Make Mine Mink
Encyclopedia
Make Mine Mink is a 1960
British comedy directed by Robert Asher
and featuring Terry-Thomas
, Athene Seyler
, Hattie Jacques
, Billie Whitelaw
, Elspeth Duxbury
, Jack Hedley
and Raymond Huntley
, with cameos by Kenneth Williams
and Irene Handl
. A group of misfits go on a spree, stealing mink
coats. It was based on the play Breath of Spring by Peter Coke
.
The four of them get such a buzz from the operation that they decide to set up a more permanent occupation stealing, rather than returning, mink coats and giving the proceeds to charity
. Their first attempt to rob a boutique
goes partially wrong, but they still manage to get away with one coat. Once they have the mink, they find it more difficult to dispose of. The Major goes to a shady-looking cafe
in Limehouse
where he has been reliably told he can find a fence
but instead finds it is now run by the Salvation Army
. All the while they keep their activities from Lilly, who is now dating a policeman.
Eventually Dame Beatrice is able to locate a respectable fence, only to find to her shock it is run by her nephew. He agrees to pay her £550 for it, and she promises to provide many more coats. The money is used to save an orphanage
from closure. Her gang then go on a spree, stealing numerous minks from boutiques and storerooms and becoming widely-known due to reports in the newspapers. As their notoriety grows the chance of being caught increases, and they have some narrow escapes.
When Lilly one day discovers what they are doing she is horrified and makes them swear they'll stop. However, when a request for money comes from a children's home they decide to pull of one last job. The Major plans a raid on an illegal gambling party. While Dame Beatrice disguises herself as a gambler, the rest of them dress up as police officers and stage a "raid" of the premises planning to make away with all the fur coats in the cloakroom. Their plan goes asunder when a real police raid is launched and they manage to make their escape with difficulty with only a few furs.
Expecting to be arrested at any moment, they are alarmed when an Inspector Pape turns up at their house, especially when he begins talking about furs. They manage to convince him they are a group of harmless eccentrics, and it turns out he had come about a fur stolen from one of the gang, rather than about their sprees. Once he is gone Lilly forces them again to promise they will stop stealing minks. However, once she is gone, Dame Beatrice explains that while they can no long steal minks, they said nothing about not stealing other things. The final scene shows them dressed as Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London proceeding in the direction of the Crown Jewels.
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
British comedy directed by Robert Asher
Robert Asher (Director)
Robert Asher was a British film and television director.-Film career:Asher began his career as an assistant director in 1934, working with Anthony Pelissier, Robert Hamer, Maurice Elvey and Roy Ward Baker among others...
and featuring Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas
Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as...
, Athene Seyler
Athene Seyler
Athene Seyler, CBE was an English actress.Although better known as a stage actress, she first appeared on the stage in 1909 and made her film debut in 1921, and became known for playing slightly dotty old ladies....
, Hattie Jacques
Hattie Jacques
Josephine Edwina Jaques was an English comedy actress, known as Hattie Jacques.Starting her career in the 1940s, Jacques first gained attention through her radio appearances with Tommy Handley on ITMA and later with Tony Hancock on Hancock's Half Hour...
, Billie Whitelaw
Billie Whitelaw
Billie Honor Whitelaw, CBE is an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and is regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works...
, Elspeth Duxbury
Elspeth Duxbury
Elspeth Duxbury was a British actress born in Mhow, India on the 3rd of April 1909.Known primarily for working in theatre, she had one television role in 1938 but did not make her big screen debut till 1960 in the Terry-Thomas hit comedy Make Mine Mink....
, Jack Hedley
Jack Hedley
Jack Hedley is an English actor, best known for his performances on television....
and Raymond Huntley
Raymond Huntley
Raymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s through to the 1970s...
, with cameos by Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
and Irene Handl
Irene Handl
-Life:Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the daughter of an Austrian banker father and French mother. She took to acting at the relatively advanced age of 36, and studied at the acting school run by the sister of Dame Sybil Thorndike...
. A group of misfits go on a spree, stealing mink
Mink
There are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...
coats. It was based on the play Breath of Spring by Peter Coke
Peter Coke
-Personal life:Peter John Coke was born in Southsea on 3 April 1913. His father was a commander in the Navy, who took his family to Kenya to run a linen plantation, however, this venture failed and he began to run a coffee plantation...
.
Plot
A group of lodgers staying at the home of Dame Beatrice grow bored with their humdrum lives. When Lilly the maid one day gives into temptation and steals a brand new mink coat from their neighbours to replace Dame Beatrice's worn-out one, they spring into action. As Lilly had a prison record for her time as a young delinquent they hatch a plan to put back the coat before its owners realise it has gone. Despite several mishaps they manage to safely return the mink without raising suspicions, thanks to a plan drawn up by the retired Major Rayne.The four of them get such a buzz from the operation that they decide to set up a more permanent occupation stealing, rather than returning, mink coats and giving the proceeds to charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
. Their first attempt to rob a boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
goes partially wrong, but they still manage to get away with one coat. Once they have the mink, they find it more difficult to dispose of. The Major goes to a shady-looking cafe
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
in Limehouse
Limehouse
Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....
where he has been reliably told he can find a fence
Fence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
but instead finds it is now run by the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
. All the while they keep their activities from Lilly, who is now dating a policeman.
Eventually Dame Beatrice is able to locate a respectable fence, only to find to her shock it is run by her nephew. He agrees to pay her £550 for it, and she promises to provide many more coats. The money is used to save an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
from closure. Her gang then go on a spree, stealing numerous minks from boutiques and storerooms and becoming widely-known due to reports in the newspapers. As their notoriety grows the chance of being caught increases, and they have some narrow escapes.
When Lilly one day discovers what they are doing she is horrified and makes them swear they'll stop. However, when a request for money comes from a children's home they decide to pull of one last job. The Major plans a raid on an illegal gambling party. While Dame Beatrice disguises herself as a gambler, the rest of them dress up as police officers and stage a "raid" of the premises planning to make away with all the fur coats in the cloakroom. Their plan goes asunder when a real police raid is launched and they manage to make their escape with difficulty with only a few furs.
Expecting to be arrested at any moment, they are alarmed when an Inspector Pape turns up at their house, especially when he begins talking about furs. They manage to convince him they are a group of harmless eccentrics, and it turns out he had come about a fur stolen from one of the gang, rather than about their sprees. Once he is gone Lilly forces them again to promise they will stop stealing minks. However, once she is gone, Dame Beatrice explains that while they can no long steal minks, they said nothing about not stealing other things. The final scene shows them dressed as Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London proceeding in the direction of the Crown Jewels.
Cast
- Terry-ThomasTerry-ThomasThomas Terry Hoar Stevens was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as...
as Major Rayne - Athene SeylerAthene SeylerAthene Seyler, CBE was an English actress.Although better known as a stage actress, she first appeared on the stage in 1909 and made her film debut in 1921, and became known for playing slightly dotty old ladies....
as Dame Beatrice - Hattie JacquesHattie JacquesJosephine Edwina Jaques was an English comedy actress, known as Hattie Jacques.Starting her career in the 1940s, Jacques first gained attention through her radio appearances with Tommy Handley on ITMA and later with Tony Hancock on Hancock's Half Hour...
as Nanette Parry - Elspeth DuxburyElspeth DuxburyElspeth Duxbury was a British actress born in Mhow, India on the 3rd of April 1909.Known primarily for working in theatre, she had one television role in 1938 but did not make her big screen debut till 1960 in the Terry-Thomas hit comedy Make Mine Mink....
as Pinkie - Billie WhitelawBillie WhitelawBillie Honor Whitelaw, CBE is an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and is regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works...
as Lily - Jack HedleyJack HedleyJack Hedley is an English actor, best known for his performances on television....
as Jim Benham - Raymond HuntleyRaymond HuntleyRaymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s through to the 1970s...
as Inspector Pape - Irene HandlIrene Handl-Life:Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the daughter of an Austrian banker father and French mother. She took to acting at the relatively advanced age of 36, and studied at the acting school run by the sister of Dame Sybil Thorndike...
as Madame Spolinski - Sydney TaflerSydney TaflerSydney Tafler , was a British film and television actor, first appearing in London's West End in 1936, after two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, with Sir Seymour Hicks in The Man in Dress Clothes....
as Mr. Spanager - Joan Heal as Mrs. Spanager
- Penny MorrellPenny MorrellPenny Morrell is a British actress, born on 4 February 1938. She married actor George Cole in 1964.-Selected filmography:*Reach for the Sky * Brothers in Law * Lucky Jim * Too Hot to Handle...
as Gertrude - Freddie FrintonFreddie FrintonFreddie Frinton, born Frederick Bittiner Coo was an English comedian who remains a household name in Germany and Scandinavia because of his performance in Dinner for One....
as Drunk - Michael Balfour as Doorman
- Noel PurcellNoel Purcell (actor)Noel Purcell was an Irish film and television actor.-Career:Purcell began his show business career at the age of 12 in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Later, he toured Ireland in a vaudeville act with Jimmy O'Dea....
as Burglar - Kenneth WilliamsKenneth WilliamsKenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
as Freddie Warrington