''Rentadick'' is a 1972 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 o ...

, directed by

Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...

and starring

James Booth James Booth (born David Noel Geeves; 19 December 1927 – 11 August 2005) was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. Though considered handsome enough to play leading roles, and versatile enough to play a wide variety ...

Richard Briers Richard David Briers (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor whose five-decade career encompassed film, radio, stage and television. Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in ''Marriage Lines'' (1961–66), but ...

, Julie Ege, Ronald Fraser and

Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was a British actor. Sinden featured in the film '' Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including '' The Cruel Sea ( ...

. It is a spoof spy/detective picture, the plot of which involves attempts to protect a new experimental nerve gas.

Main cast

- Simon Hamilton *

- Miles Gannet * Julie Ege - Utta Armitage * Ronald Fraser - Major Upton *

- Jeffrey Armitage * Tsai Chin - Madam Greenfly *

Kenneth Cope Kenneth Charles Cope (born 14 April 1931) is an English retired actor and scriptwriter. He is best known for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'', Jed Stone in ''Coronation Street'' and Ray Hilton in ''Brookside'' ...

- West * John Wells - Owltruss *

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Colonial India, where he spent his ...

- Customs officer *

Winnie Holman Winnie or Winny may refer to: People * Winnie (name), various persons with the given name * David Winnie (born 1966), Scottish former association football player and manager Entertainment *Winnie-the-Pooh, a fictional teddy bear created by A. ...

- Maid *

Patsy Crowther Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among It ...

- Old Lady *

Patricia Quinn Patricia Quinn may refer to: * Patricia Quinn (Northern Irish actress) (born 1944), Northern Irish actress, often referred to as "Pat" * Patricia Quinn (American actress) (born 1937) * Patricia Quinn (scientist), atmospheric chemist See also * Pat ...

- Chauffeuse * Michael Rothwell - Removal Man *

Michael Sharvell-Martin Michael Sharvell-Martin (2 February 1944 – 28 October 2010) was a popular British television and stage actor whose career spanned more than three decades. He was a familiar character actor on British television screens, guest-starring in sever ...

- Removal Man *

Richard Beckinsale Richard Arthur Beckinsale (6 July 1947 – 19 March 1979) was an English actor. He played Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom ''Porridge'' (along with its sequel series '' Going Straight'') and Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom '' Rising Damp''. He is ...

- Hobbs *

Derek Griffiths Derek Griffiths (born 15 July 1946) is a British actor, singer, and voice artist who appeared in numerous British children's television series in the 1960s to present and has more recently played parts in television drama. Career Griffiths was ...

- Henson *

Leon Sinden Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

- Police Inspector *

Cheryl Hall Cheryl Hall (born 23 July 1950 in London) is a British actress. She is best known for playing Shirley Johnson in the British sitcom ''Citizen Smith'' (1977–1979) and had a recurring role as Sadie in ''The Bill'' (1984–1988). Biography One ...

- Maxine *

Michael Bentine Michael Bentine, (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother ...

- Husein *

Penelope Keith Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith, (née Hatfield; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms ''The Good Life'' and '' To the Ma ...

- Reporter

Production

The original script for the film was written by

Graham Chapman Graham Chapman (8 January 1941 – 4 October 1989) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the Surreal humour, surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel (Monty Pyth ...

and

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

, both of

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over fo ...

. However, the producers made so many changes to the partnership's material (including commissioning additional material from

John Fortune John Fortune (born John C. Wood; 30 June 1939 – 31 December 2013) was an English satirist, comedian, writer, and actor, best known for his work with John Bird and Rory Bremner on the TV series '' Bremner, Bird and Fortune''. Early life Fort ...

and John Wells) that Chapman and Cleese successfully instigated action to have their names removed from the finished print. This left ''Rentadick'' with very peculiar on-screen acknowledgements; the only writing credit is given to Fortune and Wells, who are explicitly credited only with "additional dialogue". However, the British company Network released a DVD in 2007 using a print that still shows the names of Cleese and Chapman during the opening titles (frames at 2:00 minutes into the presentation), and uses their names in its promotional material.

References

External links

* 1972 films 1972 comedy films British comedy films Films scored by Carl Davis Films shot at EMI-Elstree Studios 1970s English-language films 1970s British films {{1970s-UK-comedy-film-stub