robbery'' is a 1970 novel by David Forrest (pseudonym of David Eliades and Robert Forrest Webb). This book was the basis for the 1975 film ''One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing''. Plot The book is set in New York City in the ...

'' by David Forrest (pseudonym of David Eliades and Robert Forrest Webb).

Plot

Escaping from China with a

microfilm Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original document size. F ...

of the formula for the mysterious "Lotus X", Lord Edward Southmere, a King's Messenger, is chased by a group of Chinese spies. Back in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, Lord Southmere manages to escape from a

chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine. Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to specia ...

who is trying to kidnap him, and then runs into the Natural History Museum. Chinese spies, led by Hnup Wan, follow him, so he hides the microfilm in the bones of one of the large dinosaur skeletons. He is relieved to meet his former nanny, Hettie, in the museum, and asks her to retrieve the microfilm. Southmere then faints and is captured by the Chinese, who tell Hettie and Emily (another nanny) that they are taking him to a doctor. Hettie and Emily enlist other nannies to help them search. They hide in the mouth of the

blue whale The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can b ...

display until after closing time, and then begin looking over the skeleton of a '' Brontosaurus''. They are unsuccessful and most of them have to return home to care for their children, but Hettie, Emily, and their friend Susan remain to continue with the search. They are captured and taken to the spies' London headquarters, underneath a Chinese restaurant in Soho. The nannies are locked up in the "dungeon", with Lord Southmere, but are able to outwit their captors and escape. Meanwhile, the spies have decided to steal the dinosaur, so they can search it properly. That night, they trick their way into the museum. The three nannies follow on a motorbike and sidecar and watch from the shadows. After the Chinese load the ''Brontosaurus'' skeleton on the back of their steam lorry, the nannies steal the vehicle. The spies give chase through the foggy streets of London in their

charabanc A charabanc or "char-à-banc" (often pronounced "sharra-bang" in colloquial British English) is a type of horse-drawn vehicle or early motor coach, usually open-topped, common in Britain during the early part of the 20th century. It has "be ...

and a

Daimler Daimler is a German surname. It may refer to: People * Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), German inventor, industrialist and namesake of a series of automobile companies * Adolf Daimler (1871–1913), engineer and son of Gottlieb Daimler * Paul Da ...

limousine, but the nannies drive into a railway-goods yard, onto a flat wagon at the back of a train, and are carried off to safety. The nannies fail to find the microfilm on the skeleton. Meanwhile, back in London, Hettie's two young charges, Lord Castlebury and his younger brother, Truscott, have been captured by the spies. They inform the spies about the possibility that what they are looking for is on another dinosaur skeleton. The spies go to the museum and the Wan finds the microfilm from the ''other'' large dinosaur, a '' Diplodocus'' skeleton. Wan promptly pays the boys off and lets them go. They tell Hettie the news. Realising that Lord Southmere is now in danger, Hettie organises a rescue. Hettie and her team of nannies invade the Chinese restaurant base and battle with the spies over Lord Southmere. Meanwhile, Emily and Susan return with the ''Brontosaurus'' skeleton by crashing the lorry into the restaurant. Southmere is given the microfilm and he shows Wan what is in the microfilm, a simple recipe of wonton soup. Southmere explains that he tried explaining he was a mere businessman and that the microfilm was a recipe. Realising the error of his ways, Wan advertises the soup in the microfilm recipe and makes peace with the nannies.

Cast

* Derek Nimmo as Lord Southmere * Hugh Burden as Haines * Bernard Bresslaw as Fan Choy *

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

as Hettie * Joan Sims as Emily * Deryck Guyler as Harris *

as Hnup Wan * Clive Revill as Quon * Molly Weir as Scots nanny *

Andrew Dove Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

as Lord Castleberry * Max Harris as Truscott * Max Wall as Juggler * Natasha Pyne as Susan *

Joss Ackland Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE (born 29 February 1928) is an English retired actor who has appeared in more than 130 film and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock D ...

as B.J. Spence * Arthur Howard as Thumley * Roy Kinnear as Superintendent Grubbs *

Leonard Trolley Leonard Trolley (January 1, 1918 – February 10, 2005) was an English actor, who is best known for playing ''Arthur Forrest'' in '' A Family Secret '' of the sixth episode of the third series of the British television series, ''Upstairs, Downs ...

as Inspector Eppers * Joe Ritchie as Cabbie * Percy Herbert as Mr. Gibbons * Joan Hickson as Mrs. Gibbons * John Laurie as Jock * Angus Lennie as Hamish *

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...

as Colonel * Kathleen Byron as Colonel's wife * Lucy Griffiths as Amelia * Aimée Delamain as Millicent * John Bardon as Bookmaker *

Jane Lapotaire Jane Elizabeth Marie Lapotaire (née Burgess; 26 December 1944) is an English actress. Biography Lapotaire was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, the daughter of Louise Elise (Burgess). Her stepfather, Yves Lapotaire, worked in the oil industry and was ...

as Miss Prescott * Richard Pearson as Sir Geoffrey * Michael Elwyn as Haycock *

Anthony Sharp Dennis Anthony John Sharp (16 June 1915 – 23 July 1984) was an English actor, writer and director. Stage career Anthony Sharp was a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and made his stage debut in February 1938 ...

as Home Secretary * Wensley Pithey as Bromley * Frank Williams as Dr. Freemo * Peter Madden as Sanders * Erik Chitty as Museum guard *

Amanda Barrie Amanda Barrie (born Shirley Anne Broadbent; 14 September 1935) is an English actress. She appeared in two of the '' Carry On'' films before being cast as Alma Halliwell in ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', which she played on and off for ...

as Mrs. B.J. Spence

About the book

The book on which the film was based, ''The Great Dinosaur Robbery'', was aimed at an adult audience by its authors, Robert Forrest Webb and David Eliades, and was set in New York. The authors, both very experienced UK national journalists and best-selling authors, extensively researched material in New York and were greatly assisted by the American Museum of Natural History, which is situated alongside Central Park, and by the New York Police Department responsible for that area. The authors were disappointed that the humour of the film was aimed at a very much younger audience than that in the book, which had been published, in several languages, extremely successfully throughout Europe and also in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.

Production

*This film was made on location in England at Elstree Studios and

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to ...

, along with location shoots at

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, ...

, the Natural History Museum, and around Windsor and Holyport Green,

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

. *The ''Diplodocus'' skeleton model was later used in '' Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'', in the opening scenes in the Tunisian desert. * Whilst this film was in production, Bernard Bresslaw and Joan Sims also appeared in '' Carry On Behind'', another film being made at Pinewood Studios alongside it.

References

External links

* * * * *
One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing
' - Time Out Film {{DEFAULTSORT:One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing 1970s comedy mystery films 1975 films American comedy mystery films British comedy mystery films Films about dinosaurs 1970s English-language films Films based on British novels Films directed by Robert Stevenson Films produced by Bill Walsh (producer) Films scored by Ron Goodwin Films set in England Films set in London Films set in museums Films set in the 1920s Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot in England British neo-noir films 1970s spy comedy films Walt Disney Pictures films 1975 comedy films Apatosaurinae 1970s American films 1970s British films Films shot at Elstree Studios