Are You Being Served? (film)
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| Are You Being Served?: The Movie | |
|---|---|
 Are You Being Served? |
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| Directed by | Bob Kellett |
| Produced by | Andrew Mitchell |
| Written by | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd |
| Starring | John Inman, Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, Trevor Bannister, Wendy Richard, Arthur Brough, Nicholas Smith |
| Cinematography | Jack Atcheler |
| Editing by | Al Gell |
| Distributed by | EMI |
| Release date(s) | 1977 |
| Running time | 95 mins |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Are You Being Served?: The Movie, is a 1977 motion picture based on the British sitcom Are You Being Served?, which follows the staff of Grace Brothers' Men's and Women's Department as they take a holiday in Costa Plonka while their department is renovated.
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[edit] Plot
Grace Brothers' requires renovation. To compensate for time off work, Young Mr Grace (Harold Bennett) sends the entire staff of the Men's and Women's Department on the Second Floor on a two week holiday to Costa Plonka in Spain. While there, they find themselves in the middle of a revolution, and among the essential holiday larks – trying the local cuisine, setting up camp, and passing naughty notes to each other over the dinner table, for instance – they must deal with being confined to their hotel during the uprising.
When Captain Peacock (Frank Thornton) announces that Mrs Peacock won't be joining them on their holiday, Mrs Slocombe (née Mary Elizabeth Jennifer Rachel Abergavenny Yiddell , Mollie Sugden) sees an opportunity to seduce him. She is as oblivious as ever to the fact that Captain Peacock has his eye – or rather both eyes – on Miss Brahms (Wendy Richard), the attractive young Womenswear junior. Peacock is, in turn, seemingly unaware that Miss Brahms has known all along, deflecting each advance with ease, which lends to the phrase "Every time a coconut."
The staff find, to their chagrin, that the public bathroom only has a lock on the outside, and that the local custom is to sing a song while you are using it to let others know of its occupation. This causes a problem for Mr Grainger (Arthur Brough), who after a local meal states, "Many more dinners like that, and I shall have to learn a longer song!"
Dinnertime proves to be very eventful, as many of the staff take the opportunity to pass naughty notes to each other around the table. Needless to say few of the notes reach their intended recipients, and chaos ensues when Mrs Slocombe receives a note, presuming it to be from Captain Peacock, when really it was from Mr Lucas (Trevor Bannister) to Miss Brahms.
Mr Humphries (John Inman) is popular with the girls – and, as situation has it, the other sex – and has to deal with the advances of Conchita (Karan David), a señorita working at the hotel. She frequents Mr Humphries' tent at night, with the hopes that he will "make her happy".
And to top it all, fully armed civil unrest led by Cesar Rodriguez (Glyn Houston) forces the team to remain inside the hotel, for fear of being involved any more than necessary.
The premise of the entire floor going away on package holiday comes from “Hurrah for the Holidays”. The “I’ll bet it’s not the first time you lost your knickers in the tube” gag comes from “Cold Store”. The Arab Emir coming in to buy trousers comes from “Fire Practice”. Mrs. Slocombe having trouble getting out of the lift comes from the “Series Pilot”. Mrs. Slocombe wondering what a very tacky display costs (for personal purchase) comes from “Father Christmas Affair”. Looking at the brochures in Mr. Rumbold’s office with the maintenance man comes from “Hurrah for the Holidays”. The “it pays to advertise” quip comes from “It Pays to Advertise”. The entire sleeping in tents (and misc. gags such as blowing up airbags) comes from “Camping In”. The “Do I detect an anti-German sentiment” and subsequent byplay comes from “German Week”. The entire passing of the notes gag comes from “Dear Sexy Knickers”. The “Who’s for melon balls?” gag comes from “Coffee Break”. The “You’re brave having seafood salad” and subsequent byplay comes from “Coffee Break”. The pouring of the wine resulting in a bathroom rush comes from “A New Look”. Mr. Lucas taking the bra off the model gag comes from “Cold Store”. Ms. Brahms saying to a customer “Oh that does suit Madam” as she tries on hats comes from “No Sale”. The gag of the girl being “much happier since he’s had the operation” comes from “Diamonds are a Man’s Best Friend”. Mr. Humphries’ minicab breaking down on the way to a fancy dress party comes from “Wedding Bells”. The slow typing (one finger) secretary gag was later recycled in “The Sweet Smell of Success”
[edit] Reception
Are You Being Served?: The Movie received generally poor reviews, for instance described by Michael Stailey as a movie that is "guilty of violating almost every law of comedy and film." [1] While the general response was somewhat milder, the movie is widely considered to be lacking in originality, plot, and focus. The actors are said to be half-hearted and unfocused in their portrayal of their characters, a state that was caused by the fact that they found it hard to adapt to the lack of studio audience and reaction to skits and one-liners.
Another disappointment was that the movie seems is generally compiled of various skits and jokes already used in episodes for the original show, with little originality in storyline or humour. Mrs. Slocombe's offscreen inflation of her air mattress to the horrified reaction of Captain Peacock was a joke used in the 1973 episode "Camping In". The "Dear Sexy Knickers" note that failed to reach its intended recipient had also been previously used in an episode from the show's first season.
The film was an adaptation of the very successful stage version of the show which enjoyed a two year run in 1976 and 1977.
[edit] Cast
The full core cast of characters appear in this film, with all the actors reprising their roles from the original series and joined by a few guests.
[edit] Core
| John Inman | as | Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries |
| Mollie Sugden | as | Mrs Betty Slocombe |
| Frank Thornton | as | Captain Stephen Peacock |
| Trevor Bannister | as | Mr Dick Lucas |
| Wendy Richard | as | Miss Shirley Brahms |
| Arthur Brough | as | Mr Ernest Grainger |
| Nicholas Smith | as | Mr Cuthbert Rumbold |
| Harold Bennett | as | Young Mr. Grace |
| Arthur English | as | Mr. Beverley Harman |
| Penny Irving | as | Miss Nicholson |
[edit] Guests
| Karan David | as | Conchita |
| Glyn Houston | as | Cesar Rodriguez |
| Andrew Sachs | as | Don Carlos Bernardo, the Hotel Manager |
| Derek Griffiths | as | The Emir |
| Nadim Sawalha | as | The Emir's Interpreter |
[edit] Quotes
| PEACOCK: | I had a bit of bad news yesterday. Mrs. Peacock won't be accompanying us. |
| BRAHMS: | Oh yes? |
| PEACOCK: | Two lonely persons thrown together on a foreign shore. It could be quite romantic. We'll have to watch it, won't we? |
| BRAHMS: | Well, I intend on going to the discos every night, so you'll have to watch it on your own. |
| PEACOCK: I look forward to seeing the pantyhoses, er, pentyhouses. |
| RODRIGUEZ: | Decide now! Are you with them, or are you with us? |
| BERNARDO: | Is that gun loaded? |
| RODRIGUEZ: | Of course. |
| BERNARDO: | I am with us. |
