Crooks in Cloisters (1964)
Directed by Jeremy Summers

Film Review

Crooks in Cloisters is one of those cheap British comedies of the 1960s which is both inexplicably likeable and yet completely forgettable.  It boasts a top-notch cast including some of Britain's most popular comedy entertainers (Barbara Windsor, Wilfrid Brambell and Bernard Cribbins), all working overtime to kick some life and charm into an unimaginably dull screenplay.  Gags are so scarce that the film barely deserves to rate as a comedy and if there is one thing the film needs to make up for its woefully pedestrian storyline it is a steady stream of gags.  In the end, it is the amiable presence of the comedy icons (busty Babs especially) that saves the film and prevents it from being totally unbearable.

Film Synopsis

Doggedly pursued by police chief Mungo, a gang of small-time crooks are forced into hiding out on a small island off the coast of Cornwall.  They take possession of an abandoned monastery and pass themselves off as monks, hoping to escape with their ill-gotten gains once the furore has died down.  The crooks soon grow to like their new way of life and are reluctant to go back to their old ways.  Their plans are threatened when the previous occupants of the monastery turn up unexpectedly...