What the Butler Saw

Another film watched for the "House of Hammer" Podcast, "What the Butler Saw" is a "Comedy" released by Hammer in 1950. It's pretty awful and, judged by today's standards, fairly racist.

A Britsh nobleman, The Earl (Edward Rigby) returns home having overseen a South Seas Island Kingdom as part of the Empire. Whilst unpacking, he and his faithful Butler, Bembridge (Henry Mollison) discover that the Princess of the Island, Lapis (Mercy Haystead) has stowed away as she is in love with Bembridge. Whilst the household adjusts to the new arrival, the foreign office are concerned about an impending war in the region, caused by the disappearance of the Princess.

Man, it's pretty racist. "why you're not black, you're fine" is but one frankly appalling line of dialogue. Mercy Haystead looks like she comes from somewhere as cosmopolitan as Knightsbridge, despite the flower behind her ear and the flintstones-esque outfit she's wearing; and the way cast react to her is, frankly, ludicrous. They talk about love potions, cannibalism and voodoo, as well as the black magic she can cast on the house.

It's bad, but this is viewing the film through modern eyes. At the time though, it's hard to think that the film could have been much of a success. For a comedy, it's really not funny at all. Neither a farce, nor a comedy of wits, it's a tedious tread through a number of plots, none of which are properly explored and together don't add up too much. The performances are really poor, particularly from the rest of the Earl's family of upper-class twits, whose only job is to react to Lapis.

The early films of Hammer have been a mixed bag, but "What The Butler Saw" was a real low water mark.

This farce is about an Earl returning from his stint as a General at a tropical island with his butler to find that amongst their crates of stuffed game the daughter of the tribal king managed to stowaway, so now you have a "savage" amongst the aristocracy. Mercy Maystead, in her debut performance, plays Lapis. She speaks her language, which only the butler knows. The earl and the butler try to hide the somewhat scantily clad (she is covered up, just not head to toe) princess, but soon the rest of the family realizes. Word gets out and the press is involved. This film is just over an hour, a perfect length for a film like this. The jokes do not become too labored. Its a good film, nothing essential. You may wonder why a tropical island princess is lily white, but don't b other. A nonsense comedy about stuffed shirt Brits. Its fine, check it out.

What a surprise "What the Butler Saw" turned out to be. Some benefactor to mankind using the name "flashbackcaruso" has posted this apparently "rare Hammer film" on YouTube. THANK YOU, flashbackcaruso!

From the very retro title to the sometimes superlative cast -- "The Earl" especially -- this was an intriguing experience.

Much of "What the Butler Saw" looks like a stage play. It's essentially one set, with a few rooms, and not a lot of action.

Some of the dialog and plot are at least slightly contrived, and some of the acting, especially by "Gerald," is over-done, but "The Earl," by the veteran Edward Rigby, is so perfect, I am horrified that I knew nothing about him before.

He died the year after this film was released and the world is a poorer place without him. Whatever else he might have done, and at IMDb he has 78 credits, he and this role are perfectly complementary.

Getting her first screen credit, the adorable Mercy Haystead looks about as "South Pacific native" as, say, Jane Russell, whom she does slightly resemble. Over the next dozen or so years, she had an average about about two roles a year, then retired, into a reportedly very happy and successful marriage. Again, the world was poorer without her presence on the screen. She was adorable.

Being British, the cast was generally excellent, as was the directing.

The story was a bit contrived, and occasionally the action was telegraphed, but ultimately it was resolved beautifully -- and surprisingly.

I want to thank, again, flashbackcaruso for uploading this charming and delightful movie, previously completely unknown to me, but now one I want to recommend to everyone for a light and very pleasant hour.

The Earl (Edward Rigby) returns to his English manor after serving a decade abroad as the governor of a fictional British territory. However, it turns out that the jungle princess from this foreign land* has stolen inside one of the crates he's brought back. It seems that she's in love with the Earl's butler, Bembridge and has come to the UK to be with him! The stuffy daughter and grandson who live with him at the manor are NOT pleased and it's obvious that they are stuffy idiots. While the Earl is thrilled to have her visit, her disappearance leads to an international incident or even war! And how will the Earl cope with his dull old life in the English countryside?

While the setup for this film is very funny, the overall film came up short for me. Much of it is because too many of the characters seem like caricatures as opposed to believable people. Also, although there were some potentially funny situations, rarely was all that much made of it. As a result, the film is at best a time- passer and not much more. Sadly, it should have been better.

*These 'Cocoanut Isles' are an odd place indeed--in the South Seas and yet they have alligators, crocodiles and leopards!

Watching a film like What The Butler Saw will make you and anyone else watching wonder how the British put together an empire on which the sun never set. Not with the silly people in this film.

Edward Rigby and his faithful butler Henry Mollison are returning from a Pacific tropic isle where Rigby has been the colonial governor there for a decade. Rigby's a sly old devil who really enjoyed life in the South Seas.

But stowing away in one of the crates he brought back was island princess Mercy Haystead who's developed a thing for the butler although God only knows why. But the rest of the family they are mortified as only upper crust aristocratic twits can be.

There are some amusing moments but this pale imitation of P.G. Wodehouse doesn't really cut it. Wodehouse had the good sense not to give Jeeves a love life.

Not the best British comedy, far from it.