Up the Front (1972): Cast & Plot
Up the Front is a 1972 comedy directed by Bob Kellett, starring Frankie Howerd as Lurk, Stanley Holloway and Zsa Zsa Gabor. It runs 1 hour 29 minutes.
- Release year
- Runtime
- 1h 29m (89 min)
- Director
- Bob Kellett
- Genre
- Comedy
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Anglo-EMI
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Up the Front About?
The premise of Up the Front without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Frankie Howerd plays Lurk, a coward dodging the WWI draft. A hypnotist (Stanley Holloway) forces him into bravery, dispatching him to the army where he meets spies like Zsa Zsa Gabor, has the German attack plan tattooed on his backside and returns to Britain. The film brims with cheeky humor and witty asides, a fitting close to Howerd’s Up… series.
Up the Front Themes & Keywords
· 4 tags- breaking the fourth wall
- based on tv series
- sequel
- independent film
Up the Front Cast & Characters
Frankie Howerd leads the cast as Lurk, with Stanley Holloway as The Great Vincento and Zsa Zsa Gabor as Mata Hari. Directed by Bob Kellett; 18 actors are credited in all.
- Director Bob Kellett
-
Frankie Howerd as Lurk -
Stanley Holloway as The Great Vincento - Zsa Zsa Gabor as Mata Hari
- William Mervyn as Lord Twithampton
Also Starring in Up the Front
· 14 more- Linda Gray Lady Twithampton
- Lance Percival Von Gutz
- Madeline Smith Fanny
- Bill Fraser Groping
- Bob Hoskins Recruiting Sergeant
- Peter Bull Von Kobler
- Dora Bryan Cora Crumpington
- Jonathan Cecil Nigel Phipps-Fortescue
- Veronica Clifford Velma
- Mike Grady Newsboy
- Barrie Gosney Stage Manager
- Peter Greenwell Pianist / Accordianiste / Leader of the orchestra
- Leena Skoog Nurse
- Nicholas Bennett Mallett
More from Bob Kellett
More films directed by Bob Kellett: Are You Being Served? The Movie, Spanish Fly, Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something! and Our Miss Fred.
Up the Front Plot Summary
What happens in Up the Front from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
During the First World War, Lurk, [Frankie Howerd], a lowly servant in the household of Lord William Mervyn and Lady Linda Gray Twithampton, is hypnotised by The Great Vincento, [Stanley Holloway], and travels to the Western Front to “save England.” Lurk is inspired to bravery, and upon receiving the German master plan for the entire war, which has through an unlikely series of events been tattooed onto his posterior, he becomes a hidden beacon of courage, pursued across France by German intelligence.
Full summary
The whole story of Up the Front, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Up the Front?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
During which conflict is the film set?
Up the Front Also Known As
2 alternative titles: “Vzhůru na frontu” and “上前线”.
- Also known as
-
- Vzhůru na frontu
- 上前线
Seen Up the Front?
Movies Like Up the Front
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Which Way to the Front?, Behind the Front and Up the Chastity Belt.
Up the Front FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Up the Front, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Up the Front?
Up the Front runs 1 hour 29 minutes (89 minutes).
When was Up the Front released?
Up the Front was released in 1972.
Who directed Up the Front?
Up the Front was directed by Bob Kellett.
More films by Bob Kellett Who is in the cast of Up the Front?
Up the Front stars Frankie Howerd as Lurk, Stanley Holloway as The Great Vincento and Zsa Zsa Gabor as Mata Hari, among 18 credited actors.
Does Up the Front have a post-credit scene?
No. Up the Front has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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