User reviews

This film was a strange choice for Michael Bentine, who had made a reputation for himself as a crazy, surreal comedian with a penchant for elaborate mechanical sets in TV programmes like It's A Square World. This gentle comedy, in which he takes a back seat and merely links a number of set pieces by prominent British actors and comedians of the 1960s is out of character, but nevertheless warm and enjoyable. Inevitably the humour has dated over the years, but it remains a valuable document of life in London as it became "swinging" and a chance to see many well-known artists who went on to greater things, and a few who didn't. To be enjoyed as a time capsule now, rather than cutting edge comedy.

I enjoyed this film very much - in a simple-minded sort of way. It's a very strange mixture of different types of comedy, in fact you could guess that the "script", such as it is, was written to fit whichever film and TV actors Micheal Bentine could persuade to do turns for him.

There are some longeurs, especially a sequence about a heavy-handed motorcycle cop, but never mind because a few minutes later another famous face pops up to amuse us. My favourite characters were the Sikh jazz musicians ("De Sihkers" - groan !) and Norman Wisdom's Irish priest, who tries to instruct a group of boys about gymnastics. Half the fun is in realising that in today's politically correct world, characters like these would never reach the screen - more's the pity. Incidentally, I can imagine Spike Milligan coming up with both the above stereotypes, so maybe the falling out between him and Bentine was more to do with personalities than material.

This film seems to have been made entirely on location around London (and I spotted Tolworth Tower in the escapologist sequence, which is near where I grew up), and you can tell it was made in a great hurry with very little money.

But who was the intended audience? Surely in 1966, at a time when adult cinema-goers were getting used to more sophisticated and subversive films, this one couldn't have held much appeal. In fact its resemblance to the Children's Film Foundation shorts (also funded by the Rank organisation) makes me think that this was intended to be shown at "Saturday morning picture shows" for kids. There is nothing here that a child couldn't understand (though I'm not so sure about the comment,"He's buying me a black jacket, not a red one ! He's kinky, not a communist!"). And what on earth are those wrestlers at the very end all about ???

This film is now available on DVD, curiously in 4:3 picture ratio - is this the only print available ? and it's 90 minutes of innocent fun. If you're still not sure what sort of comedy it is, think:

The Beatles' film "Help". The TV silent classic "The Plank". "Some mothers do 'ave 'em"

Recommended

Bentine was right when he said it suffered from poor editing.

His character was the connecting thread on which to hang various short sketches or skits, some better than others.

Bentine's character is mostly a bystander to the action, mainly cut shots showing his reaction to what's going on, which is a shame as he's not really given a chance to shine.

If one was reviewing The Sandwich Man by the head alone and not the heart, then 5/10, possibly even 4/10 might be in order, here.

Being mid 40's, I can just recall Michael Bentine on TV when I was very young. These must have been repeats of his BBC shows 'It's a Square World' and whilst he appeared funny and weird, the material was, obviously, above me.

Now, on UK Gold, comes 1966's The Sandwich Man. As others have said, it's a time capsule of swinging London and its rainbow of colourful characters. From Dora Bryan to a real who's-who of every comic actor that even I'd heard of and have enjoyed and been brought up with. They're like an extended family!

Though many hang their heads in shame these days, the playful way that white actors played ethnics is a part of the package and it was FAR more innocent and affectionate than most folk ever realise. It's actually part of our television and film heritage, so enjoy and accept it for what it was THEN.

As my subject line says, the script definitely takes second fiddle, to the point where I wonder if there actually was one, or at least stuck to! And, the gags now have been so overdone and are so familiar through countless Carry On's and similar comic vehicles, that, really, they barely raise a titter these days. However, the idea of Bentine wearing a sandwich board and going round the locations, catching up with his friends is a good one and I have to admit, the Park scenes, toward the end, with the escaped sit-on mower was actually really funny and his final 'escape' will surprise you - it did me!

Still, I had fun watching it, looking out for the stars of yesterday and comparing a largely lost London with our society today.

A bit of a strange little comedy, this. It's extremely episodic in nature, a string of slightly connected sketches centred around a sandwich man who wanders the streets of London and encounters various bizarre characters and situations along the way.

Some of it is good, but the bits that aren't funny tend to outweigh those that are. Some of the highlights include Norman Wisdom attempting to navigate his way around a gym and Bernard Cribbins appearing as an amateur photographer. There are also a LOT of familiar faces, mostly in one-scene cameos: Diana Dors, Ian Hendry, Harry H. Corbett, Ron Moody, Terry-Thomas, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Burt Kwuok, Dora Bryan. It's almost a who's who of the British comedy scene in the 1960s.

Sadly, the film's distinctive lack of plotting, Michael Bentine's rather insipid lead character and the proliferation of dated humour make THE SANDWICH MAN rather difficult to sit through these days, although nostalgia buffs might enjoy seeing the spacious and relatively traffic-free London of yesteryear.

I was surprised that I had never seen this film before. I particularly enjoy films of the period, perhaps in part for the nostalgia of seeing the world that I was born into. This captures the period very well, appearing to have been filmed entirely on location.

The story is a little dull and not particularly funny, but does contain some interesting cameos. In the opening minutes, a collection of racial minority characters are introduced but thankfully it doesn't stray into the politically incorrect stereotypes much of 60s and 70s film and television did, and ends up being an early introduction to multicultural Britain

I would highly recommend this film to anyone interested in seeing a nicely shot, high quality representation of 60s London, but as a comedy, it's average and it's not particularly entertaining.

Despite a promising cast, there is no plot line, just a series of 1950s style comedy sketches thinly stitched together. It has the slapstick nature of Children's Film Foundation films, but with none of the humour.

The main character is little more than incidental to the various going's on. Many of the caricatures seem dated, even for the time, especially when you remember this is the era of films likeThe Pink Panther & The Italian Job.

I struggle to understand how it ever got to production and am even more perplexed that anyone actually went to see it at the cinema. Watchable only if you want a snapshot of mid sixties London streets.

A simple idea that fails spectacularly BUT 50+ years later it is a gem. Spot the stars and supporting actors from the 60s. They are nearly in every shot!

There's something wrong with people's critical judgement if they give this film such high ratings. If this mindless piece of puerile, childish comedy warrants the highest rating, what rating do they give classic British comedy films such as THE LADYKILLERS, I'M ALL RIGHT JACK, GENEVIEVE or PASSPORT TO PIMLICO? There's no equivalence.

THE SANDWICH MAN was dated and unfunny when it was first released. Sadly it was the sort of moronic comedy film which the British film industry would churn out in the 1960s/70s along with all those cheap looking films based on TV sitcoms which gave the industry a bad name. If I could give less than 1 star I would.

Worth a six just to see London how it was in the 1960's... So many National Treasures in one film... Sadly most of them are long gone... Think Bernard Cribbins is the only one left in 2022... Quirky and worth a watch on a miserable winter afternoon...

A series of not very funny sketches joined together by the wanderings of the sandwich man. Michael Bentine took very little part in the comedy action which probably explains why it failed at the box office, an audience would expect the star to be involved in most of the action. The black convertible car in the park scene looked like a Ferrari which today would be worth a lot of money.

Practically the only one of Michael Bentine's films that wasn't just a fleeting cameo is not really very funny but certainly charming; joyously portraying London's diversity in gleaming sixties colour in the days when buses still had conductors.

Ironically for a film crammed with well-known funnymen like Norman Wisdom and Terry-Thomas the most amusing scenes actually involve Ian Hendry.

My score is generous, don't get to imagining that this is anything like as funny as the makers intended or the cast suggests. It's just that it all has such a good feel to it and as a picture of how London was 40 odd years ago, absolutely indispensable. The release date of 1966 and references in the trailer, imply that this movie embodies the nebulous concept of, 'Swinging London'. The truth is, however, that this movie is just on the cusp. It may be that it took a couple of years to put together and almost completely misses out except for a couple of little touches including a mostly hidden very short dress glimpsed in the last of Bernard Cribbins' photo sessions. Significant also in that the lovely girl being photographed is Suzy Kendall, more or less at the start of her career and set to make many classic, cult and giallo films. Everybody else with the possible exception of Ian Hendry is on the wane. As the 'swinging sixties' take a hold, all of these lovable old characters will disappear, being far too representative of the 50s for the groovy boys and birds. Michelangelo Antonioni seemed to capture the coming wave in the same year's, 'Blow Up' and that is either because he was particularly perceptive or that being an outsider, gave him greater perspective to spot the changes. in any event a must see film for anyone interested in the stars or the city.

This is quite a strange and eccentric movie and parts of it will look very strange to modern audiences.

In particular, the racial stereotyping which nowadays will be regarded by many as 'politically incorrect' to say the least.

The humour is rather zany but you need to remember that Michael Bentine was a member of the Goons: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298349/ which itself was rather surreal.

I think that this is a gem of English cinema.

It contains lots of old English character actors, most of whom are, sadly, no longer with us.

Most of the performances are of the 'cameo' type, lasting only a few minutes.

It is set in the Swinging Sixties and shows London at the time. Because London was like that (although not as eccentric!).

Many people nowadays will consider the movie to be 'lame' but it is enjoyable for those with an interest in social history and the actors of the time.

I have to agree with the last reviewer; this is an indispensable document of social history. London, Britain just doesn't look, sound or behave like that anymore.

However, as a comedy, it's a slow burner. Episodic in structure, it consists of a series of linked vignettes as our hero, wonderfully played by the incomparable Michael Bentine, wonders around London with his sandwich board advertising Finkelbaum and O' Casey Gent's Overcoats. It's not a barrel of laughs, but it IS funny in a gentle, unassuming way. One reservation would have to be uncomfortable portrayal of the Asian characters who pop up regularly. They're very much in the mould of the old "goodness gracious me" racial stereotypes that fortunately have died out now.

Highlights include Warren Mitchell as a fortune teller, a mercifully restrained Norman Wisdom as an Irish Priest not very confidently trying to run a sports session at a boys club and the amphi-car at the end.

Dont know how I missed this till now fits in with 'ThePlank', 'Day at the seaside' etcwith two Ronnies but not quite as good. You have be accept it historical humour as some bits would not be acceptable by some people. The mower and river sequences are very good cosidering what tricks were at there disposal in 1966