Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Jerry Paris

Writers:

Max Wilk (novel)
Max Wilk (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 July 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

An American plans to bilk the British out of some considerable money with the help of an English con artist.

Plot Keywords:

Argument | Divorce | Money Scheme | Based On Novel

Cast

Jerry Lewis	...	George Lester
Terry-Thomas	...	H. William Homer
Jacqueline Pearce	...	Pamela Lester
Bernard Cribbins	...	Fred Davies
Patricia Routledge	...	Lucille Beatty
Nicholas Parsons	...	Dudley Heath
Michael Bates	...	Dr. Spink
Colin Gordon	...	Mr. Hartford
John Bluthal	...	Dr. Pinto
Sandra Caron	...	Pinto's Nurse
Margaret Nolan	...	Spink's Nurse
Harold Goodwin	...	Six-Eyes Wiener
Nike Arrighi	...	Portuguese Waitress
John Barrard	...	Zebra Man
Pippa Benedict	...	Fern Averback
Alexandra Dane	...	Masseuse
Colin Douglas	...	Barman
Robbie Lee	...	Bruce
Al Mancini	...	Portuguese Chauffeur
Ricardo Montez	...	Arab (as Richard Montez)
John Moore	...	Digby
Molly Peters	...	Heath's Secretary
Henry Soskin	...	Bearded Arab
Francesca Tu	...	Chinese Telephonist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jerry Paris	...	Umpire in pre-credits sequence (uncredited)

Directed by
Jerry Paris

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Max Wilk		novel
Max Wilk		screenplay

Produced by
Leon Becker	....	associate producer
Walter Shenson	....	producer

Original Music by
David Whitaker

Cinematography by
Otto Heller

Film Editing by
Bill Lenny

Art Direction by
John Howell

Costume Design by
Maxine Leighton

Makeup Department
Harry Frampton	....	makeup artist
Benny Royston	....	makeup artist
Joan Telfer	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Basil Rayburn	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Douglas Hermes	....	assistant director (as Doug Hermes)

Art Department
Pamela Cornell	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Jeanne Henderson	....	sound editor
Ken Ritchie	....	sound recordist
Nolan Roberts	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Godfrey A. Godar	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean Fairlie	....	wardrobe
Gabriella Falk	....	wardrobe coordinator
Charles Guerin	....	wardrobe

Other crew
Eileen Head	....	continuity
Leo Kharibian	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Walter Shenson Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1968) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1968) (USA)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video Ltd. (1990) (UK) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Der Spinner (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Älä nosta siltaa, laske virtaa (Finland) [fi]
Höj inte bron, sänk floden (Sweden) [sv]
Non alzare il ponte, abbassa il fiume (Italy) [it]
O kobinadoros (Greece) [el]
The Spinner (Hungary) [hu]

Runtime:

USA:99 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Portugal

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Pippa Benedict is dubbed.

Movie Connections:

References Alfie (1966)

Hooray for Terry-Thomas!

In a film that will only really appeal if you're a keen fan of Jerry lewis, Terry - Thomas, for me,was the saving grace of this picture. It was the only reason I bought it in the first place, but thankfully, aided by some fine support from a young Patricia Routledge, Bernard Cribbins and John Bluthal, the film is still worth a look-in. The story is also quite amusing, although I can't help feeling that it could have been used to a much bigger comic impact. Thankfully, there are enough comic scenarios are characters to help fill out some of the gaps for the film to become too slow. Terry - Thomas puts in a fantastic, stereo-typical "cad" performance and there's some great mugging from Bernard Cribbins but apart from that, the film is a bit of a dead loss.