Who Done It? (1956 film)
Who Done It? is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Benny Hill, Belinda Lee, David Kossoff, Garry Marsh, and George Margo. One of the last Ealing comedies, it was Benny Hill's film debut.[2]
| Who Done It? | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Basil Dearden Michael Relph |
| Produced by | Michael Relph |
| Written by | T. E. B. Clarke |
| Based on | story by T.E.B. Clarke |
| Starring | Benny Hill Belinda Lee David Kossoff Garry Marsh George Margo |
| Music by | Philip Green |
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Edited by | Peter Tanner |
| Distributed by | J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors |
Release date | 18 March 1956[1] |
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Who Done It? opened at the New Victoria and Dominion Cinemas in London on 18 March 1956 before entering general release.[1]
Plot
An ice rink sweeper, Hugo Dill, dreams of being a private investigator. He wins a cash prize and a bloodhound in a sleuthing contest and sets up as a private eye. He gets involved in a spy hunt centering on a top ranking scientist from behind the Iron Curtain. A blonde friend, Frankie, tags along with him.
Cast
- Benny Hill as Hugo Dill
- Belinda Lee as Frankie Mayne
- David Kossoff as Zacco
- Garry Marsh as Detective Inspector Hancock
- George Margo as Barakov
- Ernest Thesiger as Sir Walter
- Denis Shaw as Otto Stumpf
- Frederick Schiller as Gruber
- Jeremy Hawk as Himself
- Norah Blaney as Actress
- Thorley Walters as Raymond Courtney
- Philip Stainton as Jimmy Maddox
- Warwick Ashton as Police Constable Roberts
- Stratford Johns as Police Constable Coleman
- Nicholas Phipps as Scientist
- Gibb McLaughlin as Scientist
- Ernest Jay as Scientist
- Harold Scott as Scientist
- Charles Hawtrey as Disc Jockey
- Arthur Lowe (uncredited)
Production
It was one of the last films shot at Ealing Studios and also one of the last Ealing movies distributed by Rank.[3][4] Filming started in September 1955 and took 50 days of which Hill was required for 47. Writer TEB Clarke spent months studying Hill's technique on TV and the halls and created the script to showcase Hill's ability of mimicry. Basil Dearden said Hill was "an inventive chap. Full of suggestions." Hill said "yes and they're so good that he's turned them all down." Belinda Lee was finishing The Feminine Touch while the shooting began on Who Done It?.[5]
It was one of several comedies Lee made while under contract at Rank.[6]
Reception
Variety said "There is plenty to please the fans of tv comic Benny Hill in this rollicking slapstick comedy, but the situations and stock ingredients are corny and unlikely to make the grade with more fastidious picturegoers. Pic will cash in with the lower bracket audiences and nabe houses... [Hill] exploits his fatuous personality to the full, while Belinda Lee, as his casually acquired femme friend, lends fleeting glamour to an almost allmale background... Seasoned players supply convincing support in contrasting roles, and the whole is briskly^ welded together."[7]
References
- "Benny Hill". Art & Hue. 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- PICTURE SHOW Gossip Filmer, Fay. Picture Show; London Vol. 65, Iss. 1695, (Sep 24, 1955): 3-4.
- "Ealing Ends 9 Year Pact with Rank". Variety. 15 February 1956. p. 12.
- "Keep British Flavour". Variety. 29 February 1956. p. 18.
- Wilson, Cecil (6 September 1955). "Meet the Belle with Biceps". Daily Mail (London, England). p. 6.
- Vagg, Stephen (7 September 2020). "A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee". Filmink.
- Review of film at Variety