Make Mine a Million

Make Mine a Million

British theatrical poster
Directed by Lance Comfort
Produced by John Baxter
Barbara K. Emary
Written by Arthur Askey
Peter Blackmore
Jack Francis
Talbot Rothwell
Starring Arthur Askey
Dermot Walsh
Sid James
Olga Lindo
Music by Stanley Black
Cinematography Arthur Grant
Edited by Peter Pitt
Production
company
Distributed by British Lion Film Corporation
Release dates
 1959
Running time
 81 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

Make Mine a Million is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Lance Comfort, starring Arthur Askey, Sid James, and Bernard Cribbins.[1] The film parodies the stuffiness of the 1950s BBC and the effect of television advertising in the era.

Plot

Arthur Ashton is a makeup man working for National Television (a parody of the BBC). During a visit to the local laundry, he meets Sid Gibson a shady salesmen who is trying to flog Bonko, a brand of washing powder, but who can't afford to advertise on TV. The fairly clueless Arthur agrees to help him, and they manage to plug an advert for Bonko on National Television by interrupting the live feed. This causes quite a stir amongst the National heads, who have Arthur fired. Despite this, the advert proves extremely popular and demand for the product soars.

After repeating the stunt at Ascot Races, Sid, realising that this is potentially a huge moneymaker, does a deal with an advertising executive and, with Arthur's help, they plug cake mix at the Edinburgh Festival. After a narrow escape, Arthur wants to quit, but Sid persuades him to do one final job—interrupting a press conference between the British Prime Minister and the American President. On the way, the Post Office van they are using is hijacked by criminals. Arthur, who is in the back of the van, contacts the police to thwart the robbery, leading to the final barnyard showdown. In the end, Arthur, now a hero and celebrity, gets his own TV show, brokered by Sid, of course.

Cast

Reception

The Radio Times Guide to Films gives the film three stars out of five, describing it as a "pacey romp".[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0517084/
  2. ↑ Radio Times Guide to Films. 2004. p.879
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