The Navy Lark. Image shows left to right: Commander Stanton, RN (Cecil Parker), Captain Povey (Nicholas Phipps), Lt. Peter Pouter (Leslie Phillips). Credit: 20th Century Fox

Key details

Genre
Film
Released
1959
Stars
Cecil Parker, Ronald Shiner, Leslie Phillips, Elvi Hale, Nicholas Phipps, Harold Kasket, Gordon Jackson, Reginald Beckwith and more
Writers
Lawrie Wyman and Sid Colin
Director
Gordon Parry
Producer
Herbert Wilcox
Company

Naval Commander Stanton and his men enjoy a peaceful life on the mid-Channel island of Boonzey, supposedly sweeping the busy aquatic thoroughfare for mines, and are shocked when a new area commander, Captain Povey, arrives on a mission to assess all bases and thin out the senior service's flab.

Despite not quite detecting every one of their games and ruses, Povey never the less sees through the façade immediately and resolves to have each and every one of the men stationed there transferred or dismissed, and the entire base shut down.

Unfortunately for Povey he's not reckoned upon the extent of their resolve, cunning - or stupidity! Between real mines, fake mines, drunken locals, a dim-witted wannabe photographer, a top secret weapon and a bout of apparent yellow fever, the personnel of Boonzey get to work in securing their rather comfortable positions, but accidentally end up triggering an international diplomatic incident in the process!

Additional details

UK certificate
U
Duration
82 minutes
UK release
Sunday 27th December 1959
Distributors

20th Century Fox

Production
Studio
Camera set-up
Single camera
Picture
Black and white

Website links

Recording details

  • The Walton Studios