Two-Way Stretch

Two-Way Stretch, is a 1960 British comedy film, about a group of prisoners who plan to break out of jail, commit a robbery, and then break back into jail again, thus giving them the perfect alibi – that they were behind bars when the robbery occurred.[3] However, their plans are disrupted by the arrival of a strict new Chief Prison Officer.[4]

Two-Way Stretch
Original poster
Directed byRobert Day
Written byJohn Warren
Len Heath
Vivian Cox
Alan Hackney
(add'l dialogue)
Produced byE. M. Smedley-Aston
StarringPeter Sellers
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Maurice Denham
Lionel Jeffries
Beryl Reid
David Lodge
Irene Handl
Liz Fraser
Bernard Cribbins
CinematographyGeoffrey Faithfull
Edited byBert Rule
Music byKen Jones
Distributed byBritish Lion Films (UK)
Release date
  • 11 February 1960 (1960-02-11) (UK)
[1]
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£118,677[2]

The film was directed by Robert Day from a screenplay by Vivian Cox, John Warren and Len Heath, with additional dialogue by Alan Hackney.[3][5] The film boasts a cast of characters played by, among others, Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Lionel Jeffries and Bernard Cribbins.

Plot

Three prisoners nearing the end of their jail sentences, "Dodger" Lane, "Jelly" Knight and "Lennie the Dip", are visited by a vicar seeking to find employment for them. He is actually "Soapy" Stevens, a conman, who proposes a large-scale diamond robbery. They will also all have alibis, because they will break out of prison, commit the robbery and then break back in. With the assistance of Dodger's girlfriend Ethel and Lennie's mother the trio smuggle themselves out in a prison van. The operation is almost foiled by the disciplinarian "Sour" Crout, the new chief prison officer. Everything goes to plan and the trio hide the diamonds in the Governor's office until they are released and can take them away. All goes well until the sack of diamonds is lost on a train. Stevens is recognised and arrested, but the others get away.

Cast

Production
The gates of the former South Cavalry Barracks in Aldershot stood in for the prison gates in the film

The prison scenes were filmed at the South Cavalry Barracks at Aldershot, and the security van robbery at Pirbright Arch in the village of Brookwood in Surrey.[6][7]

Reception

Two-Way Stretch was the fourth most popular film at the British box office in 1960.

Kine Weekly called it a "money maker" at the British box office in 1960.[8]

In The New York Times, Bosley Crowther gave it a positive review, writing, "the script by John Warren and Len Heath follows a straight line and is clever and full of good Cockney wit. Robert Day's direction is lively, in the vein of civilized farce, and the performances are delicious, right down the line," concluding, "Mr. Sellers is still on the rise."[9]

Leslie Halliwell wrote: "Amusing comedy with good performances and situations, unofficially borrowed in part from Convict 99."[10]

References
  1. "Two Way Stretch". The British Film Institute. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  2. Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 360
  3. "Two Way Stretch (1960)". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017.
  4. "Two Way Stretch – review – cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times.
  5. III, Harris M. Lentz (17 May 2010). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2009: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786456451 – via Google Books.
  6. "Reel Streets". www.reelstreets.com.
  7. "bdca.org.uk • View topic – 1960 film "Two Way Stretch"". www.bdca.org.uk.
  8. Billings, Josh (15 December 1960). "It's Britain 1, 2, 3 again in the 1960 box office stakes". Kine Weekly. p. 9.
  9. "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 11 November 2021.
  10. Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 1063. ISBN 0-586-08894-6.
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