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Up the Chastity Belt

2022-09-10T11:56:24Z

2A00:23C4:BF84:BE01:D01B:E5C7:27B7:3779: /* Music */

{{short description|1971 British comedy film}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Up the Chastity Belt
| image = "Up_The_Chastity_Belt"_(1971).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Australian poster
| director = [[Bob Kellett]]
| producer = {{ubl|Terry Glinwood|[[Ned Sherrin]]}}
| writer = {{ubl|[[Sid Colin]]|[[Ray Galton]]|[[Alan Simpson (scriptwriter)|Alan Simpson]]}}
| narrator =
| starring = [[Frankie Howerd]]
| music = [[Carl Davis]]
| cinematography = [[Ian Wilson (cinematographer)|Ian Wilson]]
| editing = Al Gell
| distributor = [[Anglo-EMI]]
| released = 1971
| runtime = 94 min
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =£216,000<ref>{{Cite book|page=105|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQZ0DwAAQBAJ&q=%22emi+films+and+the+limits+of+british+cinema%22&pg=PA1|title=EMI Films and the Limits of British Cinema|first=Paul|last= Moody|publisher=Springer|date= Oct 19, 2018|isbn = 9783319948034}}</ref>
| gross =
}}

'''''Up the Chastity Belt''''' (also released as '''''Naughty Knights''''' in the United States) is a 1971 British comedy film directed by [[Bob Kellett]] and starring [[Frankie Howerd]]. It was a spin-off from the TV series ''[[Up Pompeii!]]''

==Plot==
[[Eleanor of Aquitaine]] gives birth to twin sons, Lurkalot first and then Richard. But the nobles, led by Sir Braggart de Bombast, abduct baby Lurkalot and abandon him in a forest to die. He is raised by a family of pigs who belong to Sir Coward de Custard who takes him in as a [[serf]]. By way of remittance, Lurkalot aids his master by selling love potions and chastity belts as well as some unusual inventions in the local village, as Sir Coward is not a particularly successful noble. Lurkalot is also visited by strange "voices" in the middle of the night who speak to him and try to tell him who he really is, but get drowned out by events like lightning.

All grown up, Richard is bored of ruling England and decides to go on a [[Third Crusade|crusade]]. Meanwhile, Sir Braggart de Bombast wants to acquire Sir Coward's lands and daughter for himself and makes him an offer. Sir Coward refuses but invites Sir Braggart and his followers to a banquet so as not to offend them, but refuses to toast [[John of England|Prince John]]. Offended, Sir Braggart challenges Sir Coward to a duel, with Lady Lobelia as the prize. Lurkalot, although not a [[knight]], takes up the challenge as the "Man with no name" and defeats Sir Braggart's champion, Sir Grumbell de Grunt, with the aid of a giant magnet. Realising that the rules of [[chivalry]] have not been met, Sir Braggart declares the duel void and declares war. Lurkalot and Lady Lobelia flee to his [[workshop]] where to protect his master's daughter, he locks her up with a [[chastity belt]].

Sir Coward responds to the challenge by running away to join the crusades, whilst Lurkalot, encouraged by his voices, goes to find both him and Richard the Lionheart. Once in the Holy Land, he discovers that the "crusades" are actually a [[Bacchanalia]]n [[orgy]], an excuse to leave the wives and families for a few years. [[Saladin]] is actually a friend of a crusader and started everything. Richard will not leave the Holy Land, as he is with [[Scheherazade]] and insists on trying every position in the ''[[Kama Sutra]]''. Lurkalot's voices provide inspiration, and he takes all the unused weaponry and fashions them into chastity belts. He then brings [[feminism]] to Saladin's women, who go on strike, and Richard is forced to return home.

In Germany, Richard meets a local woman and decides to stay with her. He casually tosses Lurkalot the crown and says that if he looks like him, he can be him. Lurkalot returns home and attempts to rally the people, but he is recognised as Lurkalot and is accused of [[witchcraft]] following his earlier escape from the [[castle]] where he used his flying machine. After being [[Cucking stool|ducked]], he is sentenced to death by burning, but is rescued by [[Robin Hood]]. They plan an attack on Sir Braggart and are joined by Sir Coward, who is fed up with being bullied and fortified by smoking from a [[hookah]] pipe. Meanwhile, Richard has had to flee to England following an ignoble episode with his German woman and returns to Lurkalot's village, where he is captured by people mistaking him for Lurkalot.

Sir Coward feigns severe illness to get himself and Lurkalot into the castle, where they are incarcerated. He suffers withdrawal symptoms from the loss of his hookah and Lurkalot offers to make him a remedy based on [[sulphur]] and [[charcoal]], but spills in [[Potassium nitrate|saltpetre]] by accident. He mixes it together, but Sir Coward, who hates taking medicine, throws it in the direction of a fire, where it ignites and blows open the door. Lurkalot calls his new invention "[[gunpowder|gone powder]]" and they use it to open the castle gate so Robin Hood can attack. Meanwhile, Sir Braggart duels Lurkalot and reveals that he must be Richard's twin brother. The two battle all over the castle, and he is eventually forced to flee in disgrace. Richard then resumes his rule and everything is right in the land. He agrees to marry Lady Lobelia and makes Lurkalot a knight, but Lurkalot gets Lady Lobelia whilst Richard returns to Scheherazade.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
*[[Frankie Howerd]] as Lurkalot / [[Richard the Lionheart]]
*[[Graham Crowden]] as Sir Coward de Custard
*[[Bill Fraser]] as Sir Braggart de Bombast
*[[Hugh Paddick]] as [[Robin Hood]]
*[[Anna Quayle]] as Lady Ashfodel
*[[Eartha Kitt]] as Scheherazade
*[[Roy Hudd]] as Nick the Pick
*[[Godfrey Winn]] as Archbishop of all England
*[[Anne Aston]] as Lobelia
*[[Lance Percival]] as Reporter
*[[Royce Mills]] as Knotweed
*[[Fred Emney]] as Mortimer
*[[Dave King (actor)|Dave King]] as Landlord of the Blue Boar
*[[David Prowse]] as Sir Grumbel de Grunt
*[[Nora Swinburne]] as Lady in Waiting
*[[Judy Huxtable]] as Gretel
*[[Lally Bowers]] as The Voice (voice)
*[[Derek Griffiths]] as Saladin
*[[Iain Cuthbertson]] as Teutonic Knight
*[[Billy Walker (boxer)|Billy Walker]] as Chopper
*[[Rita Webb]] as Maid Marian
*[[Long John Baldry]] as Little John
*[[David Kernan]] as Troubador
*[[Frank Thornton]] as Master of Ceremonies
*[[David Battley]] as Yokel
*[[Chris Sandford]] as Mutch
*[[Norman Beaton]] as Blacksmith
*[[Sam Kydd]] as Locksmith
*[[John Gorman (entertainer)|John Gorman]] as 1st Man-at-arms
*[[Aubrey Woods]] as Vegetable Stall Owner
*[[Christopher Timothy]] as Vendor
*[[Sammie Winmill]] as Waitress
*[[Patricia Quinn (Northern Irish actress)|Patricia Quinn]] as Wife
*[[Ian Trigger]] as Lucky Charm Seller
}}

==Production==
The film had investment from the [[Robert Stigwood]] Organisation.

===Music===
[[Eartha Kitt]] sings "A Knight for My Nights".

==Reception==
The film was a financial success.<ref>City comment: Thanks to the pound Swan, Hunter; Stigwood, Robert. The Guardian 2 Aug 1972: 16.</ref> It was one of the most popular movies of 1972 at the British box office.<ref>{{cite book|page=270|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NTmrBgAAQBAJ&q=guinness+book+of+box+office+hits+swern+childs&pg=PA268|title=British Film Culture in the 1970s: The Boundaries of Pleasure: The Boundaries of Pleasure|first=Sue|last= Harper|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|date= 2011|isbn = 9780748654260}}</ref>

The ''[[Radio Times]]'' gave the film two out of five stars, finding "few comic highlights to brighten these 'dark ages'".<ref>{{cite web|url =https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fw6j56/up-the-chastity-belt/|title =Up the Chastity Belt|first =David |last =Parkinson|website =Radio Times|access-date =12 January 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{AllRovi movie|34651}}
* {{British Comedy Guide|film|up_the_chastity_belt}}
* {{IMDb title|0067917}}

{{Galton and Simpson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Up The Chastity Belt}}
[[Category:1971 films]]
[[Category:1970s historical comedy films]]
[[Category:British historical comedy films]]
[[Category:Films shot at EMI-Elstree Studios]]
[[Category:Films directed by Bob Kellett]]
[[Category:Films based on television series]]
[[Category:EMI Films films]]
[[Category:1971 comedy films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Sid Colin]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Richard I of England]]
[[Category:Crusades films]]
[[Category:Robin Hood parodies]]
[[Category:Robin Hood films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s British films]]

Holiday on the Buses

2022-09-10T11:48:56Z

2A00:23C4:BF84:BE01:D01B:E5C7:27B7:3779: /* Production notes */

{{Short description|1973 British comedy film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2014}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Holiday on the Buses
| image = "Holiday_on_the_Buses"_(1973).jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| director = Bryan Izzard
| writer = [[Chesney and Wolfe|Ronald Chesney]] [[Chesney and Wolfe|Ronald Wolfe]]
| producer = Ronald Chesney Ronald Wolfe
| starring = [[Reg Varney]] [[Anna Karen]] [[Doris Hare]] [[Michael Robbins]] [[Bob Grant (actor)|Bob Grant]] [[Stephen Lewis (actor)|Stephen Lewis]] Adam Rhodes
| cinematography = Brian Probyn
| editing = [[James Needs]]
| music = [[Denis King]]
| studio = [[Hammer Films]]
| distributor = [[EMI Films#MGM-EMI|MGM-EMI]]
| released = {{Film date|1973|12|26|df=y}}
| runtime = 95 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
}}
'''''Holiday on the Buses''''' is a 1973 British [[comedy film]] directed by Bryan Izzard and starring [[Reg Varney]] and [[Doris Hare]]. The film is the third and final spin-off film from the ITV sitcom ''[[On the Buses]]'' and succeeded the films ''[[On the Buses (film)|On the Buses]]'' (1971) and ''[[Mutiny on the Buses]]'' (1972). The film was produced by [[Chesney and Wolfe|Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe]] for [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer Films]]. A fourth film was originally planned but cancelled.<ref name= bfi>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6bddebad|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724211154/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6bddebad|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-24|title=Holiday on the Buses (1973)|work=BFI}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/on_the_buses/about/|title=On the Buses|work=comedy.co.uk}}</ref>

==Plot==
The negligent bus driving of Stan Butler ([[Reg Varney]]), a driver for the Town & District bus company, finally causes a major accident in the garage forecourt. The first one injures Blakey ([[Stephen Lewis (actor)|Stephen Lewis]]), this being caused by Stan not focussing on the road after a woman suffered a wardrobe malfunction with her top and almost running into a car. The second accident (thanks to Jack not looking behind) being damaging the manager's car from accidentally reversing into it and trapping the manager underneath the bonnet. The final accident once again after not concentrating on the road being the wrecking of two of the company's buses after another crashes into the side of Stan's bus. As a result of this, both he and Blakey are sacked, along with Stan's close friend and conductor, Jack ([[Bob Grant (actor)|Bob Grant]]). Forced to look for new jobs, after failing to find work at the labour exchange and being out of work for weeks, Jack comes across an advert in a newspaper and suggest's that both he and Stan go for an interview to see if they can get the advertised job. Stan and Jack manage to secure the job and started work at a [[Pontins]] holiday camp in [[Prestatyn]], North [[Wales]], as a bus crew for its tour bus. But their joy is short-lived when they discover that Blakey, whose foot is still recovering, also has a job at the camp as its new security inspector. Despite this, Stan decides to invite his family to stay there for a holiday on his staff discount, though his tight-fisted brother-in-law, Arthur, refuses to pay for the train fare, instead relying on his motorcycle and sidecar to transport the Butler family, consisting of himself, Stan's Mum, his wife and Stan's sister Olive, and his son Little Arthur. However, a mishap while travelling to the camp leads to them losing most of their luggage in the river, while one case they recover is so filled with mud that the clothes inside are ruined.

Meanwhile, as the Butler family try to begin enjoying their holiday, Blakey decides to keep a watchful eye on Stan and Jack as they get up to their usual tricks and misadventures, all while spending time with the camp's nurse, whom he loves, and using his spare time to teach an old-time dancing class to some of the camp's guests. At the same time, Mum encounters an Irish widower by the name of Bert ([[Wilfrid Brambell]]), whom she forms a close friendship with upon learning he is holidaying at the camp. While working the tour bus, Stan makes attempts to snare the affections of a female guest by the name of Mavis, but is repeatedly thwarted by her overbearing mother. One occasion being when her mother asked Mavis to join her for a bicycle ride, the second when acting as lifeguards when they had no driving to do on the day & the third being her mother interrupting them when Stan asked Mavis to join him for a drink (her mother decides to join the two of them). When he does manage to secure some time with her, he becomes obliged by the family to babysit Little Arthur, but is so focused with Mavis, he inadvertently allows his nephew to get hold of a water pistol filled with ink that he soon sprays around one of the bedrooms of the Butler's chalet. Horrified, the Butlers become forced to redecorate the chalet before Blakey or the management find out as Stan would get sacked.

Seeking to make up for the disaster, Stan takes the family on a boat cruise, using it as a final attempt to seduce Mavis, but this fails when he struggles with the stormy seas, eventually succumbing to seasickness while Jack takes advantage to steal his love. Although the repainting goes well upon the Butler's return the paintwork is still wet requiring six hours to dry, as a result Olive ruins it during the night by leaving handprints over the painted walls while trying to find the room's light switch, forcing Arthur to redo the work the next day. Once finished, he decides to use petrol from his motorcycle to clean the brushes, yet in doing so, neglects to tell anyone that Olive poured it down the toilet, resulting in it being blown up when Stan carelessly discards a cigarette into it. Needing to repair the damage, Stan and Jack steal a new toilet from the camp's stores, while having Olive and Arthur join Blakey's old-time dancing class in order to divert the Inspector's attention. Olive however manages to break her glasses and because the toilet in their chalet is not finished she loses her way and winds up going into the wrong chalet and another man's bed by mistake.

Shortly after repairing the damage, Stan attempts to win the affections of Maria, an Italian woman who works at the staff canteen and cleans the manager's chalet, unaware that her brother Luigi, a chef in the staff canteen, is overprotective of her, but on the night that he tries to seduce her in the manager's chalet, he is forced to hide when the manager and his wife return earlier than he expected. The next morning, Blakey jumps to conclusions about Stan's fling and informs Luigi of what he misheard. At first Luigi doesn't believe Blakey but will have a talk with Stan, however after he sees Maria kiss Stan he grabs hold of Stan pulling him into the kitchen and promptly leading beats up Stan. However, the Inspector's joy is short-lived when Luigi angrily accuses him of lying, after the manager, unaware of the truth, reveals that no such amorous event occurred in his chalet as he and his wife were only out for a few minutes. Later that day in the nurses office, after Stan had been seen to after his injuries received in the beat-up, Jack visits the nurse for a quick fling, having been doing so behind Blakey's back, but is forced to leave when he comes to see her, accidentally leaving behind his jacket in her office. When the Inspector finds them, he wrongly believes Stan is seeing her and, in a fit of rage, chases him. This proves to be the final straw for the manager who sacks Blakey for having romantic liaisons with the nurse against staff policies.

For the Butler family, their holiday ends with reasonable success despite the mishaps, though as they return home, they suffer one more mishap when they lose their luggage once again in the same river (mainly thanks to Olive). Meanwhile, Stan and Jack, delighted that Blakey is now gone, set their sights on two new female guests, and borrow the bus for an evening trip to the beach. However, the pair panic when the bus sinks into wet sand and cannot be moved, leading them to decide to wait until morning to try moving it again. When they first return to move the bus they find that the tide is partly in and believing the tide is going out choose to return an hour later, this later decision however leads to the bus being completely submerged by the tide and the pair are promptly sacked for their actions. Left on the dole again Stan and Jack return to the labour exchange for new jobs, only to find that Blakey to their horror is now a clerk at the exchange. Although he initially gloats over Stan's predicament, he eventually provides him a job appropriate for someone who is "always smashing things up". The story ends with Stan as the driver of a wrecking ball for a demolition company, bringing down a building.

==Cast==
* [[Reg Varney]] - Stan Butler
* [[Doris Hare]] - Mabel 'Mum' Butler
* [[Michael Robbins]] - Arthur Rudge
* [[Anna Karen]] - Olive Rudge
* [[Stephen Lewis (actor)|Stephen Lewis]] - Inspector Cyril 'Blakey' Blake
* [[Bob Grant (actor)|Bob Grant]] - Jack Harper
* [[Wilfrid Brambell]] - Bert Thompson
* [[Kate Williams (actress)|Kate Williams]] - Red Cross Nurse
* [[Arthur Mullard]] - Wally Briggs
* [[Queenie Watts]] - Lily Briggs
* [[Henry McGee]] - Holiday Camp Manager
* Adam Rhodes - Little Arthur
* [[Michael Sheard]] - Depot manager
* Hal Dyer - Mrs. Coombs
* [[Franco De Rosa]] - Luigi
* Gigi Gatti - Maria
* Maureen Sweeney - Mavis
* [[Eunice Black]] - Mrs Hudson (Mavis' Mum)
* [[Sandra Bryant]] - Sandra
* Carolae Donoghue - Doreen
* Annette Long - Betty
* Tara Lynn - Joyce
* [[Harry Fielder]] - Busman
* [[Alex Munro (comedian)|Alex Munro]] - Patient

==Production==
===Filming===
It was filmed on location at The [[Pontin's]] Holiday Camp, [[Prestatyn]], [[North Wales]]. Interiors were completed at [[EMI-MGM Elstree Studios]], Borehamwood. The film was also Michael Robbins and Reg Varney's final appearances in the ''On the Buses'' franchise; having already quit the TV series for its final season which aired the same year. Scenes were also filmed at Dyserth, at the Waterfall Shop. Other locations include Rhuddlan and Rhyl.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://butlinsmemories.com/pontins/prestatyn2002/index.htm|title=Pontins Prestatyn Holiday Camp 2002|work=butlinsmemories.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reelstreets.com/index.php?option=com_films_online&task=view&id=426|title=Reel Streets|work=reelstreets.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reelstreets.com/index.php/component/films_online/?task=view&id=426&start=20|title=Reel Streets|work=reelstreets.com}}</ref>

The open top bus was XFM 229, a [[Bristol LD]] new to [[Crosville Motor Services]] which was scrapped in 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/Bus_Bristol%20VR.html|title=Bus_Bristol VR|work=visit-gloucestershire.co.uk}}</ref>

==Reception==
[[Hugh Leonard]], reviewing ''Holiday on the Buses'' gave the film zero stars out of four. Leonard added "This one should be buried in unhallowed ground".<ref>Hugh Leonard, ''[[Sunday Independent (Ireland)|Sunday Independent]]'', December 24th, 1978 (p. 18).</ref>

The film was successful at the box office which led to plans for a fourth effort, Fun on the Buses, which was never made.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0071613}}.
* {{rotten-tomatoes|holiday_on_the_buses_1973}}.

{{On the Buses|state=collapsed}}
{{Chesney Wolfe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holiday On The Buses}}
[[Category:1973 films]]
[[Category:1973 comedy films]]
[[Category:British comedy films]]
[[Category:Films shot at EMI-Elstree Studios]]
[[Category:Films based on television series]]
[[Category:Films set in Wales]]
[[Category:Films shot in Wales]]
[[Category:Hammer Film Productions films]]
[[Category:Films about buses]]
[[Category:On the Buses]]
[[Category:EMI Films films]]
[[Category:Films about vacationing]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s British films]]