The Cuckoo Patrol
Freddie and the Dreamers play part of a Scout troupe that get caught up in a series of misadventures on their way to camp.
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- Cast:
- Kenneth Connor , Victor Maddern , John Le Mesurier , Arthur Mullard , Basil Dignam , Neil McCarthy , Ernest Clark
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Reviews
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
A star vehicle for Freddie Garrity - of FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS fame - THE CUCKOO PATROL is an entirely dated and lacklustre comedy centred around a Scout troop and the misadventures they get themselves into. This really is poverty row stuff, with awfully lame jokes and the sight of Garrity mugging and gurning towards the camera all the while. You wonder how on earth a production like this got made or who they were aiming at given the star's five minutes of fame had long since passed.Still, for fans of cult and/or forgotten films, THE CUCKOO PATROL holds some fun. Kenneth Connor and John Le Mesurier contribute a nice little double act as the thoroughly exasperated scouting superiors and some of the sub-plots are quite fun, like when the Scouts unwittingly aid a criminal gang with their attempt at safecracking. But let's be fair, the quality of the writing is very poor here, and the film as a whole feels like something that came out of the 1930s rather than the late '60s. Victor Maddern gives the best performance as the gang boss.
I don't know HOW this ever got to be made, despite the stalwarts of British cinema/familiar faces, plus, off the top of my head in 1967, Freddie and the Dreamers, had used up any popularity they had by then. They produced dire songs here too.This really was an awful script and acting in a vain attempt to capitalise on the 'pop-stars-into-film' genre, especially really limited to 60s bands. This is really forgettable and not pleasant, or funny in any way. It had to be viewed though as 'part' of this genre, in my book, but I regretted every minute of it, even though the actors I've said, had 'support'. 'The 'gang' are just that, a troupe of Boy Scouts unwittingly helping and then foiling a couple of robbers. Do yourself a favour - give it miss, promise! Saw this recently, on the new UK satellite channel TalkingPictures.
This film is truly awful and must be one of the worst British films that i have ever had the misfortune to watch>Further more the cast contains many familiar actors from the time who must have been really hard up to have had to accept a part in this film.It is virtually plot less and contains a number of sketches connected to the fact that Freddie and his band are scouts.The only one of any interest was that involving wrestling which was still at the height of its success.In the full running time i dd not laugh once.It is a shame when there are still so many fine British films unreleased on DVD that a company decided that this was worthy of a DVD release.I gave it one out of 10 only because i cannot give it its rightful mark which is zero.
This is not the best film I have ever seen, however, it may well be the worst. Weak story, and some of the worst acting ever. The print was in excellent condition after 34 years, has it ever been screened, or was this rubbish never released?In the unlikely event that you ever get the chance to see it, do, it is an experience you will not forget!