I would like to see this movie made available for purchase. It is a great movie and is worth seeing by anyone who enjoys dark comedies. Tom Poston is great in this picture. It is also a treat to see Robert Morely. It is a wonderful movie and I would like to own it for my collection. It is worth owing.
shareI wholeheartedly agree. It IS a fun movie and I'd love a DVD - heck, I'd even take it on VHS! One of these times when TCM or one of the other stations runs it, I'm going to have to tape it myself I guess. So many people have never seen it nor heard of it.
shareI made an inquiry about this film years ago and the story I got was that there was a royalties dispute or some such nonsense which has kept this film out of home video. I assume that dispute is ongoing since it still isn't available for home exhibition.
shareI hope someone out there can help me. I ma looking for a an old movie I thought it was dark house but read the discriptions I don't think so. Robert Morley play in it. Young man falls inlove and gose to meet the family. She warns him all the way there that they are different. Girlfreind has dark hair. He meets the cousin who has blond hair, and uncle (Robert Morley) and another uncle, who thinks becasue of the alll the rain they are having the world is comeing to an end and he must have two of all animals (including people) Young man so finds out his beloved is as crazy as the rest of the family. Uncle(Noah) traps young amn and blonde in his cage. This is all that I can remeber. I saw it as a child probly 6 years old I am 50 now. It was in black and white and had an english feel and sound to it. Young man ws American. Help!!!
shareYour description certainly sounds like The Old Dark House although you never know as so many films have been made you often find a few that are similar. It could be soething different altogether or could be just your childhood recollection is a little muddled - I find the latter happens to me alot with films I have brief memeories of watching when I was young.
Here's the bits of the film that may fit with your description. Hope it helps you to decide one way or the other.
WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS
Casper Femm invites an American chap Tom Penderel whom he shares an apartment/flat with to his ancestoral home Femm Hall to bring his new car that tom has sold him. He mentions a cousin who he thinks will appeal to Tom as a possible love interest to try convince him to come as well as the fact that he is in some sort of danger and needs Toms help. They have an odd arrangement with the flat, Capser lives in the place during the day and Tom works during the day as a cars salesman so he has the place at night. At night Casper always returns to Femm Hall. All is a little mysterious.
Casper actually has two female cousins at Femm Hall, Cecily Femm ( dark blondish/brown hair ) and Morgana Femm ( black hair ) who both develop a love interest in Tom. Morgana is much more blatant and persistant with her love interest although Tom does his best to turn her away due to her father Morgan Femm who is know to be unstable especially when it comes to the boyfriends his daughter choses. Cecily does warn Tom quite early on that he should leave the house, that all is not as it seems and he would be safer well away from it and the family. She persists with her warnings about the family throughout most of the film.
Petiphar Femm - one of Caspers 3 uncles that reside at Femm Hall believes that the rains signal the end of the world and over the past 20 years or so has built himself a recreation of Noah's Ark. He already has two of everything in it except for people. He explains to Tom he needs a man and a woman to repopulate the human race. Of course he has his heart set upon those two people being his neice Morgana and Tom. He has a cage set up ready in the ark to accomadate them both.
Petiphar Femm is played by Mervyn Johns though, it's his brother Roderick Femm ( seems to be the head of the family and has an obsession with guns ) who is played by Robert Morley.
Later on in the film Morgana is locked in a sort of alcove or small room that has a wooden cage/prison cell door to it, the killer has taken the key and Tom is at a loss how to get her out and save the house/remaining family members.
Just to let you all know that this great 1960's British movie is now available on DVD. I purchased a copy several years ago from a company called Hard To Find DVD's. (www.hardtofind-dvds.com). They have a great website with a huge selection of horror and sci/fi movies from the 1950's to the early 1970's. There are many Hammer Horror movies listed, which could also be of interest to a lot of you. The cost of each DVD is 6.99 English Pounds (sorry, but my Aussie keyboard doesn't have a pound symbol), plus postage. If you just want the disc (ie. no case or covers), it's 5 pounds. Pretty cheap really. I also must comment on the quality. It's extremely good. So good, I really thought it was a professional transfer. Each movie has a star rating for the quality, and "T.O.D.H." has four stars.
Hope all of you are successful with a purchase of this great British horror/comedy movie.
Peter Dawson.
Also like ODH(1963). Tom Poston was born 10 years too early. His breezy, snarky brand of humor became popular in the snidely 70s. Too bad! He would have been a bigger star. Always liked him!
shareMovie girl: At age 12 I saw this version on TV, unaware that there was a film
from 1932 of the same title. A few years ago I saw the other film and was struck by the clever casting and the interesting characters.
THe other film is totally different and has a series of travelers in England that are trapped in a powerful thunderstorm. They are forced to take refuge in a mysterious old mansion. Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas, Ernest Thesiger and Gloria Stuart head the cast.
THough this one has a good cast, I really did not care for it. I do like Robert Morely, though. I am sure I would give it a chance, though, if it were to air on TCM.