| Two friends get drunk and decide to switch identities. One is a Parliamentary Secretary, and the other is the captain of a ship. The former's lack of sea knowledge causes several catastrophes, including torpedoing the First Lord of The Admiralty. The grass is always greener.... In this British comedy, two drunken comrades find out the truth of that saying when they decide to trade places for a while. One of the boozers is a public relations man who knows nothing about sailing, while the other is a captain for the Royal Navy. Comic mayhem ensues as the hapless "captain" tries to run his ship and follow orders. | |
| Release Date: | May 14, 1957 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Val Guest |
| Writer: | Val Guest |
| Genres: | |
| Keywords | |
| Production Companies | George Minter Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 17, 2026 Entered: Apr 27, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| David Tomlinson | Tom Baker |
| Peggy Cummins | Susan Lashwood |
| Brian Reece | Lieutenant Commander Peter Fraser |
| Eunice Gayson | Jane Godfrey |
| A.E. Matthews | Admiral Sir Maximillian Godfrey, K.C.B. |
| Joan Sims | Mary |
| Lionel Murton | Psychiatrist |
| Reginald Beckwith | Receptionist |
| Desmond Walter-Ellis | Flag Lieutenant Willy Oughton-Formby |
| Ronald Shiner | Salty Simpson |
| Peter Coke | Lieutenant Lashwood |
| Derek Blomfield | Sub-Lieutenant Dobson |
| Tom Gill | Petty Officer |
| Howard Williams | Sub-Lieutenant |
| Joan Hickson | Mother |
| Toke Townley | Steward |
| Arthur Lovegrove | Orderly |
| Ronald Adam | First Sea Lord |
| Sam Kydd | Attendant |
| Philip Ashley | First Officer (uncredited) |
| Alfie Bass | Orderly (uncredited) |
| Richard Duke | Crewman (uncredited) |
| Roy Everson | Seaman Jones (uncredited) |
| Harold Goodwin | Parker (uncredited) |
| Everley Gregg | Housekeeper (uncredited) |
| David Hannaford | Alfie (uncredited) |
| Victor Harrington | Naval Officer (uncredited) |
| James Hayter | Sir Henry Tomkinson (uncredited) |
| Walter Horsbrugh | Night Receptionist (uncredited) |
| Emrys Leyshon | Radio Operator (uncredited) |
| George Moon | Casey (uncredited) |
| Donald Pickering | Second Officer (uncredited) |
| Jimmy Ray | Bert (uncredited) |
| James Sharkey | Despatch Rider (uncredited) |
| John Timberlake | Visitor on HMS Sherwood (uncredited) |
| Neil Wilson | Seaman Washing Deck (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Val Guest | Screenplay, Director |
| Philip Green | Music |
| Arthur Grant | Cinematography |
| John Pomeroy | Editor |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Denis O'Dell | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position
I bet the current boss of the Royal Navy would be rather envious at the start of this film as we are taken on a brief tour of a fleet that is somewhat larger than the one the UK has now! Parliamentarian "Tom" (David Tomlinson) is on an advance recce for his boss when he encounters old pal, and ship' ... s captain, "Peter" (Brian Reece) and thanks to a mix up from chambermaid "Mary" (Joan Sims) they start mixing gin and whisky, swapping rooms, jackets and ending up steaming for the ultimate hangover. Next morning, they find themselves quite literally in each other's shoes causing confusion and mayhem - even firing a torpedo - before "Susan" (Peggy Cummins) and "Jane" (Eunice Gayson) realise that something is amiss and decide they need to rectify things before doddery Admiral "Godfrey" (AE Matthews) initiates an whole scale review of the service - and quite possibly starts a war! It's gently comedic with a decent effort from Tomlinson steering it away from the worst excesses of farce and imbuing a degree of the post wartime spirit quite warmly. It's more of a chuckle than a guffaw, but moves along quite quickly and nicely reminds us of what used to make us laugh.