I Only Arsked – 1958

Columbia Corporation Pictures present
A Hammer Film Production
Based on Granada’s Television Series “The Army Game”
Copyright MCMLVIII by Lawrie Productions Ltd. All rights reserved.

All characters in this film are fictitious. Any similarity to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Approved MPAA Certificate No. 19140
RCA Sound recording
Produced at Bray Studios

Black & White 79 Mins

Storyline

A group of misfit soldiers are desperately trying to fiddle themselves some leave. Instead they wrangle a posting to the British Middle-East protectorate of Darawa. Their frustrations and disappointment at landing one of the harshest territories is compensated when they discover a secret passage to the King’s harem.

Crew


Function	Credited	Age at Release	Birth	Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info					Credited	Uncredited	Total
Art Director	John Stoll	45	13 Dec 1913	25 Jun 1990	76	5		5
Associate Producer	Anthony Nelson-Keys	47	13 Nov 1911	19 Mar 1985	73	41		41
Ast. Director	John Peverall	28	1 Jan 1931	3 Oct 2009	78	21		21
Camera Operator	Len Harris	42	19 May 1916	21 Feb 1995	78	52	1	53
Continuity	Doreen Dearnaley	30	20 Nov 1928	3 Feb 1992	63	13		13
Director	Montgomery Tully	54	6 May 1904	10 Oct 1988	84	4		4
Director of Photog.	Lionel Baines	54	27 Jul 1904	1996	91	1		1
Editor	Alfred Cox	34	1925	2005	80	21	4	25
Executive Producer	Michael Carreras	31	21 Dec 1927	19 Apr 1994	66	82	3	85
Hair Stylist	Henry Montsash	53	17 Sep 1905	29 Sep 1974	69	16		16
Make-up	Phil Leakey	50	4 May 1908	26 Nov 1992	84	48		48
Music Composed & Conducted by	Benjamin Frankel	53	31 Jan 1906	12 Feb 1973	67	3		3
Producer	Anthony Hinds	36	18 Sep 1922	30 Sep 2013	91	84	1	85
Production Manager	Don Weeks	54	15 Nov 1904	Mar 1988	83	30		30
Song “AloneTogether”	Sid Colin	43	31 Aug 1915	12 Dec 1989	74	4		4
Song “AloneTogether”	Walter Ridley	45	28 Feb 1913	23 Jan 2007	93	1		1
Sound Recordist	Jock May	54	1 Jan 1905	8 Jan 1991	86	30	1	31
Special Effects	Sid Pearson					9	1	10
Supervising Editor	James Needs	39	17 Oct 1919	4 Feb 2003	83	110	1	111
The “Army Game” Theme	Pat Napper					1		1
Wardrobe	Molly Arbuthnot	50	19 Dec 1908	31 Oct 2001	92	48	4	52
Written	Sid Colin	43	31 Aug 1915	12 Dec 1989	74	4		4
Written	Jack Davies	45	25 Nov 1913	22 Jun 1994	80	2		2
Uncredited
Additional Music	Naim Al-Basri						1	1
Focus Puller	Harry Oakes	38	16 Jan 1921	11 Dec 2012	91		53	53

Cast


Character	Actor	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Alfie Bass’s song	Alfie Bass	42	8 Apr 1916		15 Jul 1987	71	3		3
Azim	Michael Ripper	46	27 Jan 1913		28 Jun 2000	87	34	2	36
Colonel Danvers	Martin Boddey	51	16 Apr 1907		24 Oct 1975	68	4		4
Corporal Singer	Michael Medwin	35	18 Jul 1923		26 Feb 2020	96	6		6
Cupcake	Norman Rossington	30	24 Dec 1928		21 May 1999	70	1		1
Excused Boots	Alfie Bass	42	8 Apr 1916		15 Jul 1987	71	3		3
Ferrers	Ewen MacDuff						1		1
Fred	Michael Bentine	37	26 Jan 1922		26 Nov 1996	74	1		1
General Bender	Basil Dignam	53	24 Oct 1905		31 Jan 1979	73	3	2	5
Mahmoud	Francis Matthews	31	2 Sep 1927		14 Jun 2014	86	4		4
Major Upshot-Bagely	Geoffrey Sumner	50	20 Nov 1908		29 Sep 1989	80	2	1	3
Olding	John McClaren	47	9 Oct 1911		9 May 1970	58	1		1
Popeye	Bernard Bresslaw	24	25 Feb 1934		11 Jun 1993	59	4	2	6
Professor	Charles Hawtrey	44	30 Nov 1914		27 Oct 1988	73	3		3
Salaman	Wolfe Morris	34	5 Jan 1925		21 Jul 1996	71	5		5
Sergeant Chambers	David Lodge	37	19 Aug 1921		18 Oct 2003	82	10		10
Sir Redvers	Arthur Howard	49	18 Jan 1910		18 Jun 1995	85	4	1	5
Tuffnell	Max Brimmell	31	27 Apr 1927		15 Feb 1993	65	1	1	2
Uncredited
Arab	Earl Green							1	1
Arab in Bar	Dido Plumb	53	23 Jun 1905		4 Mar 1991	85		10	10
Arab in Bar	George Spence							4	4
Brigadier	Basil Dignam	53	24 Oct 1905		31 Jan 1979	73	3	2	5
Harem Girl	Claire Gordon	18	16 Jan 1941		13 Apr 2015	74		1	1
Harem Girl	Pauline Chamberlain	26	2 Oct 1932		14 Jan 2021	88		5	5
Harem Girl	Maureen Moore	20	1939	01.01.1939		84		1	1
Harem Girl	Pamela Chamberlain	26	2 Oct 1932	02.10.1932		90		1	1

Production


FILMING BEGAN	21 July 1958
UK RELEASE	9 February 1959
STUDIO	Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England

Footnotes

This was the first film to be made based on a British sitcom, namely The Army Game (ITV).

Montgomery Tulles also directed Hammer’s “36 Hours” (1954) and “Five Days” (1954).

Francis Matthews later appeared in “Revenge of Frankenstein” (1958) and “Dracula, Prince of Darkness” (1966). He also provided the voice for Captain Scarlet in Gerry Andersons TV series “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons” (1967).

Twins Pamela and Pauline Chamberlain appear uncredited here.

Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection