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Whisky Galore is a novel written by Compton Mackenzie (1947) and was subsequently adapted for the cinema under the title Whisky Galore!. Image File history File links Splitsection. ... Whisky Galore is a well-known 1949 Ealing comedy film, in which a cargo vessel is sunk off a remote Scottish island—with 50,000 cases of whisky aboard. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose. ... Sir (Edward Montague) Compton Mackenzie, (1883–1972), was an Scottish novelist. ...

Plot of novel

During World War II, a cargo vessel (S.S. Cabinet Minister) is wrecked off a remote Scottish island group — Great Todday and Little Todday — with 50,000 cases of whisky aboard. Due to wartime rationing, the thirsty islanders had nearly run out of the "water of life" and see this as an unexpected godsend. They manage to salvage several hundred cases before the ship sinks. But it is not all clear sailing. They must thwart the efforts of the authorities to confiscate the liquor, particularly in the shape of misguided, pompous English Home Guard Captain Paul Waggett. A cat-and-mouse battle of wits ensues. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... Whisky, or whiskey, refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from grains and aged in oak casks. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... The Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) or Home Guard, was instituted by the British government during World War II to defend the UK in the event of an invasion by Germany. ...

Although the wreck and the escapades over the whisky are at the centre of the story, there is also a lot of background detail about life in the Outer Hebrides, including e.g. culture clashes between the Protestant island of Great Todday and the Roman Catholic island of Little Todday. (Mackenzie based the geography of these islands on Barra and Eriskay respectively, but in real life they are both Catholic islands.) There are various sub-plots, e.g. two couples who want to get married. Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Castlebay, Barra Traigh Eaig beach This article is about the island of Barra in Scotland. ... Eriskay, looking towards Easabhal on South Uist. ...

Mackenzie's prose captures the various accents of the area in an illustrative way, and also includes much common Gaelic that was in use at the time. The book comes with a useful appendix of both meaning and approximate pronunciation of the language. // Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ...

Origins of the story

Prince's Beach, Eriskay

The story was based on a real-life incident that occurred in 1941 on the Hebridean island of Eriskay when the S.S. Politician ran aground. The famous tale of how a group of local Scottish islanders raided a shipwreck for its consignment of 24,000 cases of whisky has grown into a legend. Image File history File links Eriskay. ... Image File history File links Eriskay. ... The Hebrides The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, and in geological terms are composed of the oldest rocks in the British Isles. ...

Official files released recently by the Public Records Office show that it was also carrying a sum of hard cash. In all, there were nearly 290,000 ten-shilling notes, which would be worth the equivalent of several million pounds at today's prices. Not all of this was recovered from the wreck. The shilling (or informally: bob) was an English coin first issued in 1548 for Henry VIII, although arguably the testoon issued about 1487 for Henry VII was the first English shilling. ...

Film version

The film version is a 1949 Ealing comedy written by Angus MacPhail and Compton Mackenzie and directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The cast included Basil Radford (as the Home Guard captain), Joan Greenwood, James Robertson Justice, Gordon Jackson and John Gregson. It was shot on the island of Barra. The plot underwent some modification and condensation from the novel, with a lot of the background removed; in particular the two islands were merged into a single island, Todday, and some religious issues were left out. See also: 1948 in film 1949 1950 in film 1940s in film 1950s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films North America Adams Rib Jolson Sings Again Pinky I Was a Male War Bride, The Snake Pit, Joan of Arc Academy Awards Best Picture: All the... Ealing Studios, a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London, claims to be the oldest film studio in the world. ... Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 - December 22, 1993) was a Scottish-American film director. ... Basil Radford (25 June 1897 Chester, England - 20 October 1952 London, England) was a British character actor who featured in many British films of the 1930s and 1940s. ... Joan Greenwood (March 4, 1921 - February 27, 1987) was a British actress who was born in Chelsea and studied at RADA. Her husky voice was her trademark, and in 1995 she was #63 on Empire magazines list of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history. ... James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 - 2 July 1975) was a popular character actor in British films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. ... Gordon Cameron Jackson, OBE (December 19, 1923 - January 15, 1990), was a prolific Scottish character actor, best known for his roles in the film The Great Escape, the spy thriller The Ipcress File, and the television series, Upstairs Downstairs (for which he won a best supporting actor Emmy Award) and... John Gregson (15 March 1919 - 8 January 1975) was a British actor. ... Castlebay, Barra Traigh Eaig beach This article is about the island of Barra in Scotland. ...

In the United States the novel and the film were titled Tight Little Island, as a ban existed on using the names of alcoholic drinks in titles.

In France, the movie was retitled Whisky a Go Go, after which a Paris and later a West Hollywood discoteque was named ultimately giving English the term go-go dancer. The Whisky A Go-Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... West Hollywoods logo illustrates the citys borders. ... Go-Go dancers are scantily-clad erotic dancers who dance on stages in an erotic revue, or on elevated platforms or in bird cages above the crowd in clubs, bars or discothèques to set the tone or increase the energy of a dance floor. ...

Mackenzie wrote a sequel, Rockets Galore, which was filmed by the Rank Organisation in 1958. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... // Events February 16- In the Money is released on this date. ...

External links

• Whisky Galore! at the Internet Movie Database
• Whisky Galore! at screenonline
• John Gregson - Website dedicated to the British actor