The Bargee

"The Bargee" is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Duncan Wood and starring Harry H. Corbett as Hemel Pike, a canal boatman who refuses to give up his traditional lifestyle despite the canals' decline in traffic. When Hemel's girlfriend Christine (Julia Foster) becomes pregnant, her father Joe Turnbull (Hugh Griffith) blocks the canal, leading Hemel to confess and eventually win her hand in marriage, ensuring their son will be able to live on the boats with him until they are withdrawn from the canals 18 months later.