During the Cold War, an idiotic R.N. lieutenant, who cannot be fired due to his connections, is transferred from the Admiralty to the far away Mothball Fleet to a rusty destroyer whose crew is running an illegal money-making scheme.
Production Details
Exclusive Films Presents A Byron Film Production
RCA Sound Recording
Made at the New Elstree Studios
Photographed in Hammerscope
Black & White 80 mins
Filming Began: 11th November 1957
UK Release: 2nd June 1958
Studio:
Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire
Location:
Thomas Ward Ship Breakers, Greys, Essex – Scenes of moored destroyer
Stills from film
Click an image for enlarged slideshow
Cast & Crew
Crew – Believed complete
Red = Uncredited
Crew | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer | |
Art Director | Elven Webb | 47 | 29 Aug 1910 | Sep 1979 | 69 | 1 | 1 | ||
Art Director | Ward Richards | 53 | 22 Mar 1905 | 1967 | 61 | 1 | 1 | ||
Assistant Director | John Peverall | 27 | 1931 | 3 Oct 2009 | 78 | 21 | 21 | ||
Camera Operator | Moray Grant | 40 | 13 Nov 1917 | 17 Sep 1977 | 59 | 29 | 29 | ||
Continuity | Gladys Reeve | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Director | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/val-guest/# | 46 | 11 Dec 1911 | 10 May 2006 | 94 | 30 | 30 | ||
Director of Photography | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/arthur-grant/# | 43 | 1915 | 1972 | 57 | 34 | 34 | ||
Editor | Helen Wiggins | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Make-up | Alec Garfath | 42 | 17 Jun 1915 | 1971 | 55 | 2 | 2 | ||
Music Composer | Tony Lowery | 70 | 5 Mar 1888 | 29 Feb 1976 | 87 | 1 | 1 | ||
Musical Director | Tony Fones | 38 | 19 Oct 1919 | 30 Oct 1997 | 78 | 1 | 1 | ||
Original Story and Screenplay | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/val-guest/# | 46 | 11 Dec 1911 | 10 May 2006 | 94 | 30 | 30 | ||
Original Story and Screenplay | John Warren | 41 | 13 Nov 1916 | 1977 | 60 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |
Original Story and Screenplay | Len Heath | 31 | 19 Mar 1927 | 28 Jul 2017 | 90 | 2 | 2 | ||
Producer | Henry Halsted | 51 | 1907 | 10 Mar 1970 | 63 | 6 | 6 | ||
Production Supervisor | Fred A Swann | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Sound Supervisor | George Adams | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Technical Advisor | J H Pidler | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Third Assistant Director | Ted Morley | 24 | 1934 | 2004 | 70 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
Cast | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer | |
Decorator | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/michael-ripper/# | 45 | 27 Jan 1913 | 28 Jun 2000 | 87 | 34 | 2 | 36 | |
Farm Labourer | Donald Bisset | 47 | 3 Aug 1910 | 10 Aug 1995 | 85 | 2 | 2 | ||
Flag Lt. | Tom Gill | 41 | 26 Jul 1916 | 22 Jul 1971 | 54 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
Lieutenant | Peter Wayne | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Lily | Vera Day | 22 | 4 Aug 1935 | 04.08.1935 | 89 | 4 | 4 | ||
Lofty | Max Butterfield | 26 | 10 Jun 1931 | 1991 | 59 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Lt. Commander | Hugh Latimer | 45 | 12 May 1913 | 12 Jun 2006 | 93 | 3 | 3 | ||
Lt. Fairweather | David Tomlinson | 41 | 7 May 1917 | 24 Jun 2000 | 83 | 2 | 2 | ||
Nelson | Michael Goodliffe | 43 | 1 Oct 1914 | 20 Mar 1976 | 61 | 6 | 6 | ||
Perkins | Lionel Murton | 43 | 2 Jun 1915 | 26 Sep 2006 | 91 | 3 | 3 | ||
Policeman | Leonard Fenton | 32 | 29 Apr 1926 | 29 Jan 2022 | 95 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Publican | Reginald Beckwith | 49 | 2 Nov 1908 | 26 Jun 1965 | 56 | 6 | 6 | ||
Regulating Petty Officer | Jack McNaughton | 52 | 22 Dec 1905 | 22 Feb 1990 | 84 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
Scouse | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/david-lodge/# | 36 | 19 Aug 1921 | 18 Oct 2003 | 82 | 10 | 10 | ||
Small Boy | Malcolm Ranson | 12 | 15 Jan 1943 | 12 Mar 2022 | 75 | 1 | 1 | ||
Station Master | Frank Pentingell | 67 | 1 Jan 1891 | 17 Feb 1966 | 75 | 1 | 1 | ||
Steady Barker | Lionel Jeffries | 31 | 10 Jun 1926 | 19 Feb 2010 | 83 | 5 | 5 | ||
Susanne | Lillian Sottane | 24 | 1934 | 12 Jun 2015 | 81 | 2 | 2 | ||
Webster | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/barry-lowe/# | 33 | 1925 | 12 Dec 2011 | 86 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |
With | Hazel Sutton | 2 | 2 |
Original Poster
Click to enlarge
Footnotes
Although filmed in Hammerscope and released by Exclusive, this film was purely a Byron Film production and not a co-production with Hammer, as is the case with the sequel Further up the Creek, also 1958.
The warship seen in the film was the ‘Berkeley Castle’, an ex Castle Class Corvette of the Royal Navy.
This was popular comedian and “Goon” Peter Sellers first starring role.
David Tomlinson went on to appear in Disney classice Mary Poppins (1964), The Love Bug (1968) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). His final acting appearance was in The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Manchu (1980), which was also the final film of Peter Sellers.