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Comedy

The Bulldog Breed

- From The Army's Funniest Private...To The Navy's Most Riotous Seaman!

Norman Puckle, a well-meaning but clumsy grocer's assistant, can't seem to do anything right. After being rejected by Marlene, the love of his life, he attempts suicide, but can't even do that. He is saved from jumping off a cliff at 'Lover's Leap' by a Royal Navy petty officer. He persuades Puckle to join the Royal Navy, where he'll meet 'lots of girls'. Life in the Navy proves not to be as rosy as it's been described, and Puckle fails at every task during basic training. But despite this, he's regarded by the Admiral in charge of a rocket project to be a 'typical average British sailor', and chosen to be the first man to fly into outer space in an experimental rocket.

Release Date : 1960-12-13

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : The Rank Organisation

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Norman Wisdom

Character Name : Norman

Original Name : Norman Wisdom

Gender : Male

Ian Hunter

Character Name : Admiral Sir Bryanston Blyth

Original Name : Ian Hunter

Gender : Male

David Lodge

Character Name : Chief Petty Officer Knowles

Original Name : David Lodge

Gender : Male

John Le Mesurier

Character Name : Prosecuting counsel

Original Name : John Le Mesurier

Gender : Male

Terence Alexander

Character Name : Defending Counsel

Original Name : Terence Alexander

Gender : Male

Michael Caine

Character Name : Sailor in Cinema Fight (uncredited)

Original Name : Michael Caine

Gender : Male

Oliver Reed

Character Name : Teddy Boy in Cinema Fight (uncredited)

Original Name : Oliver Reed

Gender : Male

Robert Urquhart

Character Name : Cmdr. Clayton

Original Name : Robert Urquhart

Gender : Male

Edward Chapman

Character Name : Mr. Philpots

Original Name : Edward Chapman

Gender : Male

Liz Fraser

Character Name : NAAFI Girl

Original Name : Liz Fraser

Gender : Female

Penny Morrell

Character Name : Marlene Barlow

Original Name : Penny Morrell

Gender : Female

Claire Gordon

Character Name : Peggy - Girl in Bar

Original Name : Claire Gordon

Gender : Female

Julie Shearing

Character Name : WRN Smith

Original Name : Julie Shearing

Gender : Male

Sheila Hancock

Character Name : Doris

Original Name : Sheila Hancock

Gender : Female

Rosamund Lesley

Character Name : Peggy

Original Name : Rosamund Lesley

Gender : Male

Frank Williams

Character Name : Mr. Carruthers

Original Name : Frank Williams

Gender : Male

Johnny Briggs

Character Name : Johnny Nolan

Original Name : Johnny Briggs

Gender : Male

John Arnatt

Character Name : Briggs (uncredited)

Original Name : John Arnatt

Gender : Male

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-11-17

I always think it was a little unfair to compare Norman Wisdom to others when so often he was entirely his own man, putting his own unique comedy spin and timing to good use creating a fun atmosphere for a British population still recovering from the effects of WWII. Here, he's the hapless "Puckle" whose girlfriend - well a gal he rather likes but who doesn't remotely reciprocate - rejects his offer of chocolates and leaves him contemplating suicide. Luckily, he is deterred from such drastic action by a passing sailor who reckons that if things really are that bad, he ought to join the Royal Navy. For all the wrong reasons, he attracts the attention of the Admiral (Ian Hunter) and now various escapades see him lurch from the frying place to the fire, via a chilly mountaintop, before being put to work on a top secret rocket project that we just know is doomed to failure! Hunter takes on the role usually portrayed by the likes of James Robertson Justice, and he does it well providing a foil for star who is having fun with this fairly low budget affair. The production mixes what looks like stock footage with some studio photography (where you can often see the full effects of the polystyrene and the scenery with clear joins in it) but that doesn't really matter. Assisted by a plethora of familiar faces from British cinema, this is really all about a man who knew how to make a generation laugh and using a combination of light slapstick, military stuffiness and the occasional daft one-liner, he manages to do just that - reminding us that is was, after all, the ordinary folk who fought and won the war!