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That Riviera Touch

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That Riviera Touch
Promotional film poster by Arnaldo Putzu
Directed byCliff Owen
Written byPeter Blackmore
Dick Hills and Sid Green
Produced byHugh Stewart
StarringEric Morecambe
Ernie Wise
Suzanne Lloyd
CinematographyJack Asher
Edited byGerry Hambling
Music byRon Goodwin
Distributed byRank
Release dates
  • 24 March 1966 (1966-03-24) (London, West End)
Running time
98 minutes
LanguageEnglish

That Riviera Touch is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.[1] It is the second feature-length film made by the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise.

Plot

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After Eric Simpson nearly gives The Queen a parking ticket in London, he and Ernest Clark decide to take a holiday in the south of France. However, when they arrive there, they become unwittingly involved in a jewel theft when the thief Le Pirate decides to use them to smuggle some precious jewels out of the country. He sends the two Britons to a sinister villa and sends the beautiful Claudette, a member of his criminal gang, to keep Eric and Ernie occupied while he carries out the various stages of his plan. Confusion ensues however, as the two battle for the affections of Claudette and Eric accidentally wins a large sum of money at a casino. Eventually Eric and Ernie start to get suspicious and begin to investigate...

Cast

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Release

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The film opened at the Leicester Square Theatre in the West End of London on 24 March 1966.

Reception

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Critical

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Diamond-sharp photography by Otto Heller, an appealing performance by Suzanne Lloyd, and an excellent little character sketch by George Eugeniou as a bizarre gang-member. Otherwise this is a dismal affair of antediluvian comic routines – strictly for hardened Morecambe and Wise fans."[2]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Morecambe and Wise head for the south of France in what starts out looking like a customised remake of the old Laurel and Hardy comedy Saps at Sea. But Eric and Ernie's regular writers, Sid Green and Dick Hills, quickly run into the problem that blighted all three of their movies; the pair's relaxed, intimate style might have been perfect for the sketch format of their TV show, but it was totally wrong for sustaining narratives. Few laughs."[3]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Disappointing star comedy ending in a surfboard chase."[4]

Box office

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That Riviera Touch was among the 15 most popular films at the British box office in 1966.[5] Hugh Stewart says that due to rising costs and the fact the film did not do well in America, however, it barely got its costs back.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "That Riviera Touch". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  2. ^ "That Riviera Touch". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 33 (384): 77. 1 January 1966. ProQuest 1305820722 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 920. ISBN 9780992936440.
  4. ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 1005. ISBN 0586088946.
  5. ^ "Most popular star for third time." The Times [London, England] 31 Dec. 1966: 5.
  6. ^ "Hugh Stewart". British Entertainment History Project. 22 November 1989.
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