Too Many Crooks **** (1959, Terry-Thomas, George Cole, Brenda De Banzie, Bernard Bresslaw, Sidney James, Joe Melia, Vera Day) – Classic Movie Review 6002

Director Mario Zampi’s nimble and nifty 1959 British crime comedy stars the irreplaceable comedy gods Terry-Thomas, George Cole, Bernard Bresslaw and Sidney James, who of course greatly enliven this daft but amusing satire on racketeer movies, about a bungling gang of criminals using undertakers as cover.

Terry-Thomas plays Billy Gordon, a rich but tricky businessman who is delighted when his wife Lucy (Brenda De Banzie) is kidnapped by the gang, following a failed attempt to rob him. [Spoiler alert] But she gets her revenge by taking over the gang and collecting the loot for herself. George Cole plays Fingers, the accident-prone leader of the gang, Bernard Bresslaw plays Snowdrop and Sidney James plays, well, Sid.

Zampi’s film is a very neat little Fifties farce, thanks to Michael Pertwee’s adept screenplay, the strong plot in the original story by Jean Nery and Christiane Rochefort, the lovely cast and Zampi’s expert comedy direction.

Also in the cast are Joe Melia as Whisper, Vera Day as Charmaine, John le Mesurier, Sydney Tafler, Nicholas Parsons, Terry Scott, Delphi Lawrence, Rosalie Ashley, Vilma Ann Leslie, Tutte Lemkow, John Stewart, Cyril Chamberlain, Sam Kydd, Edie Martin, Wally Patch and Gibb McLaughlin in his last feature film.

It runs 86 minutes, is released by Rank, shot in black and white by Stan Pavey, produced by Earl St John, Mario Zampi and Giulio Zampi, scored by Stanley Black and designed by Ivan King.

Cole and Zampi are reunited from Top Secret [Mr Potts Goes to Moscow] (1952).

Vera Day was born 4 August 1935 in London.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6002

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