One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1975)

★ 5.7 1h 34m IMDb

Escaping from China with a microfilm of the formula for the mysterious "Lotus X", Lord Southmere, a Queen's Messenger, is chased by a group of Chinese spies.

One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing

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Cast

Derek Nimmo
Derek Nimmo as Lord Southmere Died 1999 · Liverpool, England, UK Derek Robert Nimmo was an English character actor, producer and author. He is best remembered for his comedic upper class "silly ass" and clerical roles, including Revd Mervyn Noote in the BBC1 sitcom...
Hugh Burden
Hugh Burden as Haines Died 1985 · Colombo, Ceylon. [now Sri Lanka] From Wikipedia Hugh Burden (3 April 1913 – 17 May 1985) was an English actor and playwright. He was the son of a colonial official and was educated at Beaumont College and trained at the Central Sch...
Bernard Bresslaw
Bernard Bresslaw as Fan Choy Died 1993 · Stepney, London, England, UK A RADA scholar who was spotted by Laurence Olivier, Bernard Bresslaw got professional security from the "Carry On" films but was typecast (as TV's The Army Game (1957) had done earlier). He was beginn...
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes as Hettie Died 1993 · Washington, District of Columbia, USA Helen Hayes was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a...
Joan Sims
Joan Sims as Emily Died 2001 · Laindon, Essex, England, UK Irene Joan Marion Sims was an English actress remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, including Carry On Nurse, Carry On Cleo, and Carry On Camping. She played Mrs Wembley, the cook with a lik...
Deryck Guyler
Deryck Guyler as Harris Died 1999 · Wallasey, Cheshire, England, UK Guyler was born in Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, and brought up on the other side of the River Mersey in Liverpool, Lancashire, where his father was a jeweller. He attended Liverpool Col...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 6/10 Feb 08, 2017
Dinosaur skeleton meets panda nose!

Lord Southmere has a ring of Chinese spies chasing him because he has in his possession a secret microfilm, the contents of this microfilm reveals the formula for mysterious Lotus X. After being chased into the Natural History Museum, Southmere hides the film in the bones of a Brontosaurus skeleton. After Southmere's capture, it's up to his old nanny and her hardy band of friends to find the film and keep it from the clutches of the evil Hnup Wan.....

.....and so is the plot for Disney's charmingly silly live action venture. It's not masquerading as anything other than a fun family film, it's got bags of energy, and it boasts a quite delightful premise. Obviously taking its lead from Ealing's brilliant The Ladykillers, One Of Our Dinosaur's Is Missing's strength is that a couple of English old dears are taking on {and defying} a gang of Chinese nasties. Some mirthful gags {both visual and oral} light up the film, including a great sequence as the ladies steal the skeleton and whisk thru London with it on the back of a coal fuelled truck!

It's good old harmless fun that doesn't deserve the charge of stereotyping the Chinese, it's 1975 and the cast are having fun, and honestly, so should the family. 7/10
r96sk 4/10 Aug 24, 2020
Lacklustre.

<em>'One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing'</em> has a couple of mildly positive things about it, but it is largely a disappointment. I personally failed to get into the premise, I don't mind silly plots but I just don't feel like it connects at all.

Alongside that, you have some very lazy casting which certainly hasn't aged well whatsoever. You have a number of major characters who are Chinese, yet not a single Chinese actor can be seen - yellowface aplenty. Even taking away the obvious negatives, it's not like it even works in the film's favour either.

Peter Ustinov is completely wasted as Hnup Wan, by making him appear Chinese you lose all of Ustinov's expressions and body language. The guys who play his sidekicks add nothing, so why not just add suitable actors to the roles - Disney had done it before, in fact in the same year with characters in <em>'The Apple Dumpling Gang'</em>. It's lazy, at best.

As mentioned at the top, there are some pleasant things in there. The score is very good, while the chase scene looks nice - as does the Natural History Museum. Even then, the cat and mouse stuff drags out.

Many issues, even away from the cast. Not one I'd recommend.

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