That Riviera Touch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!)
Any material not supported by sources may be challenged and removed at any time. This article has been tagged since July 2006.

That Riviera Touch (1966) was the second feature-length film made by the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise.

1 Plot synopsis
2 Background
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Plot synopsis

After Eric Simpson (Eric Morecambe) nearly gives the queen of England a parking fine, he and Ernest Clark (Ernie Wise) decide to take a vacation in the South Of France. However, when they arrive there, they become unwittingly involved in a jewel theft when the thief Le Pirate (Paul Stassino) decides to use them to smuggle some precious jewels out of the country. He sends the two Englishmen to a sinister villa and sends the beautiful Claudette (Suzanne Lloyd), a member of his criminal gang, to keep Eric and Ernie occupied while he carries out the various stages of his plan. Confusion ensues however, as the two battle over the love of Claudette, and Eric accidentally wins a large sum of money at a casino. Eventually Eric and Ernie start to get suspicious and start to investigate...

[edit] Background

Directed by Cliff Owen, That Riviera Touch was filmed both in England and on the French Riviera. Like the legendary comic duo's other film outings, this film is not widely appreciated, but fans of Morecambe and Wise should be reasonably entertained. They both put a lot of energy into their performances and are well supported by the rest of the cast too. And there is also a neat score by Ron Goodwin who also wrote two songs for the film, "That Riviera Touch", a fast number sung by Ernie Wise over the opening credits, which are excellently made with photos of the two interspersed over various drawings relating to the film's plot, and a slow song "Now That You're Here" which is also sung by Ernie, while Eric mimes his singing to seduce Claudette. The film was written by Peter Blackmore, S. C. Green and R.M. Hills and was produced by Hugh Stewart.

[edit] Trivia

In the opening scenes of the film Eric & Ernie, along with their elderly car, fly from Britain to Le Touquet, France, in a British United Air Ferries Bristol Superfreighter, a method of taking a car across the channel that was popular at the time.