I've been thinking about a black and white (1950s?) Bitish comedy film that I can remember watching just once when I was a child. Unfortunately no one else seems to know what I'm talking about.
I've tried to search on google and whatismymovie.com etc and I've had no luck finding anything except random daily mail articles and other forms of rubbish.

As far as I remember the plot involved the death of a factory owner. In his will he outlined that he wanted to be cremated in a specific outfit. There are a number of people (rival companies?) after his secret recipe (I think it was lemonade?) but no one knows where it is. After several attempts to find it, the recipe is finally discovered in the old man's shoe. After it is found it blows out of the man's hand that found it and finally lands in some fresh concrete just as a bronze statue of the factory owner is lowered into it outside the factory.

Fingers crossed someone can name it/has seen it/or at least knows what I'm talking about. Everyone keeps telling me it's not a real film!

Well the good news is you're not going mad. I saw some of this film recently, at least the ending of it, and can clearly picture the piece of paper being blown away and landing in the statue base.

The bad news is I cannot for the life of me remember what the film was called, nor anything else that would help me identify it. That's going to bother me all night now!

OMG Aaron, now you have me wondering as I collect especially 50s B&W British comedy films and I don't know what it is, thinking the guy had dreamt it; but with your "endorsement" that's going to gnaw at me now!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one stuck on this now. I've been thinking for weeks about this and I can't name a single actor or anything else about it which really bugs me. All I have is a very vague recollection of the plot line and being told it was classic British comedy when I was very young.
What started me thinking was I'd seen an advert for the Ealing comedies on Gold. I'd always assumed it was one of them, but when I looked at the plot lines, it didn't seem to be anything resembling what I remember.
I called my sister about it last night and she said she remembers it too. As for the name though, no idea. I really want to find it to show people I'm not making it up.

Were there any other studios making similar comedies?

I'm not up on studios apart from Ealing, and there's the Boulting Brothers, but were they a studio? Dunno.

Wasn't there also a big Manchester film studio that concentrated on Northern comics? I seem to remember a documentary about it a few years ago.

Are you sure the film is not pre war?

Aaron could probably tell you more accurately, having seen it more recently, but I believe it was post war.

It might have been one of the Cricklewood releases?

I'm not sure but I think it may actually have been in colour. Early colour, mind.

There were many different studios, production companies, distributors and individual producers working through the 1950s and 60s in particular. I don't think that's going to be a sensible route to go down in identifying the film!

I have no idea but you have me bloody intrigued as well. I spent an hour last night on the internet and came up with nothing.

Quote: Aaron @ 17th March 2017, 1:35 PM

I'm not sure but I think it may actually have been in colour. Early colour, mind.

There were many different studios, production companies, distributors and individual producers working through the 1950s and 60s in particular. I don't think that's going to be a sensible route to go down in identifying the film!

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There's always the possibility that he was watching it on a B&W TV set.

I'm doubting myself now! It may well have been colour, all I can really remember is the plot. All I can distinctly remember is the men finding the paper in the shoe and the paper flying out of his hand and landing in the concrete.
There might have been a Carry On actor in it?
Where did you see it out of interest Aaron?

Quote: HCook @ 17th March 2017, 10:36 PM

Where did you see it out of interest Aaron?

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I'm not sure. Talking Pictures TV is the likeliest, but I went through their entire comedy schedule for 2016 and 2017 so far without spotting anything.

By Jove! I've got it!

1972.

Starring Bill Fraser, it's That's Your Funeral, the big screen version of the sitcom of the same name.

The original TV series is all missing, but you will be relieved to hear that the film is due to be released on DVD a little later this year!

https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/thats_your_funeral/shop/5311/thats_your_funeral/

Click the Wishlist button on that page and we'll send you an e-mail when it's available to order.

Quote: Aaron @ 18th March 2017, 1:19 AM

That's Your Funeral, the big screen version of the sitcom of the same name.

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I bought that several years back in Australia from a $2 shop. It was one of those very crap quality transfers of a dodgy old print of crappy films on a very shoddy two or three-on-one DVD, themed something like "classic British comedy gems". I got it because it had Dennis Price (in his sad twilight). I recall the undertakers and a coffin mix-up and some inadvertent weed smoking. I thought it was dire.

Quote: Aaron @ 18th March 2017, 1:19 AM

By Jove! I've got it!

1972.

Starring Bill Fraser, it's That's Your Funeral, the big screen version of the sitcom of the same name.

View original

PHEW! Well remembered Aaron, now we can all relax. Also being a "1950s" man it confirmed that I wasn't going mad with it being "a black and white (1950s?) Bitish comedy film" that I couldn't remember.

Quote: Kenneth @ 18th March 2017, 3:18 AM

I thought it was dire.

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Oh, I won't bother with it then. Ta. Pity as I like Bill Fraser.