Go to Blazes (1962) User Reviews

decent British caper film

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 6 September 2017]

Dave King, Dennis Price, Norman Rossington, Daniel Massey, Coral Browne, Maggie Smith, and Robert Morley star in "Go to Blazes" from 1962.

King, Rossington, and Massey are a gang of smash and grab crooks. Every time they smash and grab, they are caught and sent to prison. En route to prison one day, they discuss their options and decide to get their hands on a fire engine next time. That way, they can speed and look official.

They manage to buy a dilapidated engine; however, they keep being stopped to fight real fires. They appeal to an ex-firefighter (Dennis Price) to teach them how to be real firemen. He does.

One of the men, Harry (Massey) romances Chantel (Smith) who works at the couturier next door to a bank. One of the funniest scenes occurs when the Morley character - who is an arsonist by trade - tries to start a fire in the salon and can't!

Good film with solid performances. Maggie Smith was so young here - 28 at the time - and she's lovely and funny.

A fun ending, too.

Accident-prone humour

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 18 December 2018]

GO TO BLAZES is another fun British comedy with an ensemble cast and an accident-prone gang of incompetent crooks as the main characters. This time around they're a trio of robbers who decide to get hold of a fire engine in order to commit their crimes; unfortunately for them, they keep getting mistaken for the real thing. This is the kind of film that's designed to just sit back and enjoy. You laugh at the stupidity of the characters, are delighted by cameoing actors in funny sub-plots and one-scene appearances, and generally enjoy the energy of the whole thing. I did like the way that little-used performers (Daniel Massey, Dave King, Norman Rossington) are used as the leads, while others such as Robert Morley's pyromaniac really shine. Watch out for Maggie Smith and Dudley Sutton in early appearances alongside seasoned veterans like James Hayter, Finlay Currie and Miles Malleson.

Patchy script Undermines good Cast

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 11 July 2012]

The only point of interest to me is the exterior locations.The opening scene takes place in Temple Fortune Parade.I remember watching the filming.The gang head south down the Finchley Road towards Golders Green.Next thing we know they are being pursued by the police along the A41 Watford Way.I would be interested to know the name and location of the cinema shown later in the film.The film itself is not very funny.A good cast let down by a rather unfunny script.the last 20 minutes in particular is extremely lame.Unfortunately Associated British Pathe did not turn out many good comedies in the sixties.There are lots of great actors,,Lowe,Le Mesurier and Mallinson who only have a brief time on screen alas.Early film of Maggie Smith.

Flaming Good!

[fenn-5 · 25 December 1999]

One of the best British Comedy films of all time. 3 Crooks steal a fire engine as a getaway vehicle for their crimes. David King, Norman Rossington and Daniel Massey are on excellent form as the crooks, Massey steals the show as the spiv who dates Maggie Smith. Robert Morley gives his greatest performance as a crook scientist. Check this film out, you will not be disappointed!

Shooting locations

[paul-harrington32 · 6/10 · 29 June 2019]

It isn't one of the best films in the mould of The Lavender Hill Mob or Three Way Stretch despite a good cast. I switched on part way through and here were scenes where you could see it was shot in Elstree or Barnet High high street especially when the Lonon Country bus went past. Of more interest was the escape scene where the fire engine went past the duck pond on Hadley Common, Down Bakers Hill and the sunken lane in Hadley Woods. This was used by vehicles in the 1960's as I remember an ice cream van by the lake.

Very average

[atrickyone · 5/10 · 29 January 2022]

Well, I think that nostalgia drives many of the enthusiastic reviews here.

A terrific supporting cast sabotaged by a truly mediocre script, despite a promising concept. The principal actors, unfortunately, were not funny, particularly Daniel Massey who's a wonderful dramatic actor but miscast here.

British comedy caper of the finest farce-type quality!

[naseby · 8/10 · 17 July 2008]

A gang of crooks, not very lucky or good, plan a robbery, wondering what's one of the best ways to get away with it. On seeing a fire engine, not only is it a perfect disguise for being somewhere down a hole (where they can rob a bank vault), the fire engine would be a good escape for them, where they can speed and get traffic out of their way. Enlisting the help of 'The Prof' (Morley) and Withers (Price) they just about ineptly carry it off. Daniel Massey plays the con-artist distracting a young Maggie Smith and eyeing up the bank vault. However, they've actually found they really are useless as 'firemen', which will show themselves up to anyone who'd notice. Withers trains them up properly, and so properly, that when they complete the raid, a little girl flags them down. It's here where the honest crooks show they do have a heart, and go to put out the blaze in the house - as it were - and it turns out to be a doll, in a treehouse! That's where the gang are caught! A delightful comedy, the only blemish on Channel Five who last seemed to repeat it gave us a dose of the PC brigade and not the fire brigade. On entering the vault with explosive, the excellent Dave king, blackened by the soot remarks: "Oh lord, dis must be de place!" Cut unfortunately, I thought it added to the scene. I don't believe it to be a racist comment but there are those who do.

"Here it's my Harry"

[ygwerin1 · 8/10 · 2 April 2019]

This is a daft film in its story, plot, characters and actors, but that's the whole point after all it is a comedy.

It's great to see people who are normally only the extras, playing the lead characters. It's hard to remember now but Dave King was around a lot in the 50s and 60s almost ubiquitous, as a comic and an all round entertainer. But I just can't recollect anything specific off the top of my head, more of a general feeling of remembrance. I tend to think in terms of TV appearances when it comes to entertainers, and all that stands out is that he was on the box a lot. I missed his other work in films when they were made, and its good to be able to catch up with them now.

There are some very funny moments with well known character actors, playing amusing vignettes.

The ever popular Miles Malleson is hilarious as the fire engine salesman, when he takes exception to the crooks description of the vintage engine. He delights in leaping aboard it shouting enthusiastically "I used to drive one of these" his performance is a sheer joy.

Derek Nimmo is priceless as the distraught householder whose flat is flooded, and he mistakenly imagines that the crooks are actual firemen.

Robert Morely is wonderful as the pyromaniac cohort, he desperately attempts to set fire to the clothes salon, with no luck at all while the manageress managed it by accident.

Maggie Smith is one of my absolutely all time favourite actresses, she is simply gorgeous it's perfectly understandable that Harry can't resist her.

I loved the scenes in Wales when the crooks take the scrap fire engine to nick the newer one. A young Dudley Sutton has a cameo role with one of the worst Welsh accents I've heard.

Hugh Lloyd makes a barely recognisable appearance as a fireman. As does Arthur Lowe as a Warden. John Le Mesurier is quite literally thrown in as a fisherman.

It has a rather daft but nonetheless funny scene when they are called to a fire in a kids tree house, but they should have been more careful where they stashed the loot.

They were still scheming about the next big scheme over the "only car in England that everyone stops for" I would have loved to see what they got up to around that.

Delightful British comedy

[chrischapman-47545 · 8/10 · 22 December 2018]

A relatively little known British comedy from 1962 filmed in wide screen colour. Good cast, good credible script with a novel plot by Patrick Campbell, fascinating views of sunny London in 1962. A pleasant way to spend 90 minutes. I guess that people with an interest in fire brigades will particularly like it.

Fun film with 'Big 'ed' King

[kris-gray · 8/10 · 25 June 2019]

I have fond memories of this film, I was nine when my mother took me to see it, we saw a lot of films together back in the day. It was a delight to see a British film in colour in those days. Great cast led by comic Dave 'Big Head' King who later went to play mostly heavies in films.

Sure plot is daft but it is a comedy after all, one of many British made from the sixties. If you are of an age and remember most of the cast you'll enjoy the nostalgia of picking out the future stars in small parts.

Recommended.