The Captain's Table
| The Captain's Table (1959) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jack Lee |
| Written by | Bryan Forbes Jack Whiting Nicholas Phipps Richard Gordon (novel) |
| Produced by | Joseph Janni |
| Starring | John Gregson Donald Sinden Peggy Cummins Nadia Gray Maurice Denham |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
| Edited by | Frederick Wilson |
| Music by | Frank Cordell |
| Distributed by | The Rank Organisation |
Release date | 6 January 1959 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Captain's Table is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Jack Lee from a novel by Richard Gordon. It starred John Gregson, Donald Sinden, Peggy Cummins and Nadia Gray, and featured Maurice Denham, Joan Sims, John Le Mesurier, Richard Wattis and Reginald Beckwith in leading supporting roles.
Plot
After serving all his working life with the 'South Star' line, exclusively in cargo ships, Albert Ebbs is finally given command (abeit temporarily) of the SS Queen Adelaide, a cruise liner sailing from London to Sydney. An excellent seaman. he finds that he now has many social obligations that he does not have the skills to fulfill. He must preside at the Captain's Table, host cocktail parties, judge beauty contests and dance with the lady passengers. He must also cope with amorous widows, young couples who want him to marry them and a blustering ex-major who claims to have the ear of the Chairman of the shipping line.
To add to his woes, most of the officers and crew, led by the Chief Purser, are actively on the fiddle. The Captain doesn't fully realise this until the last night of the cruise, when champagne being served is revealed to be cider, with the crew pocketing the considerable profits.
All comes out well - just. The Captain finds himself engaged to be married to an attractive widow, the Chief Officer is also engaged to a young heiress and the larcenous officers are arrested by Sydney police.
Cast
- John Gregson - Captain Ebbs
- Peggy Cummins - Mrs Judd
- Donald Sinden - Chief Officer Shawe-Wilson
- Nadia Gray - Mrs Porteous
- Maurice Denham - Major Broster
- Richard Wattis - Chief Purser Prittlewell
- Reginald Beckwith - Captain's Steward Burtweed
- Lionel Murton - Bernie Floate
- Bill Kerr - Bill Coke
- Nicholas Phipps - Reddish
- Joan Sims - Maude Pritchett
- Miles Malleson - Canon Swingler
- John Le Mesurier - Sir Angus
- James Hayter - Chief Engineer Earnshaw
- June Jago - Gwenny Coke
- Oliver Reed - Minor role
See also
- The Captain (1971)