Whisky Galore! ***** (1949, Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, Gordon Jackson) Classic Movie Review 1633

Director Alexander Mackendrick’s brilliant and deservedly fondly remembered 1949 Ealing Studios comedy about the alcohol-deprived folks on a Scottish Outer Hebrides island called Todday in World War Two faced with the temptation of a ship’s wrecked cargo of fine export whisky lying sunk in their bay. The devious Scottish islanders have to run the gamut of Home Guard captain Paul Waggett (Basil Radford) and his mobilised customs and excise men to try to grab the Scotch and plunder 50,000 cases of whisky from the stranded ship.

Radford, Joan Greenwood (as Peggy Macroon), Gordon Jackson (as George Campbell), Jean Cadell (Mrs Campbell), Wylie Watson (as Joseph Macroon), John Gregson (as Sammy MacCodrun) and James Robertson Justice (as Dr Maclaren), plus a sterling scotch, er Scots cast, put high spirits into their acting. The warm-hearted movie is neatly scripted by Sir Compton Mackenzie from his own novel, along with co-screenwriter Angus MacPhail. Plus there is tight, pacy, bouncy direction by the great Mackendrick. Compton Mackenzie also appears as Captain Buncher.

This funny, funny film has been much imitated – Local Hero (1983) and The Grand Seduction (2013) for instance. But this Ealing classic has never been rivalled for zest, wit, fun and entertainment value. The inimitable tones of Finlay Currie are the ones you can hear on voiceover telling the tale.

Morland Graham (as The Biffer), Duncan Macrae (as Angus MacCormac), Catherine Lacey (as Mrs Waggett), Bruce Seton (Sergeant Odd), A E Matthews (Colonel Linsey-Woolsey), Gabrielle Blunt (as Catriona Macroon), Henry Mollinson (as Mr Farquharson), James Woodburn (as Roderick MacRurie), James Anderson (as Old Hector), Jameson Clark (Constable Macrae), Mary MacNeil (as Mrs MacCormac), Norman MacOwan (as Captain MacPhee), Alistair Hunter (as Captain MacKechnie) and Frank Webster (as First Mate) are also in the treasurable cast.

It is known as Tight Little Island in the US.

Compton Mackenzie used a true story for his novel. With 250,000 bottles of whisky aboard, the S/S Politician sank in bad weather on February 5 1941 outside Eriskay on its way to Jamaica. The Hebrideans grabbed as many bottles as they could before the authorities arrived. Bottles are still occasionally found in the sand or sea.

What we didn’t know is the ship was also carrying nearly 290,000 ten shilling notes (worth several million pounds today), not all of which were recovered, as revealed recently in official files released by the Home Office.

Jean Cadell (Mrs Campbell), Gordon Jackson (George Campbell) and Catherine Lacey (Mrs Waggett) return for the sequel Rockets Galore! in 1958. But Roland Culver takes over as Captain Waggett from Basil Radford, who died in 1952. It is known as Mad Little Island in the US.

It is remade in 2016 again as Whisky Galore! with Eddie Izzard as Captain Waggett.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1633

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