''Spring and Port Wine'' is a

stage play A play is a work of drama, usually consisting mostly of dialogue between characters and intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. The writer of a play is called a playwright. Plays are performed at a variety of levels, f ...

by Bill Naughton and a 1970 British kitchen sink drama film based on it. The drama is set in Bolton and concerns the Crompton family, especially Rafe, the father, and his attempts to assert his authority in the household as his children grow up.

The Play

The original version, ''My Flesh, My Blood'', was a BBC radio play broadcast on 17 August 1957 in the ''

Saturday Night Theatre ''Saturday Night Theatre'' was a long-running radio drama strand on BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk rad ...

'' series. By April 1958, a version for BBC Television had been broadcast and, in October 1959, a stage adaptation was presented at the Bolton Hippodrome. Retitled ''Spring and Port Wine'', the play was first produced in Birmingham prior to opening at London's

Mermaid Theatre The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre encompassing the site of Puddle Dock and Curriers' Alley at Blackfriars in the City of London, and the first built in the City since the time of Shakespeare. It was, importantly, also one of the first new th ...

in November 1965, with Alfred Marks (as Rafe), Ruth Dunning (as Daisy), John Alderton (as Harold), Jennifer Wilson (as Florence), Jan Carey (as Hilda),

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(as Arthur), Gretchen Franklin (as Betsy Jane) and

Melvyn Hayes Melvyn Hayes (''né'' Hyams; 11 January 1935) is an English actor and voice over performer. He is best known for playing the effeminate Gunner (later Bombardier) "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom '' It Ain't Half Hot Mum'', for appea ...

(as Wilfred) in the cast. It was produced by Allan Davis and Michael Medwin, in association with the Mermaid Theatre Trust; Davis was also the director. In January 1966, the production transferred to the Apollo Theatre in the West End, subsequently moving to the New Theatre in July 1967 and then St Martin's Theatre in June 1968. It achieved a West End run of 1,236 performances. Alfred Marks, meanwhile, had left the cast and from 1967–68 played the lead role of Rafe in an Australian tour. The play was adapted (by N. Richard Nash, who was uncredited) to a setting in the United States under the title ''Keep It in the Family'', which ran on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre for five performances in September 1967. The play was profiled in the

William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays '' ...

book '' The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway''.

The Film

Plot

The following synopsis and cast are taken from the film. The play's plot is very similar. Rafe Crompton (

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

) works in a weaving mill. He is a proud man but not a rich man. He lives in a garden city style

council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...

beyond the standard brick terraces of the town. At the end of the week he gathers the various wages from his children and passes it to his wife, Daisy ( Diana Coupland) who with Florence the eldest daughter ( Hannah Gordon) keeps the family budget in order, making allowances for lending neighbours cash for emergencies such as the repossession of their

hire purchase A hire purchase (HP), also known as an installment plan, is an arrangement whereby a customer agrees to a contract to acquire an asset by paying an initial installment (e.g., 40% of the total) and repaying the balance of the price of the asset pl ...

TV. The younger daughter Hilda ( Susan George) is seen as being a bit aloof and she refuses to eat the herring which has been prepared for "tea". Her father determines to serve it to her every day until she eats it. The sons Harold and Wilfred ( Rodney Bewes and

Len Jones Len Jones (born ) is a British former child actor and voice actor of the 1960s and 70s. In his youth, Jones appeared in television series such as ''Z-Cars'' (1964–68), ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' (1966), '' Dixon of Dock Green'' (1966–75), '' ...

) are shocked when a box is delivered containing a fine overcoat together with a receipt for 40 guineas. Mr Crompton likes the family to stand around the piano and sing hymns. The herring issue comes to a head when the herring disappears. It is found outside being eaten by the cat. However, Mr Crompton does not believe the herring was taken by the cat. He makes Wilfred swear on the bible that he did not move the herring. Wilfred faints under the pressure. This precipitates both daughters to leave. Florence goes to live with her fiancé Arthur. Hilda goes to stay with the neighbours, the Duckworths. However, this proves to be a step down rather than up. Mr Duckworth ( Frank Windsor) sits around in a filthy vest making demands on his long-suffering wife ( Avril Elgar) while his daughter ( Adrienne Posta) eats a banana wrapped in bread. Moreover it appears that Hilda is pregnant. Her mum pawns the new overcoat to give money to help her. The neighbour Mrs Duckworth also shows her how to break into the bureau to get at the cash box. From this the family starts to crumble when Mr Crompton discovers the losses. Mrs Crompton runs off in the rain. Rafe finds her under a bridge, staring into the canal, possibly considering

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

. He says he doesn't care about the coat or the money. Meanwhile the boys pack and prepare to also leave. As Mr and Mrs Compton walk home everything is resolved. He even considers that Hilda refused to eat her herring as she is pregnant, comparing her to when his wife was pregnant. Rafe also says that he will give Hilda his love and protection if she is pregnant. At home he confesses he has always known of her trickery with the housekeeping money but as a sign of trust gives her the key to the bureau and cashbox. Florence is persuaded to stay home until she marries. They also know Hilda is pregnant but ask her to also stay. She accepts. The boys are free to leave but choose not to. The film ends with Mr Crompton playing the piano and Hilda singing a hymn while the rest of the family gather round on the chairs in the living room. They are all reunited again.

Cast

as Rafe Crompton * Diana Coupland as Daisy Crompton * Susan George as Hilda Crompton * Rodney Bewes as Harold Crompton * Hannah Gordon as Florence Crompton *

as Wilfred Crompton *

Keith Buckley Keith Buckley (born November 19, 1979) is an American singer, best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the now defunct hardcore punk band Every Time I Die and the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things. He is also a published author. Earl ...

as Arthur Gasket * Avril Elgar as Betsy-Jane Duckworth * Adrienne Posta as Betty Duckworth * Frank Windsor as Ned Duckworth *

Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 36 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom '' D ...

as Mr. Aspinall * Marjorie Rhodes as Mrs. Gasket *

Bernard Bresslaw Bernard Bresslaw (25 February 193411 June 1993) was a British actor. He is best known as a member of the ''Carry On'' film franchise. Bresslaw also worked on television and stage, did recordings and wrote a series of poetry. Biography Bernard B ...

as Lorry Driver * Joseph Greig as Allan (TV man) * Christopher Timothy as Joe (TV man) *

Ken Parry Ken Parry (20 June 1930 – 5 December 2007), was an English actor, born in Wigan, Lancashire. Bald, portly and cherubic, Parry portrayed mainly comic character parts in a number of films, but was more prolific on television, in such series as ''T ...

as Pawnbroker * Reg Green, Jack Howarth,

Bryan Pringle Bryan Pringle (19 January 1935 – 15 May 2002) was an English character actor who appeared for several decades in television, film and theatre productions. Life and career Born in Glascote, Tamworth, Staffordshire, he was brought up in the L ...

and John Sharp as Bowlers * Bernard Smidowicz as Van Driver

Production

Filming

The external shots were shot in Bolton in 1969 and the family house is 51 Grisdale Road. It was filmed whilst many of the old industrial buildings remained and as St. Peters Way was being constructed, and the film includes panoramic shots of an early stage of work on that part of the new road adjacent to

St Peter's Church St. Peter's Church, Old St. Peter's Church, or other variations may refer to: * St. Peter's Basilica in Rome Australia * St Peter's, Eastern Hill, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia * St Peters Church, St Peters, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ...

, where it follows the former course of the River Croal and the Bolton arm of the

Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal is a disused canal in Greater Manchester, England, built to link Bolton and Bury with Manchester. The canal, when fully opened, was long. It was accessed via a junction with the River Irwell in Salford ...

. The movie was the first film shot at Elstree Studios after Bryan Forbes took over.Pearson, Kenneth. "The Great Film Gamble." Sunday Times ondon, England13 April 1969: 53. ''The Sunday Times'' Digital Archive. Web. 29 March 2014. Two-thirds of the budget was provided by Anglo-EMI,

Nat Cohen Nat Cohen (23 December 1905 – 10 February 1988)William D. Rubinstein, et al (eds.''The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History'' Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, p.171 was a British film producer and executive. For over four decades he was one of t ...

's subsidiary of EMI Films.

Radio versions

After the film version, Naughton's play returned to its radio roots no fewer than three times, featuring in the BBC's ''Afternoon Theatre'' strand in August 1975, July 1979 and July 1982.

References

External links

* * {{IBDB title, 2950, Keep It in the Family
Spring & Port Wine Fan Page
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4:3tv - The Retro Forum
1970 films 1970 drama films British drama films British films based on plays Films shot in Greater Manchester Films set in Lancashire Films scored by Douglas Gamley Plays by Bill Naughton Bolton 1970s English-language films 1970s British films