Terry Thomas Double Feature: Too Many Crooks & Make Mine Mink

two movies gems from England~ fun.PLOT: TOO MANY CROOKS~ skin flint Terry Thomas has a wife, daughter, mistress secretary and a "hidden fortune".Terry Thomas is married and makes his wife live on a "very tight budget" so he can splurge on his secretary mistress. He does not trust banks so he keeps his "fortune" in his business SAFE. He is worried about the TAX people catching him. When "bumbling" thieves headed by George Cole as the "moron" brains of the gang pull off very unsuccessful robberies. They decide to "kidnap" TAX cheat Terry Thomas's daughter. Complete with coffin and Funeral Dressed crew they sneak in the house and make the kidnapping. The "getaway" is hysterical when the "getaway hearse" has engine trouble. They get to the "hideout" to find they kidnapped the WIFE of Terry Thomas. Thomas hates her so he "refuses" to pay the ransom money. When the Wife finds out what a Monster she is married too she makes plans of her own by taking over as the "NEW brains" of the mob. The Wife and her MOB~~~ Rob Terry Thomas AND his mistress and then "blackmail" him. Terry Thomas looses all he holds valuable to him ....MONEY.MAKE MINE MINK: PLOT: renters help the "bored" landlady by robbery.Clever....Dame Beatrice Appleby runs a boarding house. She is bored by her volunteer work. When her "renters" find a mink coat they return it. But are soon plotting how to steal "mink coats" and have the police baffled with the sudden MINK COAT crime wave. Funny and silly fun. 5 STARS~ This DVD is worth the price for TOO MANY CROOKS which is the far better movie.

We used to think "Make Mine Mink" was the funniest movie we had ever seen. We remembered it that way for 50 years or so. We only saw it one time back in the 1960's. I never saw it offered for sale for years, but finally saw it offered by a seller on Amazon a few weeks ago, so I ordered it. We found it didn't stand up so well after all these years. It is still a funny movie in the manner of the British mystery/comedies of that period but not the funniest movie ever made. It was well worth the price, however, if only to refresh our memories. Thanks Amazon for offering a place to find these obscure old classic items.

Terry-Thomas' status as one of Britain's renowned comedians is only diminished by the long shadows cast by Peter Sellers and Alec Guinness. This double billing is a terrific primer for his inimitable brand of stiff upper lip tomfoolery. The highlight of this set would have to be "Make Mine Mink" where Terry-Thomas plays a retired army major who along with his fellow boarders decide to pinch and fence mink clothing and donate the proceeds to their landlady's favorite charity in order to alleviate the monotony in their lives. Best bits are a cheeky reference to "The Third Man" and a deliciously funny ending. "Too Many Crooks" has its moments but it isn't as fresh as "Make Mine Mink". The scenario has Terry-Thomas as a tightwad businessman whose wife is mistakenly kidnapped by bumbling hoods who think they've nabbed his beloved daughter. His reaction is priceless as he refuses to pony up a penny of the ransom. Highlight would be the scene where he repeatedly rushes into his burning house to recover money he hid under the floorboards. This film probably influenced "Ruthless People" some years later but this is the better film by a tick.

Here are two simply wonderful B&W British film comedies from 1959 and 1960, and because of differences in rights and disc regions over the years, not as well known as they should be on this side of the Atlantic. TOO MANY CROOKS (1959) is classic British farce about a duplicitious type (Terry-Thomas) who resists robbery by a shady mob that then tries to blackmail him, only to learn to his dismay that his hitherto-naive wife (wonderfully versatile Brenda deBanzies) has fallen in with the crooks! While essentially one long comic kefuffle, TOO MANY CROOKS is played out with a maximum of incident by extremely competent players, and entertains to the end.If anything, MAKE MINE MINK (1960) is even better. An engaging bunch of eccentrics (Terry-Thomas, Athene Seyler, Hattie Jacques, Elspeth Duxbury), holed up in a boarding home, miss their glory days and fear advancing old age -- then find renewed purpose filching expensive furs and donating the proceeds to charity. Nutty, to be sure, but extremely well-played. The late Billie Whitelaw, as "Lilly" the day maid, is in her element here -- fortunately this release contains that extra, plot-enhancing ten minutes that was excised for so many late-night and PBS showings on this side of the Pond. A great and underappreciated comedy. When you can get these two together at this price, they practically recommend themselves.

Dated, but great fun. Viewers too young to recall Terry Thomas in his heyday have a treat in store if they just sit back and enjoy it.

For the price these timeless movies can't be beat. Originally wanted to by Make My Mink, but got a nice surprise as I really enjoyed Too Many Crooks as well!