...and of Covent Garden as it looked in 1957. But that aside this was a wholly misconceived last gasp to come from Michael Balcon at Ealing Studios, following their earlier equal but different failure at making a film star of Benny Hill in 'Who Done It?'
'Who Done It?' - which had been directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Michael Relph - had been a throwback to both Dearden & Ealing's slapstick comedies of the pre-war and wartime period. 'Davy' by contrast marked the first of several attempts over the next few years to launch popular British TV comedians on the big screen in Technicolor; but also remained one of the least successful. First-time director Relph (whose father George plays 'Uncle Pat') seemed overwhelmed by the wide screen, which drains the life from this expensive folly's attempts to try for pathos, in the face of a surprisingly poor script from veteran comedy writer William Rose which would probably have worked better if less elaborately produced.
'Who Done It?' - which had been directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Michael Relph - had been a throwback to both Dearden & Ealing's slapstick comedies of the pre-war and wartime period. 'Davy' by contrast marked the first of several attempts over the next few years to launch popular British TV comedians on the big screen in Technicolor; but also remained one of the least successful. First-time director Relph (whose father George plays 'Uncle Pat') seemed overwhelmed by the wide screen, which drains the life from this expensive folly's attempts to try for pathos, in the face of a surprisingly poor script from veteran comedy writer William Rose which would probably have worked better if less elaborately produced.