''Father, Dear Father'' is a 1973 British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by William G. Stewart and starring Patrick Cargill. I was based on the

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

sitcom of the same title. The story is based on episodes from series 1 and 2.

Plot

Patrick feels his daughters need a mother so he decides to marry his agent Georgie, only then mistakenly to propose to the cleaning lady.

Cast

Some of the cast is different from the television series: *

Patrick Cargill Patrick Cargill (3 June 191823 May 1996) was an English actor remembered for his lead role in the British television sitcom ''Father, Dear Father''. Early life Cargill was born to middle-class parents living in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. After edu ...

as Patrick Glover * Noel Dyson as Nanny *

Natasha Pyne Natasha Pyne (born 9 July 1946) is an English actress who starred in ''The Taming of the Shrew'' (1967 film), '' The Breaking of Bumbo'' (1970) and '' Father, Dear Father'' (1973). Early life Pyne was born in Crawley, Sussex on 9 July 1946. She ...

as Anna * Ann Holloway as Karen *

Ursula Howells Ursula Howells (17 September 1922 – 16 October 2005) was an English actress whose elegant presence kept her much in demand for roles in film and television. Life and career Howells was born in London, the daughter of composer Herbert Howells, ...

as Barbara (Patrick's Ex Wife) *

Jack Watling Jack Stanley Watling (13 January 1923 – 22 May 2001) was an English actor. Life and career Watling was born 13 January 1923 in Chingford, Essex, England. The son of a travelling scrap metal dealer, Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy ...

as Bill (her husband) *

Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was an English 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'' ( ...

as Phillip (Patrick's brother) *

Jill Melford Jill Melford (23 November 1931 – 21 February 2018) was an English actress. Early career Born in 1931, she was the daughter of the actor Jack Melford. She attended the Ballet Arts School in New York and made her theatre debut in 1949 as a ...

as Georgie Thompson (his agent) *

Beryl Reid Beryl Elizabeth Reid (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996) was a British actress. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for '' The Killing of Sister George'', the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for '' Born in th ...

as Mrs Stoppard (Georgie's cleaning woman) *

Joseph O'Conor Joseph O'Conor (14 February 1916 – 21 January 2001) was an Irish actor and playwright. Early years O'Conor was born in DublinAlan Strachan ''The Independent'', 2 February 2001Stephen GilbertObituary ''The Guardian'', 25 January 2001 on ...

as vicar *

Richard O'Sullivan Richard O'Sullivan (born 7 May 1944) is an English comedy actor. He is known for his role as Robin Tripp in the TV sitcoms ''Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and '' Robin's Nest'' (1977–1981) and as the title character in the period adven ...

as Richard (Anna's boyfriend) *

Joyce Carey Joyce Carey (30 March 1898 – 28 February 1993) was an English actress, best known for her long professional and personal relationship with Noël Coward. Her stage career lasted from 1916 until 1987, and she was performing on television in he ...

as Patrick's mother *

Elizabeth Adare Elizabeth Adare (born 3 June 1949 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland) is an English child psychologist and former actress and television presenter during the 1970s and 1980s. Her most prominent role was as Elizabeth in the 1970s science fict ...

as Maggie * Clifton Jones as Larry (her husband) *Jo-Jo the dog as H.G.Wells

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "'With its scatterbrained but essentially "nice" bourgeois family who appear to encounter the working classes only in the shape of comic chars and milkmen, ''Father Dear Father'' runs along grooves largely abandoned by the cinema by the end of the Fifties but still travelled by many a television series. Structurally, too, the film betrays its origins, in that after a good deal of confusion, the ending brings all the characters safely back to the point at which they started. The plot limps from one cliché to another via the familiar devices of crossed purposes and mistaken identity, while the doggedly trivial banter of the dialogue becomes increasingly wearing as the film progresses."

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on ...

called it a "so-so comedy film version of the successful TV sitcom."

References

External links

* 1973 films 1973 comedy films British comedy films Films shot at EMI-Elstree Studios Films based on television series 1970s English-language films 1970s British films {{1970s-UK-comedy-film-stub