The Plank
You'll splinter your sides laughing at this classic of all comedies
1967 | 55m | English
Popularity: 0.8 (history)
| Director: | Eric Sykes |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Eric Sykes |
| Staring: |
| A slapstick comedy about two workmen delivering planks to a building site. This is done with music and a sort of "wordless dialogue" which consists of a few mumbled sounds to convey the appropriate emotion. | |
| Release Date: | May 18, 1967 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Eric Sykes |
| Writer: | Eric Sykes |
| Genres: | Comedy |
| Keywords | slapstick comedy, floorboard |
| Production Companies | Associated London Films |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 02, 2025 (Update) Entered: Apr 20, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Tommy Cooper | Larger Workman |
| Eric Sykes | Smaller Workman |
| Jimmy Edwards | Policeman |
| Roy Castle | Delivery Man with boxes |
| Graham Stark | Amorous Van Driver |
| Stratford Johns | Station Sergeant |
| Jim Dale | House Painter |
| Jimmy Tarbuck | Barman |
| Hattie Jacques | Woman with Rose |
| Rex Garner | Tourist |
| Libby Morris | Tourist |
| John Junkin | One Eyed Truck Driver |
| Joan Young | Woman in Bus Queue with fur wrap |
| Barney Gilbraith | Paint-covered House Owner |
| Clovissa Newcombe | Girl in Van |
| Dermot Kelly | Milkman |
| Anna Carteret | It's Paint Woman |
| Thomas Gallagher | Man with Beer |
| Howard Douglas | Old Man |
| Bill Oddie | Window Cleaner |
| Kenny Lynch | Dustbin Lorry Driver |
| Ronnie Brody | Nude Model Carrier |
| Dave Freeman | UDC Cement Layer |
| Johnny Speight | Pipe Smoker in Bus Queue |
| Ian Wilson | Friend of Van Owner |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Eric Sykes | Writer, Director |
| Arthur Wooster | Director of Photography |
| Mike Ford | Art Direction |
| Christopher Sutton | Production Manager |
| Ivo Nightingale | Second Assistant Director |
| Harvey Harrison | Camera Operator |
| Lorna Selwyn | Continuity |
| Brian Fahey | Original Music Composer |
| John Pomeroy | Editor |
| Frank Turner | Makeup Artist |
| Stuart Freeman | Assistant Director |
| Tristam Cones | Sound Editor |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Beryl Vertue | Executive Producer |
| Eric Sykes | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 4 |
| 2024 | 6 | 7 | 28 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 3 |
| 2024 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position
Many of us will have seen loads of films where the acting is wooden - but here, it is meant to be! Eric Sykes assembles a reasonable cast of stalwart British comics to regale us us with the adventures of the humble plank! Together with Tommy Cooper, the pair of workmen take us on a guided tour of wh ... at this plank (or it's identical twin) gets up to in it's wide and varied life... There is virtually no dialogue - much of it relying on the quirky Brian Fahey score and the odd mumble that set the standards for many an inaudible television drama being made even now. It does recycle the joke once too often, but it still has a charm about it. The singing opening titles; closing windows to keep out the cold - not that they have any glass in them, and the simplicity of things getting stuck, walloped and wedged is fun for a while, but that simplicity struggles to sustain the humour after the first 15-20 minutes or so. Still, it is an interesting and engaging example of what made us Brits laugh in the late 1960s.