A Piece of Cake
Encyclopedia
A Piece of Cake is a 1948 British
fantasy
comedy film
directed by John Irwin and starring the husband and wife team of Cyril Fletcher
and Betty Astell
as well as Laurence Naismith
and Jon Pertwee
.
to an imaginary character named Merlin Mound who can provide anything one can wish. Merlin becomes real and grants his host's wishes; not by conjuring the items out of thin air, but depriving them from other people's ownership that leads to trouble.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by John Irwin and starring the husband and wife team of Cyril Fletcher
Cyril Fletcher
Cyril Fletcher was an English comedian; his catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was most famous for his Odd Odes, which was a section of the television show That's Life!. Fletcher had first begun performing the Odd Odes in 1937, long before they first appeared on television...
and Betty Astell
Betty Astell
Elizabeth "Betty" Julia Astell was an English actress.Born in Brondesbury, London, she was married to the entertainer Cyril Fletcher for more than 60 years, from 18 May 1941 until his death on 1 January 2005...
as well as Laurence Naismith
Laurence Naismith
Laurence Naismith was an English actor.Naismith appeared in films such as Carrington VC , Richard III , Sink the Bismarck! , Jason and the Argonauts , and Diamonds Are Forever . He also starred in a children's ghost film The Amazing Mr Blunden...
and Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
.
Plot
Set in the austere post World War II British world of rationing, Cyril dreams up an odeOde
Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
to an imaginary character named Merlin Mound who can provide anything one can wish. Merlin becomes real and grants his host's wishes; not by conjuring the items out of thin air, but depriving them from other people's ownership that leads to trouble.
Cast
- Cyril FletcherCyril FletcherCyril Fletcher was an English comedian; his catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was most famous for his Odd Odes, which was a section of the television show That's Life!. Fletcher had first begun performing the Odd Odes in 1937, long before they first appeared on television...
- Cyril Clarke - Betty AstellBetty AstellElizabeth "Betty" Julia Astell was an English actress.Born in Brondesbury, London, she was married to the entertainer Cyril Fletcher for more than 60 years, from 18 May 1941 until his death on 1 January 2005...
- Betty Clarke - Laurence NaismithLaurence NaismithLaurence Naismith was an English actor.Naismith appeared in films such as Carrington VC , Richard III , Sink the Bismarck! , Jason and the Argonauts , and Diamonds Are Forever . He also starred in a children's ghost film The Amazing Mr Blunden...
- Merlin Mound - Jon PertweeJon PertweeJohn Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
- Mr Short - Sam CostaSam CostaSamuel Gabriel 'Sam' Costa was a singer and a voice actor on the show Much Binding In The Marsh. He was also a Radio Luxembourg and BBC disc jockey.-Life:...
- Les Millins - Miki Hood - Mrs Short
- Tamara LeesTamara LeesTamara Lees was an Austrian-born English film actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1947 and 1961.-Selected filmography:* A Piece of Cake * Totò sceicco * Canzone di primavera...
- Dinner Guest - Audrey White - Dinner Guest
- Philip SavillePhilip SavillePhilip Saville is a British television direction and screenwriting from the late 1950s...
- Dinner Guest - Ethel ColeridgeEthel Coleridge-Selected filmography:* Rookery Nook * Plunder * Laburnum Grove * The Lonely Road * Feather Your Nest * Penny Paradise * When We Are Married * The Loves of Joanna Godden...
- Mrs Fiddle - Johnnie SchofieldJohnnie Schofield-Selected filmography:* Lassie from Lancashire * Sheepdog of the Hills * Bob's Your Uncle * Up with the Lark * English Without Tears * The Echo Murders * The Shop at Sly Corner...
- Window Cleaner - Richard GilbertRichard GilbertRichard George Gilbert is an English cricketer. Gilbert is a right-handed batsman who bowls left-arm medium-fast. He was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire....
- Head waiter - Harry FowlerHarry FowlerHarry James Fowler, MBE is an English actor in film and TV. He started in juvenile roles, most notably in the first recognised Ealing Comedy Hue and Cry, made in 1947...
- Spiv - Arthur Laurence - Police inspector