Scottish islanders try to plunder 50,000 cases of whisky from a stranded ship.Scottish islanders try to plunder 50,000 cases of whisky from a stranded ship.Scottish islanders try to plunder 50,000 cases of whisky from a stranded ship.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAmerican censors of the day insisted on a coda being inserted at the end of the film stating that the stolen whisky brought nothing but unhappiness to the islanders, although in real life quite the opposite was true.
- GoofsHad there really been whisky (or anything except air) in those wooden crates piled as high as a person on the rowboats the villagers use to loot the cargo ship, those boats would have capsized or sunk by the sheer weight of the crates.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: By a strange coincidence the S.S. Cabinet Minister was wrecked off the Island of Todday [in the movie] two years after the S.S. Politician, with a similar cargo, was wrecked [in real life] off the Island of Eriskay. But the coincidence stops there, for our story and the characters in it are pure fiction.
- SoundtracksBrochan Lom, Tana Lom
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung when the whisky is first being shared out
Featured review
This film was shot in part in the New Hebrides Islands and those island folk have little enough to do to relax and unwind. So the Scots congregate at the local pub, looks like few even have a radio. So when World War II comes spirits among other things are put on a quota. Four bottles a month for the pub. War is hell, but this is ridiculous.
So when the HMS Cabinet Minister founders and eventually sinks and its cargo being a few tons in crates containing whiskey it's manna from heaven. A way to endure the war so to speak. If only that pompous idiot Basil Radford of the local home guard would stop thinking he's in the Coast Guard and try to spoil all the fun.
In a role that would have been ideal for Cecil Parker Radford does well in the part. He plays it absolutely straight, he's a man just doing his duty as he sees it. Trouble is he just can't convince anyone else.
Another favorite in the screen in total sympathy with Radford's temperance crusade is Jean Cadell, a stern Scot's Presbyterian woman if there ever was one. Not even to break the Sabbath will she allow her grown son Gordon Jackson out to salvage the cargo. Jackson who is on leave after serving in North Africa is going against this formidable woman.
So it's Whiskey Galore for the lucky people here and Ealing Studios came up with a real winner in their comedy stable. Whiskey Galore holds up remarkably well today.
The film is based on a true wartime incident, but I doubt it was as much fun as this film was.
So when the HMS Cabinet Minister founders and eventually sinks and its cargo being a few tons in crates containing whiskey it's manna from heaven. A way to endure the war so to speak. If only that pompous idiot Basil Radford of the local home guard would stop thinking he's in the Coast Guard and try to spoil all the fun.
In a role that would have been ideal for Cecil Parker Radford does well in the part. He plays it absolutely straight, he's a man just doing his duty as he sees it. Trouble is he just can't convince anyone else.
Another favorite in the screen in total sympathy with Radford's temperance crusade is Jean Cadell, a stern Scot's Presbyterian woman if there ever was one. Not even to break the Sabbath will she allow her grown son Gordon Jackson out to salvage the cargo. Jackson who is on leave after serving in North Africa is going against this formidable woman.
So it's Whiskey Galore for the lucky people here and Ealing Studios came up with a real winner in their comedy stable. Whiskey Galore holds up remarkably well today.
The film is based on a true wartime incident, but I doubt it was as much fun as this film was.
- bkoganbing
- Dec 24, 2016
- Permalink
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Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $11,444
- Runtime1 hour 22 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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