''What Changed Charley Farthing?'' (also known as ''The Bananas Boat''), 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 ol ...

directed by

Sidney Hayers Sidney Hayers (24 August 1921 – 8 February 2000) was a British film and television director, writer and producer. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Hayers began his career as a film editor. Among the films he directed are '' Circus of Horrors'' (1 ...

and starring

Doug McClure Douglas Osborne McClure (May 11, 1935February 5, 1995) was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his role as the cowboy Trampas during the entire run from 1962 to 1971 o ...

Lionel Jeffries Lionel Charles Jeffries (10 June 1926 – 19 February 2010) was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and received a Golden Globe Award nomination during his acting career. Early life Jeffries was born in ...

, and Hayley Mills. It is based on the 1965 novel of the same title by John Harris.

Premise

Roaming sailor Charley Farthing is paid to give safe passage out of revolutionary

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

to a young woman (Hayley Mills) and her father (Lionel Jeffries).

Cast

as Charley Farthing *

as Houlihan * Hayley Mills as Jenny *

Warren Mitchell Warren Mitchell (born Warren Misell; 14 January 1926 – 14 November 2015) was a British actor. He was a BAFTA TV Award winner and twice a Laurence Olivier Award winner. In the 1950s, Mitchell appeared on the radio programmes ''Educatin ...

as MacGregor *

Dilys Hamlett Dilys Hamlett (31 March 1928, South Tidworth, Hampshire – 7 July 2002, Cupar, Fife) was a British actress. Early life Dilys Hamlett was born on 31 March 1928 in South Tidworth, Hampshire (now in Wiltshire), and developed an early interest ...

as Miss Parchment *

Alberto de Mendoza Alberto Manuel Rodríguez-Gallego González de Mendoza (21 January 1923 – 12 December 2011) was an Argentine film actor who appeared in some 114 films between 1930 and 2005, spanning eight decades. A lifelong figure in Argentine films, De Mendo ...

as Jumbo * Victor Israel as Christmas *

Fernando Sancho Fernando Sancho Les (7 January 1916 – 31 July 1990) was a Spanish actor. Biography He was born in Zaragoza, in Aragon, Spain on 7 January 1916 and died at Hospital Militar Gómez Ulla in Madrid on 31 July 1990 from a liver failure during o ...

as Lupez *Luis Marín as Hatta *

Ricardo Palacios Ricardo López-Nuño Díez (2 March 1940 – 11 February 2015), better known as Ricardo Palacios, was a Spanish actor, film director and screenwriter. Born in Reinosa (Cantabria), Palacios graduated from the Official Film School in Madrid as a ...

as Greek Captain

Production

The film was shot at Pinewood Studios near

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 ...

. It was filmed on location in Aguilas in Spain, which filled in for

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. The film's sets were designed by the art directors

Lionel Couch Lionel Couch (1913–1989) was a British art director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. Selected filmography Couch was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction: * ''Sons and Lovers'' ( ...

and

Enrique Alarcón Enrique Alarcón Sánchez-Manjavacas (1917–1995) was a Spanish art director.Faulkner p.106 He worked on over two hundred films. Selected filmography * '' Eloisa Is Under an Almond Tree'' (1943) * ''The Phantom and Dona Juanita'' (1945) * '' ...

Release

''What Changed Charley Farthing?'' was not released in the United States until January 1976, when it was retitled ''The Bananas Boat''.

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' called the film "a total misfire." The ''Spectator'' called it "a nice piece of slapstick". ''Filmink'' called it "a painful attempt at an African Queen-type jaunt... with Mills attempting an odd accent and seeming unhappy."

References

External links

* *
What Changed Charley Farthing?
at Letterbox DVD
What Changed Charley Farthing?
at BFI 1975 films 1975 comedy films British comedy films Spanish comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films directed by Sidney Hayers Films set in Cuba 1970s English-language films 1970s British films {{1970s-UK-comedy-film-stub