“Whisky Galore!” was one of the most popular films of 1949 and, along with “Passport to Pimlico”, “A Run For Your Money”, and “Kind Hearts & Coronets” all released in the same year within the space of seven months, firmly established the Ealing Comedies as a British cinematic institution.

A classic comedy, very much rooted in its Scottish location but appealing to cinemagoers worldwide, “Whisky Galore!” tells the story, apparently based on true events, of a fictional Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides that has run dry of whisky but whose inhabitants are gifted a shipwreck carrying 50,000 cases of the spirit.

With opposition from the local law enforcers, the islanders plot to salvage and hide the drink. Like other Ealing comedies, “Whisky Galore!” presents the tale of the small underdog battling a larger enemy, in this case the state bureaucracy of the Home Guard & customs officials.

Also starring Joan Greenwood & Basil Radford, international cinemagoers were captivated by the whisky-dependent islanders in “Whisky Galore!” – the film was renamed “Tight Little Island” for American audiences and the French title inspired the name of the world’s first ever discotheque, Whisky à Gogo in Paris.