Episode 206 - Ladies Who Do (1963)

For our next outing on the Reel Britannia podcast, we are grabbing our mops and buckets for a wonderfully inventive slice of 1963 British comedy, Ladies Who Do.

 

Directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and penned by the writing duo of Michael Pertwee and John Bignall, the film follows a formidable crew of London charwomen—led by the irrepressible Mrs. Rubin (Miriam Karlin) and the commanding Mrs. Higgins (Peggy Mount)—who spend their evenings scrubbing the offices of the City's financial elite. When they stumble across lucrative stock market tips discarded in the wastepaper baskets, they team up with an eccentric, cigar-chomping retired Colonel (Robert Morley) to play the ruthless property developers at their own game. It's not long before they cross paths with the unscrupulous James Ryder, played with delightful sleaze by Steptoe and Son's Harry H. Corbett.

Boasting an absolute powerhouse ensemble of beloved British character actors, including Dandy Nichols and Jon Pertwee, the film is a gloriously charming class-war caper and a fascinating time capsule of a rapidly changing London. The Reel Britannia team will be sweeping through the film in our familiar warm, conversational, and lightly irreverent style, marvelling at Morley's effortless buffoonery and the sheer screen presence of our leading ladies.

This episode, along with the complete Reel Britannia back catalogue, is available wherever you download your podcasts and at:

https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia

You can also follow the podcast on X at @rbritanniapod.

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