The Ladykillers (1955)

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writer:

William Rose (screenplay)

Release Date:

December 1955 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Meet "The Unholy Five"...The Most Befuddled Set of Assorted Thugs That Ever Fouled Up a Million Dollar Bank Robbery!!

Plot:

Five diverse oddball criminal types planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.

Plot Keywords:

Umbrella | Black Comedy | Criminal Mastermind | Criminal | Widow

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Alec Guinness	...	Professor Marcus
Cecil Parker	...	Claude (a.k.a. 'Major Courtney')
Herbert Lom	...	Louis (a.k.a. 'Mr. Harvey')
Peter Sellers	...	Harry (a.k.a. 'Mr. Robinson')
Danny Green	...	One-Round (a.k.a. 'Mr. Lawson')
Jack Warner	...	The Superintendent
Katie Johnson	...	The Old Lady
Philip Stainton	...	The Sergeant
Frankie Howerd	...	The Barrow boy

Also Known As:

The Lady Killers

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Argyle Street, St. Pancras, London, England, UK

Company:

Ealing Studios

Trivia:

Richard Attenborough was originally considered for the role of Harry, by director Alexander Mackendrick.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: From the street in front of Mrs. Wilberforce's house, the front of St. Pancras station is visible, placing the house south of the station. No tracks leave St. Pancras or the adjacent King's Cross station in that direction, so the house could not be adjacent to a tunnel as depicted (see trivia entry).

Quotes:

One-Round: I said nobody was to do her!
[Begins attacking Louis, who beats him continuously over the head with a blackjack. Mrs. Wilberforce comes out of the next room]
Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: Mr. Harvey!
One-Round: I said - I said nobody was to do Mrs. Lopsided!
Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: Stop that!
[Louis hits One-Round one last time with the blackjack]
Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: What *are* you doing?
[Adjusting her hat]
Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: And who is "Mrs. Lopsided," may I ask? Where is Mr. Robinson?
One-Round: He's, uh, he's outside.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

Soundtrack:

Music

Superlative

I won't go on about this, but I think this is one of the funniest comedies I've ever watched. So did my ten-year-old, with whom I've watched it many times on tape. I say "one of the funniest" deliberately because this is about as good as it gets, and other comedies have reached that same asymptotic height -- "Dr. Strangelove," for instance, or "Some Like it Hot," -- but none have, or is ever likely to, exceed it.

Most of what can be said about this Ealing Comedy has already been said and I won't repeat it. I will add, however, one generally overlooked point. The principal cockatoo, "General Gordon," sees Professor Marcus's shadow on the door and squawks "SOS" in Morse code.

If you feel yourself falling into a funk, this is the one to watch. Well, okay, it's the one to watch anyway. A non parreille, light years better than my spelling of French.