The Captain's Table
The Captain's Table is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Jack Lee based upon a novel by Richard Gordon. It stars John Gregson, Donald Sinden, Peggy Cummins and Nadia Gray, and featured Maurice Denham, Joan Sims, John Le Mesurier, Richard Wattis and Reginald Beckwith in leading supporting roles.
The Captain's Table (1959) | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jack Lee |
Produced by | Joseph Janni |
Written by | Bryan Forbes Jack Whiting Nicholas Phipps Richard Gordon (novel) |
Starring | John Gregson Donald Sinden Peggy Cummins Nadia Gray Maurice Denham |
Music by | Frank Cordell |
Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
Edited by | Frederick Wilson |
Distributed by | Rank Organisation |
Release date | 6 January 1959 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Plot
After serving all his working life with the South Star line, exclusively in cargo ships, Captain Albert Ebbs meets his employer (John le Mesurier) and is finally given command (albeit temporarily) of the SS Queen Adelaide, a cruise liner sailing from London to Sydney. An excellent seaman, he finds that he now has many social obligations that he does not have the skills to fulfil. He must preside at the captain's table, host cocktail parties, judge beauty contests and dance with the lady passengers. He must also cope with amorous widows, young couples who want him to marry them and a blustering ex-army major who claims to have the ear of the chairman of the shipping line.
To add to his woes, most of the officers and crew, led by the chief purser, are on the fiddle. The captain doesn't fully realise this until the last night of the cruise, when champagne being served is revealed to be cider, with the crew pocketing the considerable profits.
All comes out well - just. The captain finds himself engaged to be married to an attractive widow, the chief officer is also engaged to a young heiress, and the larcenous officers are arrested by Sydney police.[1]
Cast
- John Gregson - Captain Ebbs
- Peggy Cummins - Mrs Judd
- Donald Sinden - Chief Officer Shawe-Wilson
- Nadia Gray - Mrs Porteous
- Maurice Denham - Major Broster
- Richard Wattis - Chief Purser Prittlewell
- Reginald Beckwith - Captain's Steward Burtweed
- Lionel Murton - Bernie Floate
- Bill Kerr - Bill Coke
- Nicholas Phipps - Reddish
- Joan Sims - Maude Pritchett
- Miles Malleson - Canon Swingler
- John Le Mesurier - Sir Angus
- James Hayter - Chief Engineer Earnshaw
- June Jago - Gwenny Coke
- Oliver Reed - Minor role
- Arthur Lowe - Minor role
See also
- The Captain (1971)
References
- "The Captain's Table (1959)". BFI. Retrieved 3 June 2017.