source: That Swinging City

A series of not very funny sketches joined together by the wanderings of the sandwich man. Michael Bentine took very little part in the comedy action which probably explains why it failed at the box office, an audience would expect the star to be involved in most of the action. The black convertible car in the park scene looked like a Ferrari which today would be worth a lot of money.

Bentine was right when he said it suffered from poor editing. His character was the connecting thread on which to hang various short sketches or skits, some better than others. Bentine's character is mostly a bystander to the action, mainly cut shots showing his reaction to what's going on, which is a shame as he's not really given a chance to shine.

Worth a six just to see London how it was in the 1960's... So many National Treasures in one film... Sadly most of them are long gone... Think Bernard Cribbins is the only one left in 2022... Quirky and worth a watch on a miserable winter afternoon...

Dont know how I missed this till now fits in with 'ThePlank', 'Day at the seaside' etcwith two Ronnies but not quite as good. You have be accept it historical humour as some bits would not be acceptable by some people. The mower and river sequences are very good cosidering what tricks were at there disposal in 1966

A simple idea that fails spectacularly BUT 50+ years later it is a gem. Spot the stars and supporting actors from the 60s. They are nearly in every shot!

The Sandwich Man was probably pretty unfunny even when it debuted in 1966, and is worth a look these days if only for its London locations (spot the poster for The Who in the brief Soho scene!) and the truly bizarre end titles. The film boasts a large cast of (mostly) long-dead British actors and comedians in what is essentially a vehicle for ex-Goon Michael Bentine, who spends much of the film walking round London as the titular Sandwich Man with a stupid grin on his face. For some reason, it reminds me of a British effort to make a star-studded comedy along the lines of 'Its a mad, mad, mad, mad world': mercifully, it doesn't attempt to emulate the length of that film. The plot, as far as it goes, follows Horace Quilby (Bentine) on a typical work day as he traipses round the West End with a 'sandwich' board that advertises a local tailoring shop slung over his shoulders. To add spice (!) to the story, he is also a pigeon racing enthusiast and is eagerly awaiting the return of his favourite pigeon Esmerelda, who is racing from Bordeaux back to London. To be fair, the first 30 minutes are pleasant enough and showcase parts of London that are now long lost under high-rise developments: the bpmbed-out docklands of the East End where Quilby lives, Billingsgate fish market and such like (and there's a good visual gag where Diana Dors walks though the market, singing the praises of TVs Dr Kildare to Anna Quayle, intercut with scenes of the fishmongers gutting fish). The film also depicts the multicultural society, based on successive waves of immigration, that thrived in such areas, though the racial stereotypes come thick and fast. There's some amusing character turns from telly stalwarts such as David Lodge, Bernard Cribbens, Roger Delgado (Dr Who's original 'Master') and Ian Hendry. But then the film starts to slump badly. First, we get far too much of the perennially unfunny Norman Wisdom as an Irish priest running a Boys Club gymnasium, and then a succession of cameos by the Great and the Good of British Light Entertainment which sadly fail to showcase their talents particularly well: there's a rather silly scene featuring Terry-Thomas in shorts as a scoutmaster on 'Bob-a-job' week; Harry H Corbett as a floor manager at the London Palladium putting on his best Harold Steptoe voice, no doubt to please his TV fans, and Stanley Holloway pops up as a horticultural expert in Hyde Park (probably the best vignette of the lot). Even Fred Emney - someone else who I never found funny - is squeezed into the film, doing his usual 'grumpy fat man' schtick of raising one eyebrow then the other. Eventually, having reunited two quarrelling lovers along the way, Mr Quilby makes it back home later that evening only to find that Esmerelda has only gone and won the bloomin' race. Cor, stone the crows! Cue impromptu street party and cut to the scene-stealing end credits - shots of two men wrestling in the ring, intercut with close ups of a 60s 'dolly bird': the highlight of a rather dull film.

I was surprised that I had never seen this film before. I particularly enjoy films of the period, perhaps in part for the nostalgia of seeing the world that I was born into. This captures the period very well, appearing to have been filmed entirely on location. The story is a little dull and not particularly funny, but does contain some interesting cameos. In the opening minutes, a collection of racial minority characters are introduced but thankfully it doesn't stray into the politically incorrect stereotypes much of 60s and 70s film and television did, and ends up being an early introduction to multicultural Britain I would highly recommend this film to anyone interested in seeing a nicely shot, high quality representation of 60s London, but as a comedy, it's average and it's not particularly entertaining.

If one was reviewing The Sandwich Man by the head alone and not the heart, then 5/10, possibly even 4/10 might be in order, here. Being mid 40's, I can just recall Michael Bentine on TV when I was very young. These must have been repeats of his BBC shows 'It's a Square World' and whilst he appeared funny and weird, the material was, obviously, above me. Now, on UK Gold, comes 1966's The Sandwich Man. As others have said, it's a time capsule of swinging London and its rainbow of colourful characters. From Dora Bryan to a real who's-who of every comic actor that even I'd heard of and have enjoyed and been brought up with. They're like an extended family! Though many hang their heads in shame these days, the playful way that white actors played ethnics is a part of the package and it was FAR more innocent and affectionate than most folk ever realise. It's actually part of our television and film heritage, so enjoy and accept it for what it was THEN. As my subject line says, the script definitely takes second fiddle, to the point where I wonder if there actually was one, or at least stuck to! And, the gags now have been so overdone and are so familiar through countless Carry On's and similar comic vehicles, that, really, they barely raise a titter these days. However, the idea of Bentine wearing a sandwich board and going round the locations, catching up with his friends is a good one and I have to admit, the Park scenes, toward the end, with the escaped sit-on mower was actually really funny and his final 'escape' will surprise you - it did me! Still, I had fun watching it, looking out for the stars of yesterday and comparing a largely lost London with our society today.

Not having seen this film since about 1975 (it seemed to turn up regularly on BBC2 on Saturday afternoons) but remembering it with great affection, I took a leap of faith and bought the DVD. I am very glad I did because the rosy glow of my nostalgia is reflected in the film. Yes, there are characters who could be seen as 'racial stereotypes' in the opening scenes. But we should remember that the Asian musicians with their 'bat-bat-ding-ding' voices are first-generation immigrants (one belonged to the 4th Bombay Boy Scout troop) so naturally they speak with an accent. Their dialogue, however, reflects a 'melting pot' approach to race (one calls the other 'meshugge' and says his football team is 'in dead schtuck' - Yiddish phrases). In another scene a Turkish carpet seller does a deal with a Jewish fish porter (who pays him in fish) and calls him "Goldberg effendi". This is a world where people can rub along together and not get hysterical about their superficial 'differences'. Horace himself works for a company called 'Finkelbaum and O'Casey'. The cast is amazing. How were people as diverse as Diana Dors and Donald Wolfit persuaded to take part in this film? Of all the characters encountered by Horace Quilby I think my heart goes out to Norman Wisdom's priest (played with a very good Irish accent by the way), trying desperately to impress his young athletes with his own skill and (in true Wisdom fashion) failing miserably, each little 'peep' of his whistle signalling another defeat. Despite the black eye and bloody nose (following a very misguided attempt to box with a 10 year-old boy) the priest still ends up laughing at himself and seeing the funny side of life. That is what 'The Sandwich Man' encourages us all to do: take it easy, don't get angry and frustrated, we're all in the same boat so we may as well make the best of it - even if the boat is the 'Titanic'. "Life's a jest and all things show it; I thought so once, but now I know it."