Displaying items by tag: Lance Perceval

UP  POMPEII

UK, 1971, 90 minutes, Colour.

Frankie Howerd, Patrick Cargill, Bill Fraser, Michael Hordern, Barbara Murray, Lance Percival, Adrian Foster, Bernard Bresslaw, Roy Hudd, Lally Bowers, Kenneth Cranham.

Directed by Bob Kellett.

Comedian, Frankie Howerd, popular on British radio and television, had a successful television series, 14 episodes, in the late 1960s, Up Pompeii. And here is a version made for the cinema screen, with Talbot Rothwell, writer of the Carry on films, having a credit for idea.

The basic idea is humorous enough, Frankie Howard as a slave in Pompeii the year of its destruction, A.D. 79 – but, for film purposes, the Emperor is Nero who reigned 15 years earlier!

Frankie Howerd’s style of comedy was to confide in the audience, looking straight to camera and the audience, plenty of remarks, reminding everyone that this is a film, anticipating action and jokes. The idea here is that there is conspiracy against Nero amongst senators and military of Pompeii. Howerd’s Lurcio works for Ludicrus Sextus (the film’s names of characters rivalling those of the Asterix films), the pompous senator, played with the right kind of satire by Michael Hordern. There is his wife and her ambitions, his young son and his sexuality problems, a clash with a Roman sergeant in the marketplace and the focus on a scroll with a list of conspirators.

Anything could happen – and does.

However, the writers and the cast have drawn on an enormous catalogue of sex jokes. And most of them are here, some very obvious, some familiar – touch of innuendo (though the screenplay is too obvious for innuendo). Some are signalled, Frankie Howard drawing attention to them and reacting sometimes with prudery.

And, looking back, it may be surprising to find such an amount of nudity in British comedy at the beginning of the 1970s – reticence is not the order of the day here.

So, once again, an opportunity to see and gain something of an awareness of popular British comedy in the early 1970s – but, so much depends on whether audiences are fans of Frankie Howerd himself and this kind of style. He then made The Chastity Belt and the World War II farce, Up the Front in the same style.

CARRY ON CRUISING

UK, 1962, 89 minutes, Colour.

Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Liz Fraser, Dilys Laye, Esma Cannon, Lance Percival, Jimmy Thompson, Ronnie Stevens, Vincent Ball, Ed Devereaux, Anton Rodgers.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

Beginning in the later 1950s and continuing into the 1980s, the Carry on franchise was very popular, some films quite hilarious, some rather pedestrian, and the rest somewhere in the middle. This one is rather mild, pleasantly in the middle, so to speak.

A number of the regulars are present but many absent including Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale.

But, Sid James is present as the captain, in a wayalways the same, but always reliable and his performance fitting his character whether the captain of this cruise or Marc Anthony in Carry on, Cleo. And the two Kenneths are also present, Kenneth Connor as the ship’s captain, wanting romance, and showing his skill at doing impersonations. And Kenneth Williams does his usual with a wink and a nod and his familiar screwing up of his face.

There is some comedy with Esma Cannon, Australian actress long time in England and in several of the Carry on films. Two other Australians who worked in their early careers in the UK but then returned home to long Australian careers are Vincent Ball as the athletics instructor and Ed Devereaux as one of the officers.

This time the leading ladies are Liz Fraser and Dilys Laye – more straightforward in their romance and humour rather than innuendo.

A lot of slapstick as usual, a lot of puns and play on words, some of them very obvious but enjoyable nonetheless.

A carry on slightly entertainment.

THE BIG JOB

UK, 1965, 89 minutes, Colour.

Sid James, Sylvia Syms, Dick Emery, Joan Sims, Lance Perceval, Jim Dale, Deryck Guyler, Reginald Beckwith,

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

It looks as though that in the middle of making all the Carry On films, Gerald Thomas and many of his stars decided to have something of a break, restrain, somewhat more respectable, British comedy. And this was the mid-1960s.

One might say that this Big Job is a series of robbery muddles, all kinds of tangles. It is 1950. Sid James is the leader of a motley group, Lance Perceval as the member of the group who is not the sharpest, Sylvia Sims offering the touch of glamour and romance, and, particularly effective, Dick Emery before his television show.

All of these muddles this are presented in a farcical style, especially the initial robbery, everything going wrong that could, then a whole lot of opportunities for success, and escape, travelling in a hearse, mourning cars following, but eventually cornered by the police and throwing a bag of the loot into a hollow tree.

Then, prison, 15 years, out they come to retrieve the money, teaming up with Sylvia Sims again who has her eye on marriage. However, Sid James can say all the words but one might say he is completely asexual, no romance, nothing erotic… Just complete dedication to get the money back.

As they work out where they were arrested and go back, all kinds of complications and funny situations, a housing settlement being built up rather than the open countryside, the tree now within the precincts of the local police station, the hiring rooms opposite with an overview of the tree and the station, even stealing a telescope to keep watch. There is also some romance with the lady of the house where they rent, a widow, but casting her eye on Dick Emery. And, the guest living there is one of the local young policeman, Jim Dale.

So, a whole lot of shenanigans, mostly impossible, especially the digging of a huge tunnel from under the house, under the Street, the police station.

And, when they do get the bag back – a surprise for them as well as for the audience! And the double life of the landlady!

A film to gauge the popular response of the wide audience to this kind of British comedy in the 1960s.