Name: The Man Who Liked Funerals
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 57 min
Rating: 6.1
Cast: Anthony Green, Brian Tyler, Leslie Phillips

In the late fifties comic vehicles for Leslie Phillips practically constituted a genre in their own right.

Released in the same year that Mario Zampi's 'Too Many Crooks' anticipated 'Loot', 'The Man Who Liked Funerals' similarly embraces the genial cynicism of Michael Pertwee's scripts for Zampi, surrounding Phillips with a gallery of ghouls, grotesques & weirdos including Jimmy Thompson as a Colonel's son who deserts from the army to become a ballet dancer before deciding that on second thoughts he's "only suited to the soft life of the soldier", a communist party apparatchik whose office wall still carries a portrait of Stalin beneath his picture of Khrushchev, Arthur Mullard as an Italian gangster with the memorable name of Joey Fiasco as well as the gracious and charming Susan Beaumont; while vouchsafing such home truths as a publisher's admission that "We can't afford to publish drivel, not unless it's someone important".

Like Terry-Thomas in 'Make Mine Mink' Philips doesn't play the usual roue but a public-spirited citizen motivated purely by altruism who scandalises his boss by putting in overtime without pay and attempting to raise the then-astronomical sum of £4,000 to finance a boys' club; to which end he practises blackmail along the lines of a far less venal version of Denis Price in 'The Naked Truth'.

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

A gangster's death leads a man who wants money to save a youth club, to blackmail the deceased's family. He then tries blackmailing a villain's prominent family.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

The Man Who Liked Funerals

Photos1

Top Cast24

User reviews5

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed