Film / Twice Round the Daffodils

"'Cheer up', she says. Riddled with microbes and she says, 'Cheer up'. I sometimes think the main qualification for being a nurse is to be completely out of touch with reality."

— Henry Halfpenny complaining as always.

Twice Round the Daffodils is a 1962 film starring Juliet Mills, Donald Sinden, Donald Houston, Kenneth Williams, and Ronald Lewis. Despite being produced and directed by Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas, and having a few of the films' stars, this film was not part of the Carry On... Series.

The film takes place in Lenton Sanatorium for the Treatment of TB, a tuberculosis clinic where for a patient to be dismissed, they must be strong enough to walk twice around a patch of daffodils in the hospital courtyard.

The patients of Ward V include disagreeable coal miner John Rhodes (Houston); woman-chasing RAF officer Ian Richards (Sinden), who falls for Hospital Hottie Janet (Jill Ireland); relationship-troubled Bob White (Lewis), whose girlfriend Joyce (Nanette Newman) is planning to leave him for "Charlie Sportscar" (Peter Jesson); supercilious Henry Halfpenny (Williams), whose sister Harriet (Joan Sims) never stops writing to him; not-so-simple farmer George Logg (Lance Percival); and timid young trainee chef Chris Walker (Andrew Ray), who has a crush on Nurse Dorothy Beamish (Amanda Reiss).

Lenton Sanatorium is run under the watchful eyes of Matron (Renée Houston), and the one upside of being a patient is the lovely Nurse Catty (Mills), who tries her best to keep them happy and recovering as Hilarity Ensues.

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Twice Round the Tropes:

• Acting Unnatural: While chatting with Henry, Chris spots Nurse Beamish in the distance and stands up to admire her. When Henry asks him what he's staring at, Chris insists it was nothing and sits back down to read Recipes of the World, taking a second to realise he's got the book upside-down.
• Adapted Out:
  • Out of the original five patients from Ring for Catty, the only one not to have any counterpart in the film is Bill Jones, a labourer.
  • Madge Williams and Mrs. White are also absent.
• Adaptation Name Change: Some of the characters had different names in Ring for Catty, the play the film was based on:
  • Ian Richards was first called "Donald Gray".
  • Bob's first name used to be "Leonard".
• Agony of the Feet: When Nurse Beamish tries to use the washing machine in the sluice, the door comes away in her hand and crushes her foot, leaving her with a limp.
• Alliterative Name:
  • Henry Halfpenny, and his sister, Harriet Halfpenny.
  • Ian calls himself "Randy Richards" when discussing his "night patrol" with Chris.
  • While John is using an American accent, he calls Nurse Catty "Cowgirl Catty".
  • When trying to get Bob and Nurse Catty to realise they both love one another, Ian calls her "Bertha Bedpan".
• Annoying Patient:
  • At first, Henry is rude to the nurses due to the fact he is being forced to move into Ward V after a year in his old ward:
    Nurse Catty: You're just in a mood.
    Henry: Certainly, I'm in a mood. Why should I move from next door into here? Ridiculous, medical logistics run riot. After a year next door, I was just getting settled in. What's this bed made of, nails? Made for a Fakir, that's what it was. An' a pretty stupid Fakir to put up with it, too.
  • John is hard work at first too, refusing to admit he has tuberculosis just like the rest of the men:
    John: I shouldn't be 'ere at all, an' why did they take my fishin' tackle away?
    Nurse Catty: Because this isn't a holiday resort, it's Lenton Sanatorium for the Treatment of TB.
    John: Ah, well, I'm not 'ere for treatment. I wanna see the boss.
    Nurse Catty: Given a little time, Mr. Rhodes, I can probably arrange for you to see the Minister of Health, but only if you get into bed.
• Appeal to Tradition: John is disgusted to learn that Chris is training to be a chef, claiming that being a cook is no job for a man and that he should be swinging a pick instead.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: While Henry is always complaining about how many letters Harriet sends him, when she stops sending him them (as she fears she's doing too much) he misses it and becomes rather stroppy.
• Battleaxe Nurse: Matron is a typical British hospital Matron of The '60s - no-nonsense, old, and not afraid to put patients and staff alike in their place.
• The Bet: When Ian starts pursuing Janet, the rest of the patients (barring Chris) all put bets on whether she'll be a pushover or not:
  John: You owe me two an' a kick!
  Henry: I want proof, every bookmaker's entitled to proof that his horse has passed the post.
• The Big Damn Kiss: After Bob and Nurse Catty finally discover the other's feelings about them, Bob gives her one as Ian watches on proudly.
• Blatant Lies: John insists he's only at Lenton Sanatorium for observation, even though all other patients and staff alike know he is suffering from tuberculosis.
• The Bore: Henry loves his sister Harriet, but finds her and her constant letters to be rather exhausting:
  Henry: Oh, I appreciate Harriet, all right, I think she's marvellous. Never before was so much written about so little in such detail.
• Brief Accent Imitation: When Nurse Catty arrives in Ward V with a tray of nourishment, John puts on an American accent, calling her "Cowgirl Catty dishing up the grub stage".
• Canon Foreigner:
  • Out of the original five patients from Ring for Catty, Henry Halfpenny and George Logg were created for the film to replace Bill Jones. Henry's sister, Harriet, was also invented for the film.
  • Nurse Beamish, Janet, Dora, and Joyce are also all original characters made for the film.
• The Casanova: Ian is a total ladies' man and always on the eye out for his next woman. He doesn't make it one step out of the minibus to Lenton Sanatorium before he tries to put the moves on Nurse Beamish. Of course, his extreme need for a woman is a side effect of his tuberculosis.
• Closet Shuffle: When Henry and George are trying to do some sneaky late-night cooking, they hear what they think is a burglar and so hide in the cupboard. This gives them the perfect hiding spot to see Janet sneak in through the window and lose her skirt in the process. Later when Nurse Beamish comes in to make some tea for Janet, they have to quickly pack up all their equipment and hide in the same cupboard.
• Comically Missing the Point:
  • When Henry is explaining how to play Chess to George, George asks him if the pieces can jump like in Checkers. When Henry sarcastically tells him the bishop can't jump, George remarks that he understands that, as it wouldn't be dignified for a bishop to jump, would it?
  • When Henry and George sneak out of Ward V in the middle of the night to do some cooking, and George shuts the door behind them:
    Henry: Er, ajar.
    George: Eh? We're not making a jam?
    Henry: The door, you great nit.
• Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: As Henry and George watch Janet sneak into the ward kitchen through the window, her skirt falls off, leading George to cover his and Henry's eyes with a cucumber. Henry is not amused and shoves it away.
• Deadpan Snarker:
  • Henry is rather a supercilious man and uses his snark to let the other patients know this:
    John: I'd like to see 'em swing a pick.
    Henry: The extent of a man's usefulness in this world is not judged exclusively by the way he "swings" or otherwise manipulates a "pick".
    John: Swallowed a dictionary, have you?
    Henry: In a matter of speaking, yes, I work for an encyclopaedia company.
  • Nurse Catty is driven to it by having to deal with everybody else driving her mad:
    Joyce: We can't be seen from the building, can we?
    Nurse Catty: Not unless Matron possesses a periscope, which I rather fancy she does.
  • Nurse Beamish is too, when standing up for herself:
    Nurse Beamish: I just opened it, and it... came away in my hand, nurse.
    Nurse Catty: It couldn't have done.
    Nurse Beamish: Well, it did, nurse.
    Nurse Catty: Don't contradict me, Nurse Beamish.
    Nurse Beamish: All right, it didn't come away in my hand, then. It took an immediate dislike to me, hopped off the hinge, and crushed my foot all by itself... nurse.
• Definitely Just a Cold: Despite suffering from tuberculosis, John doesn't seem to care nor think he needs time to recover, rudely telling anyone who'll listen that he's not ill:
  John: Er, I-I'm only 'ere for observation, I-I'm not ill. I-I've bit of a cough, isn't tuberculosis, is it?
  Nurse Catty: I hope not, Mr. Rhodes. Get into bed, please.
  John: No, I-I-I'm not ill. The only time I've ever been in bed in the daytime is when I've been on the night shift at the pits. I've never 'ad a day's illness in my life, but I shall very likely catch something being stuck away in a place like this.
• Dramatic Irony: While Bob believes his girlfriend Joyce still loves him, she's got a young man of her own on the side and is planning to break up with him. Nurse Catty finds this out and so Joyce asks her for her help in breaking the news to Bob.
• Driven to Suicide: One night, John breaks down in tears to Nurse Catty telling her to give him a pill so he'll never wake up again, believing himself to be more of use to his family dead now that he isn't earning any money for them. Luckily, Nurse Catty talks him out of thinking like this.
• Erotic Dream: As Janet wanders into Ward V with her clothes falling off and underwear visible, a sleepy Ian brushes it off as just another one of his dreams.
• Establishing Character Moment:
  • We first see John rudely brushing off the minibus driver's offer to take his suitcase with a retort of "I don't need any help, I'm not ill", showing the viewer he isn't afraid to be forward with people and that he doesn't believe his illness is a real issue.
  • Ian is introduced by giving a flirtatious hello to Nurse Beamish, setting him up as The Casanova.
• Everyone Calls Her "Barkeep": Matron's name is never given, and she is only referred to by her job title.
• Faint in Shock: After Joyce tells him she is in love with another man, Bob tries walking away, only to clutch his chest and pass out from a combination of heartache and tuberculosis.
• The Film of the Play: This was the second film adaptation of Ring for Catty, after Carry On Nurse.
• Fingore: George is fond of needlepoint, but often accidentally pricks his finger with the needle.
• Florence Nightingale Effect: Ian almost instantly falls for Nurse Catty, who is more focused on trying to get him better than anything romantic.
• Forceful Kiss: Two from Ian:
  • First, he kisses Nurse Catty on his first day, who tells him that he's only doing it as the tuberculosis makes him feel sexy.
  • After this, he forces himself on Nurse Beamish one night. Chris sees this and rips him off her in disgust.
• Forgetful Jones: Harriet writes so much to Henry that come visiting day, she can't remember what she's already told him and so repeats herself on everything.
• Hidden Depths: George seems to be a simple country farmer, but has some brains that none of the other patients know about:
  John: What's a "Stakhanovite"?
  George: It's a name they give a bloke in Russia who digs a lotta coal.
  Henry: How do you know?
  George: I'm not daft, Henry.
• Hospital Hottie:
  • Nurse Catty is a beautiful nurse who catches the eye of Ian right off the bat.
  • Nurse Beamish is another pretty nurse with an admirer; hers is Chris.
  • The final nurse is Janet, a stunning woman with a habit of sleeping around.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: Just as Henry insists that he's not afraid of the "refrigerated old ice cube" of a Matron, she makes her presence known and he quickly gets into his bed to avoid any confrontation.
• Interrupted Intimacy: As Bob and Nurse Catty share their first kiss, Ian loudly says hello to Matron so the two lovers can be alerted to her presence and quickly stop kissing to avoid her ire.
• Ironic Echo: Early on, Bob tells John that six men stuck in a room for months on end are bound to get on each other's nerves and that the more civilised you are, the less you show it. Much later in the film, Bob snaps at the other patients for prying into his crush on Nurse Catty, so John parrots these words back to him with a grin on his face.
• Jerkass: John is without a doubt the rudest patient at Lenton Sanatorium. He's dismissive of all the other patients, flippant with the nurses, and bullies poor Chris for not being as manly as him. This is caused by how much he misses his family, and how he worries how they're getting on without him to provide for them.
• "L" Is for "Dyslexia": As George reads a letter from Dora, he remarks she's written she's preparing her trousers for the wedding. Bob remarks she's probably written "trousseau".
• Lame Rhyme Dodge: While Henry is at his wit's end trying to explain Chess to George:
  Henry: How many times have I gotta tell you we're not playing draughts? What d'you think I am, a fool?
  George: Lookin' at you, I sometimes wonder...
  Henry: What did you say?
  George: I said, "Looks bad enough for thunder".
• Last-Name Basis: The patients and nurses are on a mostly last-name basis with each other to keep things professional.
• Malicious Misnaming: John calls Chris "Christine" to mock him for not being, as he sees it, a real man.
• No Full Name Given:
  • We don't get to know Nurse Catty, Janet (humourously Lampshaded as the others refer to her as "Janet What's 'Er Name?"), Joyce, Dora, or Mary's last names.
  • The same can be said for Mrs. Rhodes, and Mr. and Mrs. Beamish's first names.
• Odd Friendship: Henry and George are (seemingly) at the opposite ends of the intelligence spectrum, yet seem to enjoy spending time together, whether it be playing Chess or cooking together.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: When Mrs. Rhodes comes to visit, John tells his wife of the time he did a striptease to get a laugh out of the other patients, and how Matron walked in on him.
• Only Known by Their Nickname:
  • Nurse Catty's first name is "Catry", but only Matron regularly calls her that.
  • Chris' first name, "Christopher", is hardly used in favour of the more casual alternative.
• Putting the "Medic" in Comedic: The film is more of a Dramedy than the usual Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas affair, but still finds some comedy in the tuberculosis sanatorium setting, such as Henry and George sneaking into the ward kitchen to do some late-night cooking.
• Relationship Upgrade:
  • As Chris takes his first walk 'round the daffodils, he tries to tell Nurse Beamish he loves her. Nurse Beamish reveals she's known for ages but shares his feelings.
  • Long after Joyce leaves him, Bob starts to fall for Nurse Catty, but worries he's only on the rebound, while Nurse Catty thinks he still wishes he had Joyce. Ian gets the two together and tells them straight up what they think, and so Bob gives her a Big Damn Kiss.
• Rhymes on a Dime: John comes up with a slogan for the patients, "In Ward V, we're all alive". In response, Ian tells him to drop dead.
• Right Behind Me:
  • As Henry complains about being moved to Ward V, he tells Nurse Catty he intends to complain to Matron, insisting he's not afraid of that "refrigerated old ice cube". Just as these words pass his lips, Matron (who had entered the room during his tirade) gives Nurse Catty an order and Henry quickly scuttles into his bed.
  • While Chris is sitting down saying how what he plans to say to tell Nurse Beamish that he loves her, she walks up from behind him and hears his entire confession.
• Rule of Three: Janet loses her skirt three times when she sneaks in through the ward kitchen.
• Running Gag: None of the patients can remember Janet's surname, and so refer to her as "Janet What's 'Er Name?".
• Shirtless Scene:
  • John has one as he undresses for bed remarking that it's lucky he's only at Lenton Sanatoriumfor observation.
  • Bob is shirtless after his collapse while Nurses Catty and Beamish sponge him down.
• Shout-Out:
  • Henry excitedly runs into Ward V and shows Ian his chess board, claiming he's going to do a "Capablanca". This is a reference to José Raúl Capablanca, the world Chess champion from 1921 to 1927.
  • When telling Mrs. Rhodes about the striptease he did to get a laugh from the other patients, John compares himself to Salome.
  • Dora sends George the book, An Invitation to Chess, so that he can learn the skills to beat Henry at his own game.
  • When Henry tells Harriet she missed the post, he tells her it was introduced by Rowland Hill back when it was called the Penny Post.
  • When John returns from his fishing trip, Chris calls him Sir Isaac.
  • After Chris reads a poem to Bob to get him to confess his love to Nurse Catty, Henry tells him "Shakespeare himself with a fistful of sonnets couldn't have done better", that it's made Bob's mood "as romantic as a cat at Crufts", and calls him "Fu Manchu" for mentioning the Chinese in it.
• Shower Scene: John and Chris leave the showers at the same time, and as they do John claims he feels as though he'll be leaving soon, while telling Chris he probably is more hesitant, owing to his Relationship Upgrade with Nurse Beamish.
• Slippery Skid: When Henry and George are hiding in the ward kitchen cupboard with their cooking paraphernalia (to not let Nurse Beamish know they have brought in outside foot), George accidentally puts his foot in a frying pan with an omelette in it, which causes him to slide through the door and into the table right in front of Nurse Beamish.
• Slut-Shaming: When Janet sneaks into Lenton Sanatorium with her clothes barely hanging on after a night out, Nurse Beamish makes fun of her for not having time to eat and implies she's a cat by meowing at her.
• Smart People Play Chess:
  • Henry, who believes himself to be mentally superior to all with him in Ward V, loves Chess and is always trying to get the others to play with him.
    Henry: Stalemate.
    Chris: What?
    Henry: "Stalemate".
    Chris: I'm sorry, I don't understand.
    Henry: Neither the black nor the white can move. See, a fine thing. I know the game so well; I can't even beat myself.
  • Averted with George, a seemingly simple country farmer. While at first, he keeps confusing it with Checkers, Dora sends him An Invitation to Chess, a book that gives him the skills to become a master at the game, even winning a game against Henry in just about a minute.
• Stealth Insult: When Bob shows Nurse Catty his broken headphones:
  Bob: I'm afraid this broke in my hand, nurse.
  George: I can screw it up.
  Bob: Exactly my opinion, but I'd rather have it done properly.
• Struggling Single Mother: John worries that without him back with his family, his wife won't be able to support their son as he is the breadwinner of the family.
• Suddenly Shouting: John's anger at being stuck in Lenton Sanatorium finally boils over during a conversation with Bob:
  John: I don't like the way you said that.
  Bob: What do you like?!
  John: NOTHING in this bloody place!
• Tagline: "Filled with love - laughter - and just a few tears!".
• The Talk: Discussed by Ian and Chris:
  Ian: For your sake, Chris, stop behaving as if you were brought up by Victorian grandparents who wouldn't even tell you about the gooseberry bush.
  Chris: I know about the facts of life. They told us at the orphanage.
• Talking in Your Sleep: While John sleeps, he mutters things like "Only observation".
• Tears of Joy: When John tells his wife that he's coming home at the end of the week, she bursts into happy tears:
  John: Oh, now, love, what are you cryin' for?
  Mrs. Rhodes: I'm so happy.
• Teeny Weenie: When a nervous Chris turns down Nurse Catty's offer to undress him, boorish John remarks that he "Shouldn't have thought he'd have much to hide".
• Title Drop: When John spots a patient walking twice around the garden so he can be dismissed from Lenton Sanatorium:
  John: What the 'ell is 'e up to?
  Bob: Twice 'round the daffodils.
  John: (Beat) What daffodils?
• Took a Level in Kindness: As the film goes on, John becomes noticeably jollier and less of an angry misery. This is helped by the knowledge that his wife and son are still doing ok without him at home,
• Wardrobe Malfunction: Janet's skirt comes off three times in one night:
  • When she sneaks into the ward kitchen through the window, her skirt comes off, and Henry and George (hiding in the cupboard) see her frilly knickers.
  • It happens again when she enters Ward V, and a sleepy Ian mistakes it for one of his Erotic Dreams.
  • The final time comes when she reenters the ward kitchen, and it comes off as Henry falls out of the cupboard.

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