''The Magnificent Two'' is a 1967 British

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 o ...

directed by

Cliff Owen Cliff Owen (22 April 1919 – November 1993) was a British film and TV director best known for his comedy ''The Wrong Arm of the Law'' which starred Peter Sellers. He also directed two of the three films, made in the mid-1960s, featuring the double ...

and starring

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, workin ...

in the third and final of their 1960s trio of films.

Plot

Two British

Action Man Action Man is an action figure launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "movable fighting man", G.I. Joe. Action Man was originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom and Australia by Palitoy Ltd of ...

travelling salesmen are sent to the

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

n country of Parazuellia to sell their goods. During the train journey, Eric accidentally opens a door leading to the death of the returning British educated Torres who is the figurehead of a revolutionary movement and a government

secret police Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic ...

man arresting him. Upon arrival in the city of Campo Grande, Eric is mistaken by the revolutionaries for Torres, and though they discover the death of the real Torres they pay Eric and Ernie to maintain Eric's impersonation of Torres to lead a revolution to oust a brutal

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in time ...

. However, once the revolution is successful Eric gains an inflated opinion of himself.

Cast

Eric Morecambe John Eric Bartholomew, (14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's d ...

as Eric * Ernie Wise as Ernie *

Margit Saad Margit Saad (born 30 May 1929) is a German actress who has worked largely in German film and television, with occasional English language appearances. Biography She was born in Munich, Bavaria, the daughter of a Lebanese linguist father and a ...

as Carla * Virgilio Teixeira as Carillo *

Cecil Parker Cecil Parker (born Cecil Schwabe, 3 September 1897 – 20 April 1971) was an English actor with a distinctively husky voice, who usually played supporting roles, often characters with a supercilious demeanour, in his 91 films made between ...

as British ambassador *

Isobel Black Isobel Anne Gatward ( Black; born 15 December 1942), known professionally as Isobel Black, is a British actress. She is the daughter of the screenwriter Ian Stuart Black. Isobel Black attended Queen Elizabeth's Girls’ Grammar School in Barn ...

as Juanita * Martin Benson as President Diaz *

Tyler Butterworth Tyler Butterworth (born 6 February 1959, Redhill, Surrey) is an English actor. Early life Tyler Butterworth was born 6 February 1959 in Redhill, Surrey. His father was Peter Butterworth, who starred in many of the ''Carry On'' films. His mothe ...

as Miguel - President's Younger Son *

Sandor Elès József Sándor Éles (15 June 1936 – 10 September 2002), sometimes credited simply as Sándor Éles, was a Hungarian actor. He was best known latterly for TV and film work. Born in Tatabánya, 60 km from Budapest, Éles was orphaned dur ...

as Armandez *

Victor Maddern Victor Jack Maddern (16 March 1928 – 22 June 1993) was an English actor. He was described by ''The Telegraph'' as having "one of the most distinctive and eloquent faces in post-war British cinema." Life and career Born in Seven Kings, ...

as Drunken soldier *

Michael Gover Michael Ole Phillipson Gover (31 August 1913 – 2 May 1987) was an English actor best known for his portrayal of Arthur Russell in the BBC television series '' Survivors''. He started acting late in life after failing in his dream of being an a ...

as Doctor

Production

The film was shot at Black Park, the

Longmoor Military Railway The Longmoor Military Railway (LMR) was a British military railway in Hampshire, built by the Royal Engineers from 1903 in order to train soldiers on railway construction and operations. The railway ceased operation on 31 October 1969. Route ...

and

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

. The film was also known as ''What Happened at Campo Grande?''

Reception

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an engine ...

'' wrote, "in which the comedians' special talents are woefully misused. At least Cliff Owen keeps it pacy, making it the least awful of the trio of movies in which the duo failed to take the cinema by storm"; and ''

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. Corporat ...

'' described it as a "fair comedy." While it did well financially, it failed to reach the "top 20" highest-grossing films at the British box office for 1967.

References

1967 films 1967 comedy films British comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films directed by Cliff Owen Morecambe and Wise Films scored by Ron Goodwin Films set in South America 1960s English-language films 1960s British films {{1960s-UK-comedy-film-stub