Operation Snatch
Encyclopedia
Operation Snatch is a British comedy
film starring Terry-Thomas
and George Sanders
and directed by Robert Day. The story takes place in Gibraltar
, and is based on a local legend: if the resident Barbary Apes were ever to leave, the British Empire
would collapse. This wartime comedy has Terry-Thomas as the keeper of the apes. When one of the apes goes missing, he is required to go behind enemy lines to capture another one, or be personally responsible for the loss of the Empire.
The film includes an hilarious scene in which Terry Thomas unknowingly picks up a feather duster instead of his swagger cane as he goes in for a briefing by his CO. With the cane below the desk across his knees his nervous fingers discover his swagger cane has apparently sprouted feathers. Thomas's facial expressions run a gamut of emotions from puzzlement to fear (this has to be a court martial offence) and the scene ends with the CO gazing at a neat pile of feathers under Thomas's vacant chair.
British comedy
British comedy, in film, radio and television, is known for its consistently quirky characters, plots and settings, and has produced some of the most famous and memorable comic actors and characters in the last fifty years.-Film comedy:...
film starring 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...
and George Sanders
George Sanders
George Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
and directed by Robert Day. The story takes place in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, and is based on a local legend: if the resident Barbary Apes were ever to leave, the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
would collapse. This wartime comedy has Terry-Thomas as the keeper of the apes. When one of the apes goes missing, he is required to go behind enemy lines to capture another one, or be personally responsible for the loss of the Empire.
The film includes an hilarious scene in which Terry Thomas unknowingly picks up a feather duster instead of his swagger cane as he goes in for a briefing by his CO. With the cane below the desk across his knees his nervous fingers discover his swagger cane has apparently sprouted feathers. Thomas's facial expressions run a gamut of emotions from puzzlement to fear (this has to be a court martial offence) and the scene ends with the CO gazing at a neat pile of feathers under Thomas's vacant chair.