Not Now, Comrade. Image shows from L to R: Rudi Petrovyan (Lewis Fiander), Barbara Wilcox (Carol Hawkins), Nancy Rimmington (Michele Dotrice). Copyright: Not Now Films Limited
Not Now, Comrade

Not Now, Comrade

  • 1977 film

A simple car bump is all it takes for a Ministry of Defence Commander to end up harbouring a Soviet dancer attempting to defect to the West. Stars Leslie Phillips, Roy Kinnear, Windsor Davies, Don Estelle, Michele Dotrice and more.

Not Now, Comrade. Image shows from L to R: Commander Rimmington (Leslie Phillips), Nancy Rimmington (Michele Dotrice). Copyright: Not Now Films Limited

Key details

Genre
Film
Released
1977
Stars
Leslie Phillips, Roy Kinnear, Windsor Davies, Don Estelle, Michele Dotrice, Ray Cooney, June Whitfield, Carol Hawkins and more
Writer
Ray Cooney
Directors
Harold Snoad and Ray Cooney
Producer
Martin C. Schute
Company

Having sneaked past his ballet company's state security guards to visit a Soho burlesque show, Russian ballet dancer Rudi Petrovyan falls in love with its star, Barbara Wilcox. Determining to defect to the West to be with her, an escape is arranged: during a photo call outside the Royal Albert Hall, a distraction will be caused so that he may jump into an open car boot and be driven away.

Unfortunately for Rudi and Barbara a slow-speed car crash nearby causes a similar motor's boot to pop open: and he hastily leaps inside the car of none other than a Ministry of Defence official, Naval Commander Rimmington.

Barbara pursues them to Rimmington's country home where she enlists the help of his daughter, Nancy, and her boyfriend, Gerry - a civil servant at Number 10, no less!

With the dancer's disappearance already making national headlines, the Government keen to avoid embarrassment, and Russian security services in the garden, Barbara, Gerry and Nancy - along with reluctantly involved gardener Hoskins - attempt to get Rudi away without anyone finding out what's going on and who is really who.

An MI6 official turning up at the front door is just the start of their problems...

Additional details

UK certificate
A
Duration
89 minutes
Distributors

EMI

Production
Studio
Camera set-up
Single camera
Picture
Colour
Soundtrack
Theme tune Not Now composed by Walter Ridley with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and sung by Don Estelle. Other music composed by Harry Robinson.

Website links

Broadcast details

Most recent repeats
  • Saturday 9th December 2017 at 1:45am on TPTV
  • Thursday 9th November 2017 at 1:45am on TPTV
  • Thursday 26th October 2017 at 12:05am on TPTV

Recording details

  • EMI Elstree Studios