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Whisky Galore! Overview:

Whisky Galore! (1949) was a Comedy - Black-and-white Film directed by Alexander Mackendrick and produced by Michael Balcon and Monja Danischewsky.

Whisky Galore! BlogHub Articles:

Ealing Comedy #4: Whisky Galore! (Alexander Mackendrick, 1949)

By Virginie Pronovost on Dec 23, 2022 From The Wonderful World of Cinema

The journey across the Ealing comedies continues today with Whisky Galore!, a 1949 film that introduced two critical figures to these films: director Alexander Mackendrick and actress Joan Greenwood. By the way, I just discovered that Alexander Mackendrick also directed Sweet Smell of Success (1957)... Read full article

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Whisky Galore! Quotes:

Captain Paul Waggett: [Speaking about the islanders] They're so unsporting. They don't do things for the sake of doing them like the English. We play the game for the sake of the game. Other nations play the game for the sake of winning it.
Narrator: [describing the inhabitants of Todday as children run out of a cottage] A happy people, with few and simple pleasures.
Narrator: To the west, there is nothing. Except America.
Farquharson: My men are experts.
Captain Paul Waggett: So are the Todday people, at hiding whisky!
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Whisky Galore! Facts
The story was based on a real-life incident that occurred in 1941 on the Hebridean island of Eriskay when the SS Politician ran aground. The tale of how a group of local Scottish islanders raided a shipwreck for its consignment of 24,000 cases of whisky quickly became legend. What's less well reported, however, was the fact that the ship was also carrying a sizeable amount of hard cash. According to official files recently released by the Home Office, there was nearly 290,000 ten shilling notes on board as well (this would be the equivalent of several million pounds at today's prices), not all of which was ever recovered.
In France, the film was called "Whisky a Go-Go". This proved so popular a title, it became the name of one of the leading Parisian nightclubs.
The sets were pre-built at Ealing Studios and then shipped up to Scotland. They were then constructed in a village hall for the frequent occasions when it was too wet to put them up outside.
Local islanders were hired as extras for £1 a day.
Shot on the island of Barra, which boasts Britain's most unique airport - the runway is the beach.
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