The Plank (1967)

Director:

Eric Sykes

Writer:

Eric Sykes (writer)

Release Date:

13 March 1971 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

You'll splinter your sides laughing at this classic of all comedies

Plot:

Classic short British comedy, full of stars, about two workmen delivering planks to a building site...

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Tommy Cooper	...	Larger Workman
Eric Sykes	...	Smaller Workman
Jimmy Edwards	...	Policeman
Roy Castle	...	Delivery Man with boxes
Graham Stark	...	Amorous Van Driver
Stratford Johns	...	Station Sergeant
Jim Dale	...	House Painter
Jimmy Tarbuck	...	Barman
Hattie Jacques	...	Woman with Rose
Rex Garner	...	Tourist
Libby Morris	...	Tourist
John Junkin	...	One Eyed Truck Driver
Joan Young	...	Woman in Bus Queue with fur wrap
Barney Gilbraith	...	Paint-covered House Owner
Clovissa Newcombe	...	Girl in Van

Runtime:

55 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U

Filming Locations:

Barnes Pond, Barnes, London, England, UK

Company:

Associated London Films

Trivia:

Tommy Cooper replaced Peter Sellers who was forced to withdraw after shooting conflicts with another movie.

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Plank (1979) (TV)

"......................"

No, this isn't a new starring vehicle for Keanu Reeves; it's a chirpy, cheesy British homage to the slapstick era.

Though quite admirable for it's time, thirty-three years later The Plank has dated somewhat. This is the sort of comedy where you hear breaking window sound effects (though don't get to see the cracked window) and comedy music, cute cats and yapping dogs take a part. Tommy Cooper was a very amusing man who knew how to time a joke, so it's perhaps a waste of his ability to cast him in a nearly silent role.

One pleasant thing about the film is that it is, apart from one or two light examples of sexism, entirely innocent, and can be watched by all ages. (Though look out for the newspaper advertisement for The News of the World, not covered up, which reads: "Pop Stars and Drugs"). Perhaps another example of this dated style is that the three black cast members all play dustbinmen.

This was probably highly amusing stuff at the time, but looked back upon it doesn't really stand up. Seeing men jumping with rage till their false teeth fall out, or a man being pulled along by a car isn't that funny anymore. In fact, I remembered this film being a hell of a lot funnier than it patently is, and had my memory jogged by the IMDb: it turns out this is the first time I've actually seen the film, and I was thinking of Sykes' work for television in the late seventies/early eighties, which included Rhubarb, Rhubarb and a TV remake of this film starring Harry H.Corbett and Charlie Drake. Maybe that's why I was so disappointed as the '79 version obviously brought this tired format up to date, and, by all accounts, halved the overlong run-time.

Ultimately The Plank can only be watched in it's own era. If you wanted the greatest silent comedy then you'd look to the more professional standards of the 20s and 30s (sound dubbing is quite poor here). And if you wanted to laugh at Eric Sykes holding a plank, then you'd watch the remake with it's laughter track half-way convincing you it's funny. For the '67 version there's the feeling that all of its heavily signposted gags don't have the pay-off they deserve, or that the pace isn't quite right. This was a time when The Beatles, The Stones and Dylan were redefining music. In the meantime, Jimmy Edwards was getting excited at young girls in miniskirts. But nevertheless, as a historical document, it's okay, one for a rainy afternoon when there's nothing else on. 5/10.