''Nothing Barred'' is a 1961 British black and white

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Darcy Conyers and starring Brian Rix, Leo Franklyn and

Naunton Wayne Naunton Wayne (born Henry Wayne Davies, 22 June 1901 – 17 November 1970), was a Welsh character actor, born in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales. He was educated at Clifton College. His name was changed by deed poll in 1933. Stage actor His firs ...

Plot

Penniless Lord Whitebait (Naunton Wayne) plans to save his dwindling fortunes by opening his stately home, Whitebait Manor near

Egham Egham ( ) is a university town in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. First settled in the Bronze Age, the town was under the control of Chertsey Abbey for much of the Middle Ages. In 1215, Magna ...

, to the public. But public interest proves minimal, and with rapidly mounting debts and the spiralling costs of his daughter's upcoming wedding threatening to ruin him, Whitebait is forced to take desperate measures. He and his servant Spankforth (Charles Heslop) plot to stage the theft of a valuable painting from Whitebait Manor. They go to

Wormwood Scrubs Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs (or simply Scrubs), is an open space in Old Oak Common located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the borough, ...

prison to collect a suitable prisoner being released, but in error collect Wilfred Sapling (Brian Rix), a plumber who has been doing repairs in the prison. Their conversation to get the man to steal a painting is at cross purposes and he thinks they are discussing plumbing. Meanwhile, elsewhere, a burglar Barger chooses his next target and throws a dart at a map, hitting the town of

. Barger attempts to rob Whitebait Manor but is caught and sent to prison Sapling goes to the prison to repair the plumbing and helps Barger and other convicts escape The group of convicts led by Barger escape through the sewers dressed as a church choir. Sapling follows them and he in turn is pursued by PC Budgie. Sapling and Barger steal a police car to escape but are caught by the police

Cast

* Brian Rix - Wilfred Sapling * Leo Franklyn - Barger *

- Lord Whitebait * Charles Heslop - Spankforth * Ann Firbank - Lady Katherine * John Slater - Warder Lockitt *

Vera Pearce Annie Vera Pearce (27 May 1895 – 18 January 1966) was an Australian stage and film actress. Her lengthy career was carried out in both her home country and in England. Biography Born in Broken Hill (New South Wales), Pearce spent much of h ...

- Lady Millicent * Arnold Bell - Governor *

Alexander Gauge Alexander Gauge (29 July 1914 – 29 August 1960) was a British actor best known for playing Friar Tuck in ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' from 1955 to 1959. Born in a Methodist Mission station in Wenzhou in China,Jack Watling Jack Stanley Watling (13 January 1923 – 22 May 2001) was an English actor. Life and career The son of a travelling scrap metal dealer, Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as a child; and made his stage debut in ''Where ...

- Peter Brewster *

Irene Handl Irene Handl (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British author and character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films. Life Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the younger of two daughters of an Austria-born father ...

- Elsie *

Bernard Cribbins Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over seven decades. During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Groun ...

- the lodger *

Wally Patch Walter Sydney Vinnicombe (26 September 1888 – 27 October 1970) was an English actor and comedian. He worked in film, television and theatre. Biography Vinnicombe was born in Willesden, Middlesex and began working on the music hall stages in ...

- Magazine Stall Proprietor (billed as Walter Patch) * Wilfrid Lawson - Albert *

Terry Scott Owen John "Terry" Scott (4 May 1927 – 26 July 1994) was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven of the ''Carry On films''. He is also best known for appearing in the BBC1 sitcom ''Terry and June'' with June Whitfield. Early lif ...

- PC Budgie * Henry Kendall - Parson * Lionel Ngakane - Convict * Raymond Ray - Convict *

Andrew Sachs Andreas Siegfried Sachs (7 April 1930 – 23 November 2016), known professionally as Andrew Sachs, was a German-born British actor and writer. He made his name on British television and found his greatest fame for his portrayal of the comical Sp ...

- Convict *

Denis Shaw Denis Shaw (7 February 1921 – 28 February 1971) was a British character actor specialising in slimy villains. Born in Dulwich as Douglas Findlay Shaw, he was a rotund man, with dark, wavy hair and slanty eyes. This appearance meant he would ...

- Convict

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' gave the film two out of four stars, and noted, "Another amusing farce by the Rix-Conyers team."

References

External links

* 1961 films 1961 comedy films British comedy films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films {{1960s-UK-comedy-film-stub