View source for The Night We Got the Bird

{{short description|1961 film by Darcy Conyers}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Night We Got the Bird
| image          = The Night We Got the Bird.jpg
| caption        = 
| director       = [[Darcy Conyers]]
| writer         = Darcy Conyers<br>[[Brian Rix]]<br>Tony Hilton
| producer       = Darcy Conyers<br>Brian Rix
| starring       = Brian Rix<br> Dora Bryan<br>Ronald Shiner<br>Liz Fraser
| narrator       =
| cinematography = S.D Onions
| editing        = [[Thelma Connell]]
| music          = [[Tommy Watt]]
| distributor    = [[British Lion Film Corporation|British Lion]]
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|1961}}
| runtime        = 82 minutes
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| budget         =
}}

'''''The Night We Got the Bird''''' is a 1961 British [[comedy film]] and a follow up to the 1959 film ''[[The Night We Dropped a Clanger]]''. Directed by [[Darcy Conyers]] and starring [[Brian Rix]], [[Dora Bryan]], [[Ronald Shiner]] and [[Irene Handl]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6bec47f6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713124923/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6bec47f6 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-13 |title=The Night We Got the Bird &#124; BFI &#124; BFI |publisher=Explore.bfi.org.uk |date= |accessdate=2014-03-04}}</ref> it is based on Basil Thomas's play "The Love Birds",<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-night-we-got-the-bird-v104020 | title=The Night We Got the Bird (1960) - Darcy Conyers &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related &#124; AllMovie }}</ref> and was the last film appearance by Ronald Shiner.

The title references a phrase in [[British English]] with its origin in the world of 19th century theatre, where it was customary to hiss like a goose to express disapproval.<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of 'get the bird' |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/get-the-bird |website=Collins |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Origin of: Give someone the bird |url=https://idiomorigins.org/origin/give-someone-the-bird |website=Idiom Origins |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref>

==Plot==
When unscrupulous [[Brighton]] [[antiques dealer]] Cecil Gibson (Ronald Shiner) dies in a road accident, his widow Julie (Dora Bryan) remarries, and her new husband Bertie (Brian Rix) was Cecil's innocent but naive business partner. One of their wedding presents, from an unknown source, is a mouthy [[South American]] [[parrot]], which appears to be a reincarnated Cecil whose aim is to make married life difficult for Bertie. As Bertie and Julie go off on their honeymoon, they are chased by a gangster because of a fake antique bed that the late Cecil substituted for the real thing which he then sold for a profit.<ref name="allmovie1">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-night-we-got-the-bird-v104020 |title=The Night We Got the Bird (1961) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast |publisher=AllMovie |date= |accessdate=2014-03-04}}</ref>

==Cast==
* [[Brian Rix]] - Bertie Skidmore
* [[Dora Bryan]] - Julie Skidmore
* [[Ronald Shiner]] - Cecil Gibson
* [[Leo Franklyn]] - Victor
* [[Liz Fraser]] - Fay
* [[Irene Handl]] - Ma
* [[Terry Scott]] - P. C. Lovejoy
* [[Reginald Beckwith]] - Chippendale Charlie
* [[John Le Mesurier]] - Court Clerk

==Production==
The film was made at [[Shepperton Studios]], [[Surrey]], England, and on location. A collection of then-and-now location stills and corresponding contemporary photographs is hosted at reelstreets.com.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Night We Got the Bird, The |url=https://www.reelstreets.com/films/night-we-got-the-bird-the/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 March 2022 |website=ReelStreets}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
''[[TV Guide]]'' wrote, "sophomoric British comedy...The script finds lots of excuses for people to lose their pants and make vulgar, inane sexual jokes that wouldn't amuse a 10-year-old."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.tvguide.com/the-night-we-got-the-bird/review/126261 |title=The Night We Got The Bird Review |publisher=Movies.tvguide.com |date= |accessdate=2014-03-04}}</ref> [[Allmovie]] wrote, "several hilarious slapstick scenes involving chases or sexual encounters, as well as the more reserved wit found in caricatures like an inept magistrate, are all hallmarks of a typically British sense of humor here (shared by many non-Brits)."<ref name="allmovie1"/> [[Sky movies]] wrote, "a fast and furious farce...With humour that's a notch below the contemporary '[[Carry On (franchise)|Carry On]]' films. Never mind, there are some priceless cameo performances from the supporting cast, including [[Robertson Hare]] as a dithering doctor, [[John le Mesurier]] as a long-suffering court clerk, [[Kynaston Reeves]], hilarious as a deaf magistrate, and [[Terry Scott]] as a constable."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skymovies.sky.com/the-night-we-got-the-bird/review |title=The Night We Got the Bird - Sky Movies HD |publisher=Skymovies.sky.com |date=2002-05-24 |accessdate=2014-03-04}}</ref>

== External links ==
*{{IMDb title|0055231}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Night We Got the Bird, The}}
[[Category:1961 films]]
[[Category:1961 comedy films]]
[[Category:Films set in Brighton]]
[[Category:British comedy films]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:1960s British films]]