Skipper Will Fyffe and most of his crew row their lifeboat into the neutral port of Esperanto, where the local officials wear comic-opera uniforms and the language is probably Interlingua. He explains to British consul Leslie Banks that the Germans sank his ship before war was declared, and they're going to provide him a new one. Meanwhile, Banks is distracted by daughter Phyllis Calvert's cowardly commando boyfriend, Hugh McDermott. Besides a sunk ship, Fyffe has the problem of bar owner Yvonne Arnaud, who wants him for her sixth husband, and the fact the locals throw him in jail every time he steals a German ship, which seems to happen every ten or fifteen minutes.
This comedy-drama is ably directed by cut-glass farce expert Marcel Varnel, who takes the script and keeps the gags to a minimum, allowing the actors the chance to play comedy the best way: absolutely straight.
See if you can spot 28-year-old Hugh Griffith in his uncredited screen debut. I couldn't.
This comedy-drama is ably directed by cut-glass farce expert Marcel Varnel, who takes the script and keeps the gags to a minimum, allowing the actors the chance to play comedy the best way: absolutely straight.
See if you can spot 28-year-old Hugh Griffith in his uncredited screen debut. I couldn't.