Alive and Kicking
1959 | 94m | English
Popularity: 0.4 (history)
| Director: | Cyril Frankel |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Denis Cannan |
| Staring: |
| Three elderly residents of a nursing home, fed up with their monotonous existence, engineer an escape from their drab surroundings and head for an impromptu holiday on an Irish island. | |
| Release Date: | Jul 13, 1959 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Cyril Frankel |
| Writer: | Denis Cannan |
| Genres: | Comedy |
| Keywords | elderly woman |
| Production Companies | Diador |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: May 08, 2024 (Update) Entered: Apr 24, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Sybil Thorndike | Dora |
| Kathleen Harrison | Rosie |
| Estelle Winwood | Mabel |
| Stanley Holloway | MacDonagh |
| Joyce Carey | Matron |
| Eric Pohlmann | Captain |
| Colin Gordon | Bird Watcher |
| John Salew | Solicitor |
| Liam Redmond | Old Man |
| Marjorie Rhodes | Old Woman |
| Olive McFarland | Lover |
| Anita Sharp-Bolster | Postmistress |
| Paul Farrell | Postman |
| Patrick McAlinney | Policeman |
| Raymond Manthorpe | Little Boy |
| Tony Quinn | Villager |
| Harry Hutchinson | Villager |
| Brendan O'Dowda | Singer |
| Joseph MacNally | Singer |
| Richard Harris | Lover |
| Liz Fraser | June (uncredited) |
| George Hilsdon | Russian Trawlerman (uncredited) |
| Totti Truman Taylor | Royal Personage (uncredited) |
| Billy Lawrence | Minor Role (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Cyril Frankel | Director |
| Robert Lennard | Casting |
| Denis Cannan | Screenplay |
| Philip Green | Music |
| Bernard Gribble | Editor |
| Gilbert Taylor | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Victor Skutezky | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position
No, the story isn't great - but the delivery is really quite good fun. Three elderly ladies, who are not yet ready to be consigned to the scrap heap, pinch a boat and escape from their retirement home. They alight on a tiny Irish island where they befriend the wealthy Stanley Holloway ("MacDonagh") ... and establish a thriving business with the locals knitting fine Aran sweaters. My personal favourite amongst the runaways was Estelle Winwood's "Mabel", but there are also amusing contributions from Dame Sybil Thorndike ("Dora") and Kathleen Harrison, who wasn't anywhere near her best, as "Rosie". What I had forgotten, too, was that Stanley Holloway had quite a good singing voice - though his delivery is a bit overly theatrical. Add some mischief and some bonhomie - especially with Russian fishing boat captain Eric Pohlmann, and we have an entertaining drama that shows the three having a lark - and that is contagious. Well worth a watch, this.