''That Riviera Touch'' is a 1966 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

Cliff Owen Cliff Owen (22 April 1919 – November 1993) was a British film and TV director best known for his comedy ''The Wrong Arm of the Law'' which starred Peter Sellers. He also directed two of the three films, made in the mid-1960s, featuring the double ...

and starring

Eric Morecambe John Eric Bartholomew, (14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's de ...

and

Ernie Wise Ernest Wiseman, (27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known by his stage name Ernie Wise, was an English comedian, best known as one half of the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, who became a national institution on British television, especially ...

. It is the second feature-length film made by the comedy duo

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, working i ...

. The film opened at the

Leicester Square Theatre The Leicester Square Theatre is a 400-seat theatre in Leicester Place, immediately north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It was previously known as Notre Dame Hall, Cavern in the Town and The Venue. The theatre hosts st ...

in the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...

on 24 March 1966.

Plot

After Eric Simpson (

) nearly gives

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

parking ticket A parking violation is the act of parking a motor vehicle in a restricted place or in an unauthorized manner. It is against the law virtually everywhere to park a vehicle in the middle of a highway or road; parking on one or both sides of a road ...

in London, he and Ernest Clark (

) decide to take a holiday in the south of France. However, when they arrive there, they become unwittingly involved in a jewel theft when the thief Le Pirate (

Paul Stassino Phaedros Stassinos (1930 – 28 June 2012) was a Greek Cypriot actor whose international stage name was Paul Stassino. Early life Stassino was born in Platres and grew up in nearby Limassol, but spent most of his acting career in England. He h ...

) decides to use them to smuggle some precious jewels out of the country. He sends the two Englishmen to a sinister villa and sends the beautiful Claudette ( Suzanne Lloyd), a member of his criminal gang, to keep Eric and Ernie occupied while he carries out the various stages of his plan. Confusion ensues however, as the two battle for the affections of Claudette and Eric accidentally wins a large sum of money at a casino. Eventually Eric and Ernie start to get suspicious and begin to investigate...

Cast

- Eric Simpson *

- Ernest Clark * Suzanne Lloyd - Claudette *

- Le Pirate *Armand Mestral - Inspector Duval *Gerald Lawson - Coco * George Eugeniou - Marcel *

George Pastell George Pastell (13 March 1923 – 4 April 1976) was a Cypriot character actor in British films and television programmes. Sources vary as to whether his real name was Nino (IMDb) or George Pastellides (BFI). His marriage record gives his name ...

- Ali *

Alexandra Bastedo Alexandra Lendon Bastedo (9 March 1946 – 12 January 2014) was a British actress, best known for her role as secret agent Sharron Macready in the 1968 British espionage/science fiction adventure series ''The Champions''. Bastedo was a vegetar ...

- Girl at roulette table *Nicole Shelby - Woman in casino *

Peter Jeffrey Peter Jeffrey (18 April 1929 – 25 December 1999) was an English character actor. Starting his performing career on stage, he would later have many roles in television and film. Early life Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence ...

- Mauron * Francis Matthews - Hotel manager *

Michael Forrest Michael Forrest (July 1932 – 21 December 2004) was a Welsh television actor. He appeared in many British television series and films, which include '' Sir Francis Drake'', ''Z-Cars'', ''Danger Man'', '' The Saint'', '' The Avengers'', ''UFO'' ...

- Pierre *

Paul Danquah Paul Danquah, born Joseph Paul Walcott (25 May 1925 – 13 August 2015), was a British film actor, known particularly for his role in the film '' A Taste of Honey'' (1961), adapted from the 1958 play of the same name written by Shelagh Delan ...

- Hassim

Reception

''That Riviera Touch'' was among the 15 most popular films at the British box office in 1966."Most popular star for third time." ''The Times'' ondon, England31 Dec. 1966: 5.

References

External links

* * 1966 films 1960s crime comedy films British crime comedy films Films scored by Ron Goodwin Films about vacationing Films directed by Cliff Owen Films set in London Films set on the French Riviera Films shot at Pinewood Studios Morecambe and Wise 1966 comedy films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films {{1960s-UK-comedy-film-stub