British Comedy Guide
The Girl On The Boat. Image shows from L to R: Samuel 'Sam' Marlow (Norman Wisdom), Wilhelmina 'Billie' Bennett (Millicent Martin)
The Girl On The Boat

The Girl On The Boat

  • 1962 film

Entanglements abound as charming but bumbling Englishman Sam attempts to win the hand of sweet-natured American Billie. Stars Norman Wisdom, Millicent Martin, Richard Briers, Sheila Hancock, Bernard Cribbins and more.

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Key details

Genre
Film
Released
1962
Creator
PG Wodehouse
Stars
Norman Wisdom, Millicent Martin, Richard Briers, Sheila Hancock, Bernard Cribbins, Athene Seyler, Philip Locke, Noel Willman and more
Writer
Reuben Ship
Director
Henry Kaplan
Producers
John Bryan and Jack Rix
Company

Arriving in New York to meet his Aunt Adeline, now resident there, before taking a short holiday, Sam Marlowe finds his cousin Eustace about to marry a wealthy local girl, Billie. Adeline soon puts a stop to her son's intentions, and orders him back to England with Sam a few short days later.

Boarding a liner back to Southampton, Sam is almost immediately spellbound by a beautiful young woman he sees embarking as a fellow passenger. As the journey progresses he concocts further reasons to meet with her - and eventually discovers that she is, in fact, Bille Bennett, his cousin's former-betrothed.

Sam is soon madly in love, and Billie similarly keen on him. Unfortunately, he's not been wholly honest about his interests, and plied Eustace for information so that he can make out that they have more in common. She dreams of meeting a real alpha male - her own Sir Galahad - and unfortunately for Sam, he doesn't really fulfil the criteria.

Eustace, meanwhile, is confined to his bed with terrible sea-sickness. When he discovers his cousin's antics he is understandably outraged, but on an attempt to leave his cabin, runs into a rather bold woman he passed on the New York subway - a very macho woman, complete with elephant gun, who is longing for a man she can dominate. He fits the bill entirely!

Sadly for Sam, his romantic entanglement with Billie does not run nearly as smooth. He's shown up as being unable to swim when she falls in the ship's pool, and thereafter announces her engagement to her friend and fellow passenger Bream, who's had his eye on her since she was engaged to Eustace.

Arriving in Southampton, Sam is downbeat until he spots an opportunity to keep Billie in England, and soon hatches a plan to win her round. However, a gun, a dog-napping, a suit-of-armour and his Aunt's vacant home do not prove as simple to manage as he had hoped.

Additional details

UK certificate
U
Duration
97 minutes
Produced
1961
Distributors

United Artists

Production
Studio
Picture
Black and white

Website links

Broadcast details

Most recent repeats
  • Friday 16th February 2018 at 1:00pm on London Live
  • Tuesday 16th January 2018 at 1:00pm on London Live
  • Saturday 16th December 2017 at 10:10am on London Live

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