DVD Review: The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1973) Reg Varney

At the time when Reg Varney was riding on the success of both the TV and film versions of On The Buses (the film outings made more for Hammer than their blood and boobs films at the time), this tragi-comedy hit the screens. Adapted from an ITV Playhouse drama (which also starred Varney) it is a touching look into the life of a showman whose life is collapsing around him while he is completely unaware.

Varney plays holiday camp drag queen and all-round entertainer "Sherry" Sheridan, his act watched by bemused punters who are more interested in the beer (a great appearance by Bill "Harry Cross" Dean and Reginald Marsh), obnoxious kids and OAPs while all the time his wife Mary (Diana Coupland) is having an affair with the camp boss Charlie (Lee Montague). When his son (Michael Hadley) turns up announcing his marriage, and the camp is to be taken over by acerbic Emma (Jean Harvey) things start to unravel.

This film is something of a revelation; as one comes to it expecting Varney's chirpy character as we know and love. We do get that, to a certain extent, but only under the cracked veneer of the faded performer who still believes his own hype. Varney manages to inject the character with pathos, and we are soon feeling sorry for him, even when it's infuriatingly obvious he has brought his woes upon himself.
You get a real sense people are pitying this old fool who camps it up (no pun intended) and plays the fool, while all the time he is being made a fool, and carries on regardless. 

There's a great double act in young chancers George Sweeney and David Lincoln, hoping to pull the only really eligible girls, played by Clare Sutcliffe and the ever lovely Penny Spencer (Please, Sir!, Under The Doctor, The Playbirds); this includes an amusing interlude while they attempt to purchase contraception.
Formerly Coronation Street's Mike Baldwin and bit part player in several 70s sex comedies, Johnny Briggs props up the bar as the on-the-make bartender; I became used to seeing him propping the bar up from the other side at the Lime bar in Salford Quays where he had a home, but I never plucked up the courage to talk to him about these early roles.

Jane Seymour makes a pre-Live and Let Die appearance and queen of the cameo, Claire Davenport pops up in a couple of scenes.

This was director Christopher Hodson's only big screen film, most of his output being for TV, but give or take the occasional use of over sentimental music, he handles the subject really well. I must try to track down the Playhouse version to compare notes (it would have made an excellent bonus feature).

Released by Network DVD in their The British Film strand, it looks and sounds as good as it should. I really must commend Network for putting out so many obscure and financially risky titles recently, so please do support them and buy (they tend to be less than a tenner on the Network website). Now, if only they could follow this up with the other, more traditional Varney feature, Go For A Take (1972; also starring the wonderful Norman Rossington and a host of cameos including Dennis Price as Dracula) it would be brilliant. (hint, hint)

7 out of 10

DVD Review: The Lovers! (1973)

Spin offs from 70s TV comedy shows tended to have two things in common: they were invariably produced by the Hammer studio, and the plot often involved the characters going on holiday, with hilarious results. This 1973 feature version of the often overlooked hit The Lovers bucks that trend by being produced by British Lion, the studio behind The Wicker Man and Goodbye Gemini, and having a plot which basically encapsulates the series formula into just under 90 mins.

Eschewing the canon of the TV series (which ran 13 episodes), the film version follows our unlikely lovebirds from their first awkward meeting. Geoffrey (Richard Beckinsale), the Manchester United loving bank clerk hooks up with romantically minded but hesitant Beryl (Paula Wilcox) more by accident than design. The plot, such much as it is, revolves around the pair's off and on relationship, his per-occupation with wanting to join the permissive society, and her more traditional desire for wedding bells and family life. As per the TV version, Geoffrey's advances, as naive and clumsy as they are, are met with a firm N-O spells no! This was the show which brought the term 'Percy Filth' into the lexicon of at least my upbringing.

The TV version doesn't get wheeled out as often as other sit-coms of the time, certainly nowhere  near as much as Beckinsale's big hit, Porridge, so the material isn't as over familiar. So, even though the look of the film has dated somewhat it is still an amusing look at the trials and tribulations of dating. A plus factor, at least for someone like myself who lives in the town, is the wonderful location footage of Manchester in the early 70s. From the opening scene set outside The George Best Boutique, to the old GM bus colour scheme, Albert Square and the Piccadilly Hotel, this is a Manchester I barely remember but still seems familiar. Football fans (there must be some somewhere I guess) may get a kick (ha!) out of seeing the Old Trafford ground before the corporates took over. Without going over the top, the film manages to poke fun at both the permissive attitudes and the "groovy man" crowd; a brilliant scene has Geoffrey try 'grass' for the first time, only to be made even more sick when he's informed it actually was just grass!

The playfulness (and pain) of 'courting' is suitably shown. The pair 'just happen' to be at the same places and so much rings true without being heavy handed or slapstick, thanks to Jack Rosenthal's wonderful script. Beckinsale and Wilcox are wonderful, playing characters they obviously had gotten used to, and the pair's natural likability helps a great deal.
As an interesting footnote, it's directed by Herbert Wise, who made the infamous TV version of The Woman In Black for ITV.

The Lovers! has been released by the good people of Network DVD as part of their The British Film series and is a worthy addition to any collection, whether you are familiar with the TV show or not (although they also have that in their catalog too should you wish to try it). Without resorting to the Percy Filth or bawdiness to sell the picture, this good-natured film is certainly worth a look.
8 out of 10

Blu-ray review: The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970)

Mr Pelham (Roger Moore) is your typical businessman. The bowler hat, suit and brolly type. We know he's dependable because he wears his seat-belt (this wasn't compulsory at this time), which he undoes when something within him makes him snap and begin to drive his reliable car at boy racer speeds. He inevitably crashes, and while on the operating table the doctors almost lose him. Bringing him back to life, they briefly notice two heartbeats on the machine that goes ping (it's solved by a good old fashioned bash though).

As he goes back to work, people begin to act strange around him," nudge nudging" him and telling him that they will keep quiet about seeing him in pool halls and the like. More and more of theses sightings lead him to think something's afoot.
He is investigating a leak of sensitive material, critical to his companies financial future, and all fingers soon point to Pelham himself (a clandestine meeting on a paddle boat on the Serpentine is ludicrously brilliant). This espionage sub-plot plays well with the Pelham's mounting paranoia, and the gradual loss of his faculties.

Moore is brilliant in the dual role, (but in fairness, he is a favourite of mine and yes, he's my Bond) and the rest of the cast, which includes a few recognisable faces, are equally adept. When he bumps (literally) into a beautiful fashion photographer at the swimming pool, he even manages to drop in some shutterbug jargon based innuendo.

It's directed with gusto by Basil Dearden, (who was responsible for both the linking and hearse stories in the Ealing classic Dead of Night (1945) and wrote several George Formby films), from a story by Anthony Armstrong. It had previously been adapted for TV for an Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, and it is to the credit of Dearden (and no doubt uncredited screenwriter/producer Bryan Forbes) that it doesn't feel padded. It is naturally paced, and not short of shock moments, while never going over the top. The effects with the dual characters is remarkably well done also.

There's a marvelous sequence with Freddie Jones as a hip, shades wearing, psychiatrist is shot brilliantly, creating a immense sense of claustrophobia and disorientation. Keep an eye open for a brief (uncredited) appearance from occasional Carry On girl Jacki Piper too.

Network DVD have once again come up trumps with the release. The glistening new transfer (in high definition too!) includes a commentary from a previous release, with Moore chatting with Forbes (who sadly recently died), moderated by Jonathan Sothcott, 34 minutes of the score, some image galleries and a SD DVD version of the film (which exclusively also includes a full frame version of the film, renamed the "maximum picture area" version).

For a 40 year old British film, seen numerous times on TV (it's currently a staple on the Horror Channel in the UK) it surprisingly looks great, and is incredibly entertaining. It's certainly worth checking out and putting in your collection. Be aware, the release is in the now standard Network slim-case, so will look out of place next to your standard Blu-rays, but it's a small niggle. It's an "A" certificate film, though, so don't be expecting Hammer or Amicus style horror. This is more akin to a big budget version of an episode of Brian Clemen's Thriller or Tales of the Unexpected, which in no way is meant as a negative. As a macabre and ironic footnote, director Dearden died in a car accident not too long after the film's release. (screengrabs are from the DVD version, not the Blu-ray)
8 out of 10

DVD Review: Spanish Fly (1976) Leslie Phillips and Terry-Thomas

The 70s were a wonderful time for British sex comedies. They all wanted to be "dirty" without having the guts to actually be so (not that the BBFC would have allowed it anyway). Spanish Fly is firmly in the old school camp, right down to its two stars, Leslie Phillips and Terry-Thomas. Think of an Ealing comedy and add a few boobs and some suggested bonking and you get the idea. All the elements of a good British sex comedy are there: the annoyingly bouncy theme tune and some well known TV/film faces, with the different ingredient: a foreign setting, in this case Minorca.

 Sir Percy de Courcy (Thomas) is doing what he does best, blagging his way around the continent, thinking of one scam after another, when he comes up with the idea of buying some really cheap Spanish wine and selling it to the toffs as expensive French. When the wine proves undrinkable, he tells his butler/companion Perkins (Graham Armitage, who was so wonderful as the mocking Louis XIII in Ken Russell's The Devils) to add something to it in order to make it more palatable. During this mixing process, some of the local insects get put into the mix, but rather than making the wine worse, it actually improves it and has the effect of an aphrodisiac. Cue Sir Percy's old school rival, Mike Scott (Phillips), who's been having a spot of bother in the bedroom department, and is on the island with a group of models (dolly birds, of course) to shoot a lingerie set. Sir Percy gives Mike a sample of the wine, and the results are instantly rampant.

 

While not as saucy as some of the other films in the genre, there's still plenty of flesh on display and the leads are always watchable (Thomas especially playing up to his caddish image with plenty of "absolute shower" quotes). Sue Lloyd (Crossroads, Corruption, The Ups and Downs of a Handyman) is able support as Phillip's sex starved, suffering wife who seems to be the money behind his fashion business. While billed quite highly, the recently departed Frank Thornton (Are You Being Served?, Keep It Up, Jack) appears only briefly as Phillip's doctor at the start of the film. The director, Bob Kellett was no stranger to this type of film, having made the Frankie Howerd Up! films (of which, Up Pompeii still ranks as one of my all time favourites), the wonderful Ronnie Barker sound effect classic Futtock's End and Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!

The trouble with Spanish Fly is it's not really rude enough to be a successful British sex comedy, and not necessarily funny enough to just be a comedy. For novelty value alone, and the chance to see the two great actors make the most of the lovely ladies, it's a interesting diversion at least. It's worth noting, it was around this time Thomas was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and he made very few films afterwards, and there's a very curious jump cut in a scene where Lloyd barges in on Phillips with another woman, and she takes away his bed sheet to leave him naked with just a pillow to quickly put into place. It certainly looks as though there may have been one or two frames which may have revealed more than the actor would have liked, but this cut was in the previous VHS version I have seen so it was no doubt done at the original editing stage, and not for this release.

Which brings me to the DVD, I really must applaud Network for even bothering to release this, as I'm sure the market is very small. And whats more, actually making a fantastic job of it too. Like their recent DVD of The House In Nightmare Park, this comes with the as-exhibited cinema ratio and 4:3 as filmed versions (which both look glorious, as they are from the original negative), as well as 50 mins from the films score. Re-live that awful theme tune again in glorious fidelity. It's hard to recommend the film on its own merits, but I would certainly recommend the disc for the curious, and fans of 70s kitsch cinema
6 out of 10

DVD Review: The House In Nightmare Park (1973)

Foster Twelvetrees (Frankie Howerd) is failed actor ("the greatest master of the spoken word" according to his poster), with more ham than the cold counter at Tescos, and ideas above his station. So when he is invited to perform a reading at the imposing country home of Stewart Henderson (Ray Milland), he jumps at he chance. And the money. When various members of the Henderson family turn up demanding their regular allowance from the family patriarch Victor, they discover that he has, in fact died, and that the bumbling Twelvetrees is in the rightful heir to the family fortune, and may unwittingly know where some valuable diamonds are hidden. They must do away with the actor to stand a chance of collecting what they consider to be rightfully theirs, as well as all other competition for the diamonds.  

Long unavailable in the UK (and pretty much elsewhere) this early '70s comedy horror was the perfect vehicle for the jittery Frankie Howerd. Much in the same vein as the Bob Hope haunted house comedies of the '30/40s (The Cat and the Canary, The Ghost Breakers), this, like the Hammer/William Castle remake of The Old Dark House, benefits from a brilliant cast, and great performances. Howerd essentially plays the same character we are used to, and ones enjoyment of the comedy does depend on whether you find his routine funny (I personally love it), but the script doesn't go over the top on his idiosyncrasies, so even his detractors could bear it.

There is certainly more threat and creepiness than the usual films in this sub-genre, helped by the surroundings of Oakley Court, the go-to location for many a Hammer film (being situated next door to Bray Studios), with the lavish interior sets built at Pinewood. A sequence by the family of the house where they perform "The Dance of the Dolls" is both hilarious (Milland in a sailor boy's outfit is a something you don't often see) and incredibly bizarre. The double twist ending plays with the audience's expectations, displaying a shrewd knowledge of the genre.

Director Peter Sykes had just made Demons of the Mind, an often overlooked film, for Hammer, and would return to their fold to helm their last feature before resorting to TV, To The Devil.. A Daughter (1976). Co-writer/producer Terry Nation was most famous for being the creator of the Daleks in Doctor Who, but he also was co-writer of the 1970 horror film And Soon The Darkness.. (recently remade). The other co-writer Clive Exton had adapted Ludovic Kennedy's book of 10 Rillington Place to a screen.

Harry Robinson's score is given it's full due here, with a bonus section on the DVD of 30 minutes without any dialogue or effects. Robinson worked on Hammer's Karnstein trilogy, and his score here is geared towards the horror aspects rather than highlighting the comedic.This is due to Network DVD having access to the original negatives and tracks, and will be a feature on several of their upcoming DVDs where possible.
The film is presented in a widescreen (1:75:1) format, plus an option to view it in 4:3 Academy ratio, as it was filmed, which as you would expect, reveals much more information at the top and bottom of the screen, and show Maurice Carter's glorious sets to great effect, and doesn't hurt the composition too much.

This release is among the first in a new range of British films, some upcoming releases that are of particular interest to myself (and, hopefully, readers of this blog) are Spanish Fly (Leslie Phillips and Terry Thomas), Keep It Up Downstairs (which I reviewed a while back,and look forward to seeing again) and a Blu-ray release for The Man Who Haunted Himself (Roger Moore). For more information, check out the Network DVD website. They also do a great range of TV classics, and I have many of their box sets in my collection.
I must say though, I'm not a big fan of the slimline case, as it brings back the memories of those 99p public domain collections found on market stalls. There's nothing cheap about the presentation, though, although with a new transfer, a Blu-ray would have been nice.
9 out of 10