''Crooks in Cloisters'' is a 1964

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

comedy film directed by

Jeremy Summers Jeremy Summers (18 August 1931 – 14 December 2016) was a British television director and film director, known for directing television series such as ''The Saint (TV series), The Saint'' and films such as ''Five Golden Dragons'', ''The House o ...

and starring Ronald Fraser,

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

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

and

Melvyn Hayes Melvyn Hayes ('' né'' Hyams; born 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 ...

. It was written by T. J. Morrison and Mike Watts.

Plot

After pulling off a train robbery by tricking the train into stopping with false signal lights, 'Little Walter' and his gang are forced to hide out on a remote Cornish island in a monastery (which they buy with their "ill-gotten gains"), disguised as monks. With them comes 'Bikini', Walter's girlfriend, who is given the job of cook to the group, despite never having cooked in her life. After a few initial setbacks, they slowly adjust to their new contemplative life of tending animals and crops, surviving the added tribulations of visits by a group of tourists and two of the real monks who had been forced to sell the monastery after falling on hard times, including Brother Lucius. Gradually, the gang adjusts to its new pastoral life, which turns out to be much to their liking. A return to a life in the city is less appealing by the day. With the help of Phineas, a fisherman, they continue to receive and dispose of stolen goods. The crooks change and are kinder and gentler, but 'Brother' Squirts begins to place bets on the dogs and the police become suspicious. When Walter decides it is safe to leave, none of them want to go, including Willy, who has fallen for June, Phineas's granddaughter; these two manage to get away safely together. Walter gives the deeds of the island to the real monks who had originally owned it, and just as the rest of the gang say goodbye, they see the police waiting for them.

Cast

* Ronald Fraser as Little Walter (Walt) *

as Bikini *

Grégoire Aslan Grégoire Aslan (born Krikor Kaloust Aslanian (); 28 March 1908 – 8 January 1982) was a Swiss-Armenian actor and musician. Early life He was born to an Armenian family in Switzerland or in Constantinople, according to different sources. He m ...

as Lorenzo *

as Squirts *

Davy Kaye Davy Kaye MBE (born David Kodeish, 25 March 1916 – 3 February 1998) was a British comedy actor and entertainer. Early life Born in Mile End Road in the East End of London to Jewish parents Koppel and Dora Kodeish, Kaye was so small at birth ...

as Specs *

Wilfrid Brambell Henry Wilfrid Brambell (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was an Irish television and film actor, best remembered for playing the grubby rag-and-bone man Albert Steptoe alongside Harry H. Corbett in the long-running BBC television sitcom '' ...

as Phineas *

as Willy *

Joseph O'Conor Joseph O'Conor (14 February 1916 – 21 January 2001) was an Irish actor and playwright. Early years O'Conor was born in DublinAlan Strachan ''The Independent'', 2 February 2001Stephen GilbertObituary ''The Guardian'', 25 January 2001 on ...

as Father Septimus *

Corin Redgrave Corin William Redgrave (16 July 19396 April 2010) was an English actor. Early life Redgrave was born in Marylebone, London, the only son and middle child of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. He was educated at Westminster School and ...

as Brother Lucius *

Francesca Annis Francesca Annis (born 14 May 1945) is an English actress. She is known for television roles in '' Reckless'' (1998), '' Wives and Daughters'' (1999), ''Deceit'' (2000), and '' Cranford'' (2007). A six-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 1979 ...

as June *

Norman Chappell Norman Chappell (31 December 1925, Lucknow, India – 21 July 1983) was an English character actor, known for numerous roles in television and film. Biography Born in India during the British Raj, Chappell appeared mainly in television series as ...

as Benson *

Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, known early in his career for writing the 1925 play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life for the British television sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–77 ...

as newsagent * Patricia Laffan as Lady Florence *

Alister Williamson Alister Williamson (17 June 1918 – 19 May 1999) was an Australian-born character actor, who appeared in many British films and television series of the 1960s and 1970s. A big, craggy-faced man, he would usually be found playing gruff police in ...

as Mungo *

Russell Waters Russell Waters (10 June 1908 – 19 August 1982) was a British film actor. Waters was educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School, Glasgow and the University of Glasgow. He began acting with the Old English Comedy and Shakespeare Company then app ...

as ship's chandler * Howard Douglas as publican *

Max Bacon Max Bacon is an English rock singer. He was the lead singer for 1980s rock group GTR, as well as for Burn the Sky, Moby Dick, Nightwing, Phenomena, and Bronz. He was the vocalist on GTR's top 40 single, "When the Heart Rules the Mind" and GTR' ...

as bookmaker

Production

''Crooks in Cloisters'' was filmed at the Associated British Picture Studios at

Borehamwood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 36,322, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly know ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, and at

St Mawes St Mawes () is a village on the end of the Roseland Peninsula, in the eastern side of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth harbour, on the south coast of Cornwall, England. The village, formerly two separate hamlets, lies on the east bank of the Carri ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. The harbour is

Portloe Portloe () is a small village in Cornwall, England, on the Roseland Peninsula, in the civil parish of Veryan. Portloe harbours two full-time working fishing vessels, the ''Jasmine'' and ''Katy Lil'', which fish for crab and lobster in Veryan ...

. The opening train robbery sequence involves British Rail class 4 diesel locomotive D140 (later to become class 46 under

TOPS Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) is a computer system for managing railway locomotives and rolling stock, known for many years of use in the United Kingdom. TOPS was originally developed between the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), ...

) at an as-yet unidentified location. The exteriors sequences for the monastery were filmed around the grounds of Ashridge House in Ashridge near Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "Surprisingly, this turns out to be one of those films which are more entertaining than they look on paper. Some of the material is obvious, certainly, and even ardent enthusiasts of broad farce would seldom find it screamingly funny; but on the other hand, like Jeremy Summers' first film, ''

The Punch and Judy Man ''The Punch and Judy Man'' is a 1963 black and white British comedy film directed by Jeremy Summers and starring Tony Hancock, Sylivia Syms, Ronald Fraser and Barbara Murray. It was written by Hancock from a script by Philip Oakes, and mad ...

'', it is done with an ingratiating geniality and quiet good humour, coupled with an absence of the chamber pot jokes usually associated with this type of comedy. Walt's semi-comic yet sincere prayer to the Almighty for the recovery of the critically ill Willy is a touch which could well be dispensed with, although even this is not so embarrassing as it might have been. The casting could hardly have been bettered." ''The

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

Guide to Films'' gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "Anything but a pseudo-''

Carry On Carry On may refer to: Film * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *''Carry-On'', a 2024 American action thriller film Music Albums * ''Carry On'' (Chris Cornell album) * '' ...

'', this cosy bungled crime comedy is much more a product of the post-Ealing school. The emphasis is firmly on character as Ronald Fraser and his gang lie low in a monastery to throw the cops off their trail. Bernard Cribbins is in fine fettle as one of Fraser's gormless colleagues and Barbara Windsor is funnier than the ''Carry Ons'' ever allowed her to be."

References

External links

*
''Crooks in Cloisters'' synopsis''Crooks in Cloisters'' on the BFI website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crooks in Cloisters 1964 films 1964 comedy films British crime comedy films Films shot at Associated British Studios 1960s English-language films Films directed by Jeremy Summers Films set in Cornwall 1960s British films 1960s crime comedy films English-language crime comedy films