Unless you're a die-hard old movie buff, you might not make it through The Extra Day. I stuck with it because I thought the premise was interesting, and because I wanted to catch Sidney James in a pre-Carry On flick. The film starts off on a movie set, filming the final scene of a movie. Then, with the canister packaged up, the reels get sent on the truck to the main studio. However, director Richard Basehart gets a call with bad news: the last reel fell out of the truck and the footage was spoiled. He has to stay up all night contacting and convincing the actors and extras involved in that final scene to return to work in the morning.
Some of the side stories involving the actors are cute, and some are a bit sad, like the older couple whose daughter was planning on putting them away in a nursing home. Thrown in for good measure is a romance between Richard and his leading lady, Simone Simone. She pretends not to give him the time of day, but you can tell she has just as much a crush on him as he does her. Keep your eyes peeled for Beryl Reid, Shani Wallis, and Glenda Jackson, but don't blink or you'll risk missing them.
Some of the side stories involving the actors are cute, and some are a bit sad, like the older couple whose daughter was planning on putting them away in a nursing home. Thrown in for good measure is a romance between Richard and his leading lady, Simone Simone. She pretends not to give him the time of day, but you can tell she has just as much a crush on him as he does her. Keep your eyes peeled for Beryl Reid, Shani Wallis, and Glenda Jackson, but don't blink or you'll risk missing them.