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The Big Money

1958-06-09 Comedy 1hr 26m

Petty thief Willie Frith steals a suitcase full of bank notes, only to find out that they have been given all the same serial number. But this is only the start of his troubles, now he has to find a way of changing the notes, so he can impress the barmaid of his local pub.

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The Big Money

Storyline

Petty thief Willie Frith steals a suitcase full of bank notes, only to find out that they have been given all the same serial number. But this is only the start of his troubles, now he has to find a way of changing the notes, so he can impress the barmaid of his local pub.

  • Released
    1958-06-09
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 26m
  • Genre
    Comedy
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    0
  • Production
    The Rank Organisation

Crew

John Paddy Carstairs
Director
John Baines
Writer
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Cast

Ian Carmichael

Ian Carmichael
Willie Frith
Belinda Lee

Belinda Lee
Gloria
Kathleen Harrison

Kathleen Harrison
Mrs Frith
Robert Helpmann

Robert Helpmann
The Reverend
Leslie Phillips

Leslie Phillips
Receptionist
James Hayter

James Hayter
Mr Frith
George Coulouris

George Coulouris
The Colonel
Renée Houston

Renée Houston
Bobbie
Michael Brennan

Michael Brennan
Bluey
Jill Ireland

Jill Ireland
Doreen Frith
Harold Berens

Harold Berens
Bookmaker
Hugh Morton

Hugh Morton
Valet
Ferdy Mayne

Ferdy Mayne
Furrier
Digby Wolfe

Digby Wolfe
Harry Mason
Michael Balfour

Michael Balfour
'Wilberforce'
Joss Ambler

Joss Ambler
Hobson
Peter Asher

Peter Asher
Cyril Frith
Cyril Chamberlain

Cyril Chamberlain
Detective at Hotel
Thomas Gallagher

Thomas Gallagher
Daniel
David Hutcheson

David Hutcheson
Tipster at Racecourse
Miriam Karlin

Miriam Karlin
Lady in Nightclub
Maurice Kaufmann

Maurice Kaufmann
Harry's Friend
Ronan O'Casey

Ronan O'Casey
Gang Member
Hal Osmond

Hal Osmond
Porter at Victoria Station
Ewen Solon

Ewen Solon
Detective in Pub
Joy Webster

Joy Webster
Minor Role
Angela White

Angela White
(uncredited)
Ian Wilson

Ian Wilson
Post Office Clerk
Vic Wise

Vic Wise
Second Bookmaker

Videos and Photos

The Big Money
The Big Money

Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Big Money
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 5

Written by John Chard on 2017-07-31

Not really a hic-hic hooray here. Out of Pinewood Studios, The Big Money is directed by John Paddy Carstairs and written by John Baines. ... read more

Not really a hic-hic hooray here. Out of Pinewood Studios, The Big Money is directed by John Paddy Carstairs and written by John Baines. It stats Ian Carmichael, Belinda Lee, Robert Helpmann, James Hayter, Kathleen, Harrison and George Coulouris. Music is by Van Phillips and cinematography by Jack Cox. It is a VistaVision/Technicolor production. When bumbling thief Willie Frith (Carmichael) steals a suitcase from a clergyman, he gets far more than he bargained for. Disowned by star and creators, and left on the shelf for years by the studio, it's safe to say that The Big Money at best is an awkward comedy. It's not bad exactly, in fact there's enough comedy here for those familiar with - and entertained by - British comedy slapstick pics of years gone by. The problem is a poor script that leaves a fine cast wasted. The premise is a good one, eldest son from a family of crooks is incompetent and desperately wants to not only make the family proud, but also to make it big himself. The latter of which he sees as a way of attracting the opposite sex, notably the blonde siren behind the bar of The Red Dragon. Once he secures what he thinks is his life changing steal, he is thrust into mishap after mishap, all while some unsavoury types get on his trail. What transpires is a gently amusing comedy, but in truth that's not enough to make this a must - seek - out pic for those wishing to blow the blues away. Nice to see Royal Ascot feature though, that is if you like horse racing mind... 5/10

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 5

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-04-04

Ian Carmichael "Willie", is the pretty hapless son in a family of petty thieves. One evening he turns up at their daily reckoning with a sui... read more

Ian Carmichael "Willie", is the pretty hapless son in a family of petty thieves. One evening he turns up at their daily reckoning with a suitcase that he pinched from a vicar at the railway station. Turns out it contains a small fortune in £1 notes. Snag is, they all have the same serial numbers. Prudent dad (James Hayter) tells him to burn the lot, but he refuses and armed with his loot, he sets off to make a living on his own. Meantime, Robert Helpmann is trying to find out who stole his cash - and is soon on his trail. Carmichael tries quite hard here, but the joke runs out of steam very quickly and the comedy becomes more thinly stretched as he tries to impress barmaid "Gloria" (Brenda Lee). Kathleen Harrison hams up nicely as his emotionally charged mother, and Leslie Philips manages to get in on the joke renting him out an hotel suite for 40 guineas a day, but these are but fragments in a lacklustre vehicle for a star that is just short of sustainability.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by John Chard

Not really a hic-hic hooray here. Out of Pinewood Studios, The Big Money is directed by John Paddy Carstairs and written by John Baines. It stats Ian Carmichael, Belinda Lee, Robert Helpmann, James Hayter, Kathleen, Harrison and George C...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 5

Written by John Chard on 2017-07-31

Not really a hic-hic hooray here. Out of Pinewood Studios, The Big Money is directed by John Paddy Carstairs and written by John Baines. It stats Ian Carmichael, Belinda Lee, Robert Helpmann, James...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 5

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-04-04

Ian Carmichael "Willie", is the pretty hapless son in a family of petty thieves. One evening he turns up at their daily reckoning with a suitcase that he pinched from a vicar at the railway station. T...

read more