All at Sea (1958) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

When he's stricken with seasickness, the last of a family of sailors takes charge of a decaying amusement pier.

Cast & Crew

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Charles Frend

Alec Guinness

Captain William Horatio Ambrose/[Ambrose's six ancestors]

Harry Locke

Reporter [Peters]

Fredrick Piper

Fred Griffiths

Gerald Case

Film Details

Also Known As

Barnacle Bill

Genre

Comedy

Release Date

Jan 1958

Premiere Information

London, England opening: 17 Dec 1957; New York opening: 21 Dec 1957

Production Company

Ealing Films, Ltd.

Distribution Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Country

Great Britain and United States

Location

Boreham Wood, England, Great Britain; Boreham Wood, Elstree, England, Great Britain; Boreham Wood, Esltree, England, Great Britain

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 32m

Sound

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.85 : 1

Film Length

7,434ft

Synopsis

After Captain William Horatio Ambrose and his crew are awarded the prestigious Lloyd medal by the British government for their courageous service saving the H.M.S. Arabella , the captain promises to recount the adventure to eager reporter Peters. At a nearby bar, Ambrose explains that he comes from a long line of brave sailors dating back to the Stone Age, but in reality, his forefathers were doomed to failure on their sea voyages. Ambrose goes on to claim that the family motto is "all at sea"; however, he is actually haunted by an acute case of seasickness, which has prevented him from ever leaving land. When Peters suggests they might need to sober up with tea, the drunken captain grabs his jug of rum, compliments of the bartender, and takes Peters to his bank to continue drinking and relaying his story. The bank owner at first refuses to allow the two to drink in the lobby, but then relents once the famous captain begins his tale about the Arabella : Wanting a vessel of his own, the aging Ambrose spent his entire life savings on the Arabella , a vessel docked in Sandcastle. It is soon revealed that Ambrose purchased not a boat, but a very grand and slightly rundown tourist pier at a very inflated price. The pier's existing workers, although dressed in Navy costume, have no military experience except for one spritely young man named Thomas, whom Ambrose quickly promotes to chief officer. Figg, the most obstinate worker, resents the stern captain's demands to rehabilitate the pier and promptly quits. As Ambrose inspects the remnants of the pier's entertainment equipment, he discovers that the slot machines have been shut down by the local council due to complaints from councilwoman Barrington, a nearby bathing hut entrepreneur. When Ambrose decides to ignore the ruling, several council members wheel the machines to the police station where an officer explains to Ambrose that gambling, legally described as a game in which luck predominates over skill, is strictly forbidden. However, when young crewman Reggie Skinner demonstrates his "skill" by repeatedly winning the game, the machines are returned to Ambrose. Back at the pier, an ornery teenage audience, frustrated that the theater troupe has quit, begins to rip the seats out of the theater. Ambrose gleefully joins in the demolition, taking their action as an inspiration to convert the area into a dance hall. Excited to have a place of their own, the teenagers then decorate the room and throw a dance with a live band, but the night ends abruptly when Superintendent Browning announces that Ambrose does not have a city permit for dancing and music. When the council later rejects his permit applications, Ambrose decides to convert one of the rooms into a bar instead. Days later, when Barrington protests to the council that captain is corrupting the community, Mayor Crowley reveals the council's plan to demolish the pier and Barrington's huts to make room for a tourist road along the coastline which he refers to as the "marine drive." Barrington resigns in protest, claiming that Crowley, who will get the construction contract, has devised the scheme for his own financial gain. Later, Ambrose spots Barrington weeping near her huts and invites her to his home, the pier's slanted-floored fun house. After several cups of coffee spiked with rum, a drunken Barrington reveals the council's plans to her former enemy. Softened by her truthfulness, Ambrose reveals his chronic seasickness to her. The two then devise a scheme to move her huts to the pier and register the pier as a ship. When the pier's extreme dimensions cause suspicion at the English bureau, Ambrose goes to the consul from the country of Liberama, who registers the ship without question to profit from the fees. Days later, the teenagers and crew transform the pier into a sea-going vessel complete with a steam chimney and gangplank. Just after Barrington christens the ship H.M.S. Arabella , Crowley serves Ambrose with a compulsory purchase order, but the captain retorts that local government has no authority on ships and provides him with his registration. Later, Crowley and conspiring council members Bullen and Garrod decide to force Ambrose out of business with exorbitant daily harbor dues, but Ambrose, proficient in the harbor laws, informs them that they cannot charge him if the ship is unmoored. He then "unmoors" Arabella by destroying the gangplank. Later that day, while the passengers are enjoying games, drinks and bingo onboard, Crowley, Bullen and Garrod ask Figg, now a dredging ship operator, to pull the support piles out from under the pier. When the dredging ship begins to pull at the Arabella , Ambrose, fearing seasickness, orders his men to handle the emergency, but the ghosts of his forefathers appear and encourage Ambrose to accept the challenge. Following Barrington's cure for seasickness: ear plugs and tight corsets, Ambrose has her cinch his waist with a tight belt and plug his ears with cotton wadding, then joins his men in paddle boats to save Arabella . After he assigns one man to cut the dredging ship rope, Ambrose joins Thomas on board the ship, where they trap the council members in the ship's cabin and use the dredging claws to drop them in the sea, but the damage to the pilings soon causes part of the pier to give way. Ambrose orders his crew and passengers stay on the half of Arabella that is still attached to land, while he remains on the other half adrift at sea. The next morning, the captain lands at a bathing beach where the crowds welcome him in muffled tones. Pulling out his earplugs, Ambrose discovers he has landed in France. As he finishes his story in the bank, all of the personnel have joined the reporter and Ambrose in guzzling the rum and cheer the adventurous captain on with an old sailor's ditty.

Director

Charles Frend

Cast

Alec Guinness

Captain William Horatio Ambrose/[Ambrose's six ancestors]

Harry Locke

Reporter [Peters]

Fredrick Piper

Fred Griffiths

Gerald Case

William Mervyn

John Horsley

Derek Waring

Donald Pleasence

Newton Blick

Irene Browne

Mrs. Barrington

Percy Herbert

Victor Maddern

Harold Goodwin

Junia Crawford

Warren Mitchell

Frank Burdett

Maurice Denham

[Mayor] Crowley

Lloyd Lamble

Superintendent Browning

Martyn Woodman

Reggie [Skinner]

Donald Churchill

Mike Morgan

Max Butterfield

Jackie Collins

Susan Gibson

Diana Chesney

Miles Malleson

Allan Cuthbertson

Charles Lloyd Pack

Lionel Jeffries

George Rose

Richard Wattis

Registrar of shipping

Eric Pohlmann

Liberamanian consul

Charles Cullum

Joan Hickson

Alexander Harris

Sam Kydd

Toke Townley

Elsie Wagstaff

Anthony Sagar

Crew

John Addison

Music Composition

Elsie Alder

Michael Balcon

Executive Producer

Michael Balcon

T. E. B. Clarke

Story and Screenplay

Stephen Dalby

Sound Supervisor

Sophie Devine

Harry Frampton

Jean Graham

Jack Harris

Alfred Marcus

Unit Production Manager

Hal Mason

Prod Supervisor

Dock Mathieson

Music Conductor

Alistair Mcintyre

Derek New

Tom Pevsner

Assistant Director

Douglas Slocombe

Director of Photography

John Stewart

Radar Photographer

Cyril Swern

Dennis Van Thal

Associate Producer

Chic Waterson

Camera Operator

Alan Withy

Film Details

Also Known As

Barnacle Bill

Genre

Comedy

Release Date

Jan 1958

Premiere Information

London, England opening: 17 Dec 1957; New York opening: 21 Dec 1957

Production Company

Ealing Films, Ltd.

Distribution Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Country

Great Britain and United States

Location

Boreham Wood, England, Great Britain; Boreham Wood, Elstree, England, Great Britain; Boreham Wood, Esltree, England, Great Britain

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 32m

Sound

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.85 : 1

Film Length

7,434ft

Articles

All at Sea

March 25, 2005

Screenwriter T.E.B. Clarke, a major influence behind the Ealing comedy cycle and the writer of Alec Guinness's first Ealing success, Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), got the idea for All at Sea (AKA Barnacle Bill), 1957, while sunning himself on Brighton Pier. And Clarke got more than just a suntan and an idea. He and Ealing copped quite a coup when they were able to lure Guinness back to Ealing just as he was winning rave notices for his performance in The Bridge On the River Kwai, also released in 1957. Sir Michael Balcon, the guiding force behind Ealing and one of the most important figures in British film history, generously allowed that success behind the Ealing Studio comedies were attributable to the contributions of many, including writers, directors, and producers. But Balcon also maintained that no one was more important to the Ealing comedy cycle than Guinness, whose talent caused the Ealing comedies to be referred to in America as the "Guinness comedies." The actor's work in the Ealing comedies helped him immeasurably in becoming the one British artist who attained international star status without having to work outside Great Britain.

All at Sea was the last and least profitable comedy Guinness made at Ealing. The other, more successful Ealing works were Kind Hearts and Coronets, A Run for Your Money (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951), and The Ladykillers (1955). It was in Kind Hearts and Coronets that Guinness showed an early knack for multi-character acting, as he does in All at Sea. In the latter, he is seen over the passage of time as various members of a seafaring family before ending up as William Horatio Ambrose, a sailor who gets sea sick and would rather stay on land, fixing up an old pier and turning it into an amusement park.

Alas, not only was All at Sea the last Ealing comedy, it was the only one not filmed at Ealing Studios. Shortly before All at Sea was made, Ealing Studios closed and were sold to the BBC for television production. The last film made there was a 1956 detective mystery called The Long Arm (It was released in the U.S. as The Third Key). Sir Michael Balcon restructured the production process at Borehamwood Studios under the auspices of MGM for the next three years. The Shiralee (1957), Dunkirk (1958), Man in the Sky (1957) were produced along with All at Sea before Ealing shut down production for good.

Producer: Michael Balcon
Director: Charles Frend
Screenplay: T.E.B. Clarke
Production Design: Alfred W. Marcus
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Costume Design: Sophie Devine
Film Editing: Jack Harris
Original Music: John Addison, Derek New
Principal Cast: Alec Guinness (William Horatio Ambrose), Irene Browne (Mrs. Barrington), Percy Herbert (Tommy), Harold Goodwin (Duckworth), Maurice Denham (The Mayor).
BW-82m. Letterboxed. Closed captioning.

by Scott McGee

All At Sea

All at Sea

Screenwriter T.E.B. Clarke, a major influence behind the Ealing comedy cycle and the writer of Alec Guinness's first Ealing success, Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), got the idea for All at Sea (AKA Barnacle Bill), 1957, while sunning himself on Brighton Pier. And Clarke got more than just a suntan and an idea. He and Ealing copped quite a coup when they were able to lure Guinness back to Ealing just as he was winning rave notices for his performance in The Bridge On the River Kwai, also released in 1957. Sir Michael Balcon, the guiding force behind Ealing and one of the most important figures in British film history, generously allowed that success behind the Ealing Studio comedies were attributable to the contributions of many, including writers, directors, and producers. But Balcon also maintained that no one was more important to the Ealing comedy cycle than Guinness, whose talent caused the Ealing comedies to be referred to in America as the "Guinness comedies." The actor's work in the Ealing comedies helped him immeasurably in becoming the one British artist who attained international star status without having to work outside Great Britain. All at Sea was the last and least profitable comedy Guinness made at Ealing. The other, more successful Ealing works were Kind Hearts and Coronets, A Run for Your Money (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951), and The Ladykillers (1955). It was in Kind Hearts and Coronets that Guinness showed an early knack for multi-character acting, as he does in All at Sea. In the latter, he is seen over the passage of time as various members of a seafaring family before ending up as William Horatio Ambrose, a sailor who gets sea sick and would rather stay on land, fixing up an old pier and turning it into an amusement park. Alas, not only was All at Sea the last Ealing comedy, it was the only one not filmed at Ealing Studios. Shortly before All at Sea was made, Ealing Studios closed and were sold to the BBC for television production. The last film made there was a 1956 detective mystery called The Long Arm (It was released in the U.S. as The Third Key). Sir Michael Balcon restructured the production process at Borehamwood Studios under the auspices of MGM for the next three years. The Shiralee (1957), Dunkirk (1958), Man in the Sky (1957) were produced along with All at Sea before Ealing shut down production for good. Producer: Michael Balcon Director: Charles Frend Screenplay: T.E.B. Clarke Production Design: Alfred W. Marcus Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe Costume Design: Sophie Devine Film Editing: Jack Harris Original Music: John Addison, Derek New Principal Cast: Alec Guinness (William Horatio Ambrose), Irene Browne (Mrs. Barrington), Percy Herbert (Tommy), Harold Goodwin (Duckworth), Maurice Denham (The Mayor). BW-82m. Letterboxed. Closed captioning. by Scott McGee

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The working title for this film was Barnacle Bill. The opening cast credits differ in order from the closing credits. According to information in the file on the film in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, M-G-M producer Robert Vogel submitted the script for All at Sea to the Breen Office in January 1957. All At Sea was probably one of six films that were part of a financing package between M-G-M and producer Michael Balcon. For more information on the Ealing Films/M-G-M contract see the entry below for the 1957 film, Decision Against Time. All at Sea marked the feature film acting debut of Jackie Collins. Although M-G-M produced a 1929 film by the same title, directed by Alf Goulding and starring Karl Dane and George K. Arthur, the two films are otherwise unrelated.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in England December 1957

b&w

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