The Last of the Blonde Bombshells
| The Last of the Blonde Bombshells | |
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British DVD cover
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| Directed by | Gillies MacKinnon |
| Produced by | Su Armstrong |
| Written by | Alan Plater |
| Starring |
Judi Dench Ian Holm |
| Music by | John Keane |
| Cinematography | Richard Greatrex |
| Edited by | Pia Di Ciaula |
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Release date
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Running time
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84 minutes |
| Country | United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Last of the Blonde Bombshells is a 2000 British-American television film directed by Gillies MacKinnon. The script by Alan Plater focuses on the efforts of a recently widowed woman to reunite the members of the World War II-era swing band with which she played saxophone.
It features Carry On actress Joan Sims in her final acting performance before her death in 2001, and Romola Garai in her first professional role.
The film was a joint project of BBC Films and HBO. It premiered in the US on 26 August and in the UK on 3 September.
After her husband's death, Elizabeth (Dench) decides to return to her musical roots and begins busking with young guitarist Paul (Chapman) in a plaza overlooking a London ice rink, much to the dismay of her daughter Patricia (Dean) and son Edward (Palliser). One day she is spotted by Patrick (Holm), who attempted to avoid enlistment during World War II by dressing as a woman and playing drums with the Blonde Bombshells, a supposedly all-female band. Elizabeth performed with the Bombshells when she was only fifteen years old.
The two reminisce and eventually begin dating. At the encouragement of Elizabeth's granddaughter Joanna (Findlay) they begin searching for other band members for a reunion concert at Joanna's school dance. At first they have little success - one has died, another is suffering from dementia. A third, Evelyn, is serving time, while trombonist Annie (Whitfield) is dedicated to the Salvation Army and refuses to play "the devil's music". Elizabeth and Patrick eventually locate piano player and band leader Betty (Sims) working in a seaside saloon; she has kept all the band's old costumes, as well as Patrick's drums. The group post bail for Evelyn and convince Annie to play in exchange for a sizable charitable donation. Singer Gwen (Laine), performing in a nightclub in Wolverhampton, agrees to sing, although she refuses to rehearse with the group. Evelyn learns that trumpeter Dinah (Dukakis) has become an alcoholic living in a secluded manor in Scotland, who agrees to play after Elizabeth and Patrick pay her a melodramatic visit. While in Scotland, Elizabeth learns that the roses painted on Patrick's drum kit indicate how many of the Blond Bombshells he managed to sleep with during the War – he managed to bed all of them except Elizabeth, who was shielded from Patrick's affections by Betty.
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