''Surprise Package'' is a 1960 American

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

Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are '' On the Town,'' (1949) and ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), both of which he co-directed with Gene Kell ...

and starring

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in th ...

Mitzi Gaynor Mitzi Gaynor (born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber; September 4, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her notable films include '' We're Not Married!'' (1952), '' There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1954), '' The Birds ...

, and Noël Coward. The supporting cast features

George Coulouris George Alexander Coulouris (1 October 1903 – 25 April 1989) was an English film and stage actor. Early life Coulouris was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, the son of Abigail (née Redfern) anNicholas Coulouris a merchant of Greek o ...

, Michael Balfour,

Eric Pohlmann Eric Pohlmann (german: Erich Pohlmann; born Erich Pollak; 18 July 1913 – 25 July 1979) was an Austrian theatre, film and television character actor who worked mostly in the United Kingdom. He is known for voicing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, th ...

and Barry Foster. The screenplay concerns an American gangster living on a Greek island and a deposed King who hatch a plan to steal some crown jewels.BFI.org
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Plot

Nico March is being deported by the U.S. government. Not wanting his money confiscated, he orders accomplice Johnny to hide it for now while also keeping an eye on Nico's longtime girlfriend, Gabby Rogers. Exiled to an island, Nico quickly meets corrupt cop Mirales, who wants a bribe, and a banished king, Pavel, who wants to sell Nico his old crown. Nico is double-crossed by Johnny, who instead of sending him the money sends Gabby instead. Nico figures out where the king's crown is hidden inside the old castle and plans to steal it, using Gabby to distract him. Other criminals, including Dr. Panzer and strongman Igor, want to get to it first. They steal it from Nico and knock him unconscious, but end up placed under arrest. Tibor, Nico's Hungarian spy friend, steals it back, and gets shot and dies in Gabby's arms, and Gabby gives it to Stavrin, who will place the crown in a monastery, for all the people of

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

to see. Nico proposes, and Gabby accepts, and they get married. Nico and the king both need money, so they turn the latter's castle into a casino, where Gabby "now" works as the hat & coat check girl.

Cast

as Nico March *

as Gabby Rogers * Noël Coward as King Pavel II *

as Dr. Panzer * Michael Balfour as Oscar *

as Mirales *

Guy Deghy Guy Deghy (born Gedeon Aladar Istvan Deghy; 11 October 1912 – 25 February 1992), was a Hungarian-born actor who appeared largely in British films and television, as in the 5th episode of the first season of '' The Saint'' depicting Inspector ...

as Tibor *

Lyndon Brook Lyndon Brook (10 April 1926 – 9 January 2004) was a British actor, on film and television. Family and early life Lyndon Brook was born on 10 April 1926 in Los Angeles, California, to British parents. He came from an established acting fami ...

as Stavrin * Alf Dean as Igor Trofim (as Man Mountain Dean) *

Lionel Murton William Lionel Murton (2 June 1915 – 26 September 2006) was an English character actor. Born in Wandsworth, London, he was resident at Little Orchard, Weston Road, Upton Grey, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, before his death at age 91. He was c ...

as US Marshal * Barry Foster as US Marshal * Michael Balfour as Oscar *

Cec Linder Cecil Yekuthial Linder (March 10, 1921 – April 10, 1992) was a Polish-born Canadian film and television actor. He was Jewish and managed to escape Poland before the Holocaust. In the 1950s and 1960s, he worked extensively in the United Kingdom, ...

as Lawyer * Bill Nagy as Johnny Stettina *

Frederick Leister Frederick Leister (1 December 1885 – 24 August 1970), was an English actor. He began his career in musical comedy and after serving in the First World War he played character roles in modern West End plays and in classic drama. He appeared in ...

as Aide to King Pavel II * Paul Carpenter as TV News Broadcaster * Danny Green as Nicky Canfield *

Carol White Carole Joan White (1 April 1943 – 16 September 1991) was an English actress. She achieved a public profile with her performances in the television play ''Cathy Come Home'' (1966) and the films ''Poor Cow'' (1967) and '' I'll Never Forg ...

as Sexy Teenager

References

External links

* * * * 1960 films 1960 comedy films 1960s heist films American black-and-white films American comedy films American heist films Films based on American novels Films directed by Stanley Donen Films set in Greece Films set on islands Films set in the Mediterranean Sea Films with screenplays by Harry Kurnitz Columbia Pictures films American crime comedy films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films {{1960s-comedy-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links