A Matter of WHO (1961) User Reviews

Terry-Thomas's gap or a chimpanzee, who's going to get the most attention?

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 15 January 2022]

It's always a good idea in a film with a serious topic that might depress the audience to get them in by making it into a comedy, and with the presence of Terry-Thomas in the lead, a guaranteed hit is ensured. Add in a chimpanzee, and you got double the recipe for a hit black comedy that the British really knew how to do as evidenced by the Ealing films that starred Alec Guinness. The topic of this film involves the possibility of a smallpox epidemic, with a prestigious passenger aboard a plane on his way back to England just one of many victims of this, possibly the result of germ warfare. There's also a chance that the epidemic has been started for a much different reason involving a prestigious oil deal. Sounds ripe for a comedy, yes? Well maybe the plotline is it, but the way it is presented certainly becomes droll and amusing, and keeps the viewers interested.

The wife of the ailing oilman (Sonja Ziemann) is quite a bit younger than him, and is a bit suspicious in her mannerisms and in the way that she evades questioning. Alex Nicol, Richard Briers and Honor Blackman have other pitoval roles in this comedy thriller. Meekah is the chimp in its only film appearance, and of course, it's adorable. Ziemann is an alluring femme fatale, dressed to the nines, and indeed, she is an intriguing it's suspicious character in the film, going after the American Nicol seemingly to find out what he knows and keep him at bay. Good location footage and editing and music helps out with the witty dialog. Pretty relevant film 60 years after its release, and not the first film that I've discovered that deals with epidemics or pandemics that were made long before the current one.

a curious and unusual movie

[myriamlenys · 7/10 · 21 July 2018]

A passenger on an airplane becomes very ill. After examination, it becomes clear that he suffers from smallpox, a dangerous and highly infectious disease. Disquieting reports come in, speaking of individual smallpox cases in other countries. Will Archie Bannister of the World Health Organisation (WHO) discover the origins of this surprise outbreak, thus saving the world from an epidemic ?

A strange movie, this, situated somewhere between thriller, adventure story and comedy. I watched it with a degree of enjoyment, mainly because of the good performance by lead actor Terry-Thomas, but I can understand why the movie is regarded as something of an experiment : the mix is not entirely successful. The main problem stems from the screenplay's desire to keep everything light, neat and happy, which leads to some VERY unrealistic scenes or characters.

For instance, the airline passenger who becomes desperately ill is a married man. His wife, a glamorous and much younger woman with a taste for the high life, is not overcome with grief or worry. The viewer can believe this - sadly enough, not all marriages are based on love and tenderness. However, the wife continues to lead a life of near-unclouded happiness, even after discovering a) that her husband has smallpox and b) that she has been exposed to it. Later on, even her husband's death does not rattle her. In real life, the mention of the word "smallpox" would give pause to even the most ambitious or self-absorbed of golddiggers.

There's another scene where some representatives of the WHO crash a busy party, in order to tell the guests that they were exposed either to a smallpox sufferer or else to somebody in close contact with a smallpox sufferer. As a result all of those present need to receive an injection, immediately. In the movie everyone takes this announcement in his stride : people queue up in order to get their injection, while asking only the most polite and neutral of questions. Again, it is unlikely that a real-life crowd would react this way. In real life, you would get at least one self-made expert pontificating, at least one obnoxious drunk trying to pick a fight, at least one delicate flower fainting at the sight of a needle, at least one pompous ass threatening litigation, and so on. And people would worry and fret, endlessly : "what if I'm pregnant ?" / "what if I infect my pregnant sister-in-law ?" / "what if the injection doesn't work ?" / "will the injection still work if I get the flu ?" / "I had a great-grandmother who died of smallpox, what if she slipped me some of her bad genes ?" / "what if I develop an adverse reaction to the injection ?" / "last year I suffered from skin cancer, at the beginning of this year I fell off a ladder and now this - am I being cursed ?".

But no, in the whole movie there's nary a sob or a complaint to be heard.

Still, you won't hear me say that this is the worst movie I've ever seen - it isn't. The intrigue is original and the deductive process is interesting, as is the wider context of the fight against plagues such as smallpox. (Lovers of female pulchritude can also gaze upon Sonja Ziemann, who, as the wife/widow of the stricken passenger, is hot enough to melt rocks.)

A light-hearted contagion

[MovieStakes · 7/10 · 16 July 2021]

A matter of WHO (1961)

This is an old British comedy with a very in-vogue theme - tracing a contagion. When an American and his wife land in London from a middle east country, he turns sick in flight. A WHO scientist Archibald (Terry Thomas) takes the over the investigation as the illness proves to be a deadly contagion and goes full on trying to trace its origin. The American's partner Kennedy (Alex Nicol) joins him in the search as he suspects there was something fishy in the failed oil exploration expedition from which his friend has just returned. The two are thrown together in the chase, each with an entirely different agenda. An important enigma in the entire episode is Cooper's wife and her link with a suspicious millioner. The search for the source of infection and that of the mystery of the failed oil exploration runs parallel. Although the subject matter is serious, the treatment is entirely comic, hilarious in many places and also maintains enough seriousness making it an enjoyable suspense thriller.

WHO at work fighting the spread of bugs

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 21 June 2022]

"A Matter of WHO" is an interesting mystery drama with a slight touch of comedy. I hadn't been aware of this film that was an MGM British production. It's quite unusual in that it's about the World Health Organization (WHO) and its policing efforts to protect against the spread of infectious diseases. WHO is a United Nationals agency that is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland

Terry-Thomas is an ace investigator and dogged pursuer in protecting the world from the spread of deadly diseases. In this film, he dashes around Europe in pursuit of the carrier sources of a case of small pox that arrived in England. The story has more intrigue because the case was the partner of an American oil exploration business. It had been exploring in the Middle East for a British oil firm, and the partner arrives in English ill from a flight n Nice, France> With him is his new bridge.

Jamieson's partner, Kennedy, had flown to England to meet him. He winds up helping and working with Terry-Thomas's Archibald Bannister to fin the source, and solve a crime associated with it.

The cast are mostly good, and the humor is very light. The best of it is Thomas dashing about London in his sporty convertible and waring his Sherlock Holmes hate. Thomas is very good in his role, and this is an informative and interesting film that will clue people in on WHO.

A strange mix

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 31 March 2021]

A strange film, this, an uneasy mix of comedy and thriller in which neither genre really excels. It follows the arrival of a plane in London where it transpires that one of the passengers is sick with smallpox; at this point the man from WHO, an unusually cast Terry-Thomas, has to try to stop a forthcoming pandemic. A good cast keeps this well acted throughout, but the romantic interludes and humour sits oddly with the race-against-the-clock style plotting. I found it a bit of a chore in the end.

Delightful blend of humor and mystery-solving.

[wannall · 8/10 · 6 November 2015]

I have little to add to the other reviews that have pointed out the lamentable fact of this film's undeserved obscurity. It's a bit hard to describe or categorize because it is such a relaxed combination of light to oddball comedy plus a first rate mystery being pursued by an uncommon sleuth (Terry-Thomas in top form) and his American "sidekick" (Alex Nicol doing a competent job with an unconventional assignment as an actor).

It is common to say that they don't make 'em like this any more. In this film's case it's also true that they never made so very many like this at all. I won't pretend that it's brilliant, though Terry-Thomas's performance probably qualifies, but it is the obvious product of a clear vision, a strong hand at the helm, and a very able crew. Once it started it kept me amused and engaged constantly.

What fun! If you have any affection for British comedy or light mystery, do not miss it

Thoroughly entertaining film.

[ronevickers · 10/10 · 16 February 2014]

This is a cracking, lost gem of a film which features a screen stealing performance from the inimitable Terry-Thomas. The film manages to combine mystery and shards of comedy in equal measure, and the pace never flags from start to finish. In the lead role, Terry-Thomas is simply superb and produces a memorable performance. In fact, he demonstrates yet again that he was probably the most underrated comic actor in the movie business. In lesser hands, the lead character of Archie Bannister could have been a complete flop and the film wouldn't be anywhere near as good. However, with Terry-Thomas on absolutely top form, the film is a joy to watch. It's anyone's guess why it hasn't received a wider showing over the years. If you get a chance to catch it, then don't miss it. Heartily recommended!

Thoughly enjoyable mystery with a witty comic edge is a lost gem and really needs to be seen

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 11 May 2008]

(Potential Spoilers ahead)

Actually the WHO of the Title is the World Health Organization as well as the question as to which person is responsible for a small pox outbreak. Terry Thomas stars as the "germ detective" who stumbles upon a case of small pox on a flight into England. The man who has the disease is a recently married oil man who is returning to England and takes ill on the flight. Quarantined the doctors realize what the deal is and try to track down where he might have caught the disease. However things become complicated and potentially dangerous when two more people elsewhere in Europe come down with the disease. As Thomas tries to track down the common source of the infection (the disease takes two weeks to incubate so its very likely that all three victims have something in common) things become more complicated as people with questionable backgrounds and Arab ministers get brought into the mix.

This is a super little mystery that I happened to stumble across by accident. Being a fan of Terry Thomas I decided to give the film a go. Both funny and suspenseful this is a great little thriller that keeps you watching to the very end (I loved that I didn't know where it was going and was glad to just follow along). The joy here is Thomas, who plays WHO's best expendable mind, the guy who knows his stuff, who is constantly fired but always rehired since he knows what he's doing. As one character comments there is more to the man then just his eccentricities. This is a super little film. Its one of those that you need to put on a list and keep an eye for or to do a little digging to find. Its just a great deal of fun.

Cleverly written international thriller that combines humor and suspense.

[busterm · 8/10 · 25 October 1998]

I haven't seen this movie since it came out in the early 60's, but I've always remembered it as refreshingly unusual, with Terry Thomas as an employee of the World Health Organization who is trying to track down the source of a small, puzzling epidemic of smallpox. He is almost thwarted by big oil money, secrecy, and efforts to cover up criminal acts. (I'm going to see it again soon, however - I found it for sale at CINEMAWEB. If my opinion changes after I've seen it again, I'll change my comments, if your site will allow that.)

"A Matter of Who" North American Premiere

[xroadsjo-1 · 9/10 · 9 May 2009]

I was Director of Advertising for the North American theatrical distributor of "A Matter of Who," Herts Lion International Corp. We wanted to have a premiere in Hollywood, on Hollywood Blvd. but couldn't find an available theater. So, against all advise, we held the premiere at the Crest Theater in Westwood near the UCLA campus -- the star: Terry-Thomas, red carpet, searchlights, etc. It was the first time a premiere was held in Westwood, California, then considered a second run venue. After that, dozens of major movies premiered in Westwood, and many big movies still do, but "A Matter of Who" with Terry Thomas was the first one that started this trend.

Terry-Thomas Is a Breath Of Fresh Air In A Fine Medical Mystery

[boblipton · 8/10 · 4 August 2019]

An oil geologist is returning to England with his bride, Sonja Ziemann. He collapses on the plane, and the wheels of the airline's health services creak slowly into action. It's smallpox! This makes it a matter for the World Health Organization, and their crack London investigator: Terry-Thomas?

Yes, it's Terry-Thomas, and it's a serious movie, as he investigates with the geologist's partner, Alex Nicol. The trail is a complicated one, involving a Russian plutocrat, a yacht in Nice, a plane crash in Switzerland, and two other smallpox victims in Europe who seem to have no connection to Miss Ziemann's husband. Nicol is suspicious of Miss Ziemann. What is she doing with his partner, a man he describes as "wet behind the ears when it comes to women"?

It's not entirely a mystery. Terry-Thomas is what one might describe as an eccentric bureaucrat and keeps things light and informative. It's a good mystery, too, as I settled on what turned out to be a red herring.

WHO? The Inimitable Terry-Thomas.

[JLRMovieReviews · 9/10 · 9 December 2013]

Terry-Thomas works for WHO. WHO? Yes, WHO. The World Health Organization. He is to find out how an airline passenger had been infected with the smallpox and to root out the possibility of it spreading to others. Who did the gentleman come into contact with, and where had he been? He was traveling with his five-week newlywed wife, and his partner in business, played by Alex Nicol, was to meet him at the airport. But he was transported to the airport hospital, after falling ill. Yes, you heard right - the airport hospital. They have a rather good one. Shirley Eaton, James Bond's "Goldfinger" girl, has a small role, but Terry-Thomas is the whole show with his debonair and charming disposition and wits in getting at the truth. It gets really complicated and involved, but it's so rewarding and funny, especially nearer the end of the film, as he resorts to unscrupulous means for an autopsy. For those WHO love Terry-Thomas and British comedies, I would also recommend "School for Scoundrels," but, as the business here is to say something about WHO, I will simply say it's Terry-Thomas at his dashing best, without the presence of Peter Sellers or anyone else stealing the attention away from one of British film's greatest personalities, Mr. Terry-Thomas. Did I mention the star of the movie is uh, Terry-Thomas?

An enjoyable but unusual combination of drama, detective work and comedy!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 14 July 2017]

unusual role for Terry-Thomas smallpox chimp butler death--hidden cause

When I saw that this movie was about the World Health Organization and infectious diseases, I was surprised, as it stars Terry- Thomas...a man known for his roles in comedies! Regardless, it's a darn fine movie...and does have some comedic aspects.

When the film begins, an airliner contacts the tower. Apparently someone aboard is VERY sick and since the plane is coming from overseas, the World Health Organization representative, Archibald Bannister (Terry-Thomas) springs into action to determine if the disease is dangerous and if there is need to panic. Well, the illness turns out to be Smallpox...and it's a matter of time that they discover others infected or bodies could begin piling up! And, eventually, their quest to find the infected even involves stealing a corpse!

The film has great characters and an intelligent script. It's an unusual blend of drama, detective work and even a bit of comedy...and it works well.