Inn For Trouble

Inn For Trouble is a 1960 comedy film and a spin-off from the very popular TV sitcom, The Larkins.

As sitcom spin-offs go, I think at the very least it might be said that it's one of the few films that comes close to matching the quality of the original TV sitcom.

In fact, I'll go further than that: in my own opinion, it's probably the only cinematic spin-off in the history of the world that's actually better than the very good TV sitcom from which it spun off!

Even if the sitcom had never existed, Inn For Trouble would be a thoroughly commendable comedy film.

The strange thing about it - and something for which I can find no explanation - is that the surname of the family in the sitcom is Larkin whereas the surname of the same family in the film is Larkins.

The Wikipedia page for Inn For Trouble gives their surname as Larkin but that is incorrect - as evidenced by Ada quoting the family surname in dialogue as "Larkins" in an early scene, a sign on Alf's office door that reads "Mr Alfred Larkins", several other characters using the name "Larkins" when referring to one of the family members and, perhaps most importantly, the end credits which give the family's name as Larkins.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 23rd October 2019, 1:31 PM

The strange thing about it - and something for which I can find no explanation - is that the surname of the family in the sitcom is Larkin whereas the surname of the same family in the film is Larkins.

I don't believe that the surname of the family in the sitcom is Larkin, as you suggest.

If you look at the closing credits at the end of the episodes, for example in the Youtube clip below, the family name is clearly given as Larkins

What a brilliant find, Billy!

The situation we now have is that the title of the TV series is wrong.

If the name of the family were Jones, the name of the TV series would be "The Joneses". It would be absurd to title it "The Jones".

Likewise, because the name of the family is Larkins, the name of the TV series should be "The Larkinses".

Admittedly, the correct name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue but that's surely no excuse for committing such a monumental error.

I can scarcely believe that such an error wasn't noticed before the programme first aired.

Or is there some other explanation that has escaped me?

PS. Interestingly, a great many websites (including comedy specialists) give the surname of the family in the sitcom as Larkin.

PPS. Google cannot come up with a single instance of the plural "Larkinses" being used in connection with the sitcom.

Happy to point out that the only comedy website/specialist that really matters has got it right!

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_larkins/cast_crew/