A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (film)

Infobox Film
name = A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square


caption =
director = Ralph Thomas
producer = Benjamin Fisz
writer = Guy Elmes (story and screenplay)
starring = Richard Jordan,
Oliver Tobias,
David Niven,
Elke Sommer
music = Stanley Myers
cinematography = John Coquillon
editing = Peter Boita
distributor =
released = 1979
runtime = 102 min
country = flagicon|USA USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:5464
imdb_id = 0079630

"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a 1979 British heist film directed by Ralph Thomas, written by Guy Elmes and starring Richard Jordan, Oliver Tobias, and David Niven. The film takes its name from the song A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square.

Plot synopsis

Pinky (Richard Jordan) is released from prison and has decided to go straight from now on, but accidentally getting himself a job as a maintenance man at a large bank, gives him a lot of undue attention from "Ivan the Terrible" David Niven, the local hoodlum. By using Pinky, Ivan hopes to rob the bank and Pinky starts to liken to the idea of going back to his old ways. Also, in this picture is Gloria Grahame ("It's a Wonderful Life") in one of her last roles before her death in 1981.

Also known as

*"The Big Scam"
*"The Biggest Bank Robbery"
*"The Mayfair Bank Caper" (video title)

Additional Location Background Information

Julian Bray (who provided locations services to the Production) writes: "This film (movie) is a must for students of London, England as it was in the 1970s, many of the iconic landmarks are featured, as the film centers around the heist of a bank in Berkeley Square, Central London. It is also one of David Niven's last feature length film appearances. Niven was already looking frail, but coped with the demanding filming schedule and in the process endearing himself to the entire production crew, always finding time to exchange a few words with cast and extras alike.

The location filming in the Square itself was completed over several consecutive Sundays; the schedule arranged around David Niven's long time affection for the nearby Connaught Hotel and its then legendary fine dining rooms, lunch taking some two to four hours or more....

The location vehicles and catering wagons were set up immediately outside Peter Mortons private bar and Restaurant 'Mortons' where the rest of the crew enjoyed the additional piano bar entertainment. Pub scenes were filmed at a typical 1930's London pub just off Berkeley Square. Exterior garden locations, Elke Sommers cottage, located in a Lane immediately behind Twickenham Film Studios, where most of the bank interiors and roof void sequences were shot on sound stage two, just outside London. On stage one building up at the time was " American Werewolf In London" . Most of the Nightingale crew transferred to that production following the wrap of Nightingale.

For Ivans string of moonlighting businesses, you need to travel to West London through Chiswick. Ivans car lot is still around as it was then, as theAmerican Car Sales Company. A simple sign change was all the set dressing required. Local shops suddenly became Ivans Funeral Parlour and so on. In the space of two hours, Ivan seemingly owned all the businesses within a two mile radius of the used car lot. The gangs workshop where fake bullion cash-in-transit vans were created together with police office locations were in a then disused office building immediately opposite Fullers Chiswick Brewery (brewers of "London Pride" English Ale) and behind the temporary vehicle flyover (which has been 'temporary' for well over forty years!)

London has changed dramatically since then, the final sequences shot on the River Thames Embankement show London at a not so frenetic time, a few years before laptop computers and mobile phones. The iconic red London telephone box used throughout the film was a prop and in some shots the whole structure moved as the door closed! In another the electric cable lighting the box can be seen.

Finally, over a thousand fake Krugerrand coins were cast (the word Krugerrand being scored through) and in one sequence the box containing them spills out as the fake security van swings around a corner. For two weeks following filming the production company paid to have the entire drain system in that part of the Square lifted, as some had dropped in to the Victorian underground sewer below. Only 998 were ever recovered.

Richard Jordan, who later died from a brian tumour, made many friends in London,England during filming as did Ben Fitz the producer who said he would like to return to the UK. He too died before the Nightingale could sing once again in Berkeley Square.