I?ve been going through another ?stage? of late ? I?m picking all sorts of British B-grade films from the early 70?s in the hope that I?m going to stumble across a real little gem. Sentimentality is definitely involved in these choices; if any of these films offered for review feature an actor that I remember from the early (read: politically incorrect) days of British comedy, I?m going for it. This is definitely one of these films. Frankie Howerd was certainly a name I recognized, and the fact that the infamous cop-slapping Zsa Zsa Gabor was also in it (as the notorious femme-fatale spy Mata Hari, no less!) was a weird kinda bonus. I recall Howerd mainly from one of his (rare) appearances in a ?Carry On? film that is one of my favourites in the series ? ?Carry On Up The Khyber?, made in 1968 ? classic corny comedy. SADLY it?s not yet available on DVD to my knowledge ? not even in Britain as yet! Needless to say, I was keen to see how he?d go in a film where he was plugged as the headliner.

Well, the overall verdict is that this is an average effort. It?s not consistently funny, but it has its? moments. Howerd is still running with the cowardly, bumbling persona he immortalised in ?Up The Khyber?. I guess some of the novelty has gone for me when compared to the sublime cheekiness of the ?Carry On? series as a whole. Yet I can still find charm in this (admittedly inferior) attempt at thinly veiled smuttiness. I grew up with this distinctly Pommy approach to the subject of sex, and farce in general, so I?d be a good argument for childhood influences making a lasting impact ? I choose to call it a ?soft spot?! I want to make special mention of the brothel scenes at Monique?s, especially with regard to Madame Monique (played by Baddeley) and Lurk (Howerd) performing the standard, but classic ?misunderstanding? scene. A bizarre conversation based on two distinct subjects simultaneously is always a good bet in my books ? harping again, but ?Carry On? films were masters of this time-honoured gag. Also, the Embassy scenes as the lead-up to the meeting of Lurk and Mata Hari (Gabor) are decent, as is the over-the-top ridiculousness of the drink spiking/glass swapping scene. Finally, the scene with a completely oblivious Lurk, who sits in the barracks writing a letter home about his fear of being (even superficially) injured whilst the place slowly falls apart around him and repeatedly changes from Brit to German command, is quite well done.

One unexpected aspect of this film is that Howerd?s character frequently addresses the camera directly, as has often been done in film, but I don?t recall seeing much of this in films of the early 70?s. Everyone probably recalls the 80?s hit ?Shirley Valentine? where suddenly this style of ?video diary? seemed like pioneering technique, but it clearly ain?t!

Synopsis: Lurk (Howerd) is the under footman in an aristocratic household where the Lord and Lady are typically portrayed as na?ve dimwits, and the house staff mostly spend their time trying to get into each other?s pants. WWI is declared, and the cowardly Lurk (coming from a long line of cowardly Lurk?s) realizes that the chambermaid he fancies, aptly named Fanny (Smith), doesn?t like cowards. Yes, there?s the predictable joke about Fanny By Gaslight?.or by moonlight?or by sunlight?.you probably get the idea regarding the overall level of humour. Anyway, Lurk decides to enlist, fully expecting that ?it?ll all be over by Christmas? as was commonly felt at the time! He?s sent into the trenches, and unwittingly becomes the hero of the day through various unorthodox means.

THE EXTRAS

Nothing at all besides scene selection. No language options.

CONCLUSION

This 1972 British comedy starring Frankie Howerd, Stanley Holloway and Zsa Zsa Gabor is patchy, with a few scene highlights, but can?t hold a candle to other, more consistently cheeky farces of the period such as the infamous ?Carry On? series. Howerd plays a cowardly Brit WWI recruit who joins the cause for lust, and unwittingly saves the day in the process. No extras other than a basic scene select, no languages. Overall, it?s ok, and reasonably well produced. The title song is STILL running in my head well over a week after viewing, and I have NO IDEA why…it?s a little disturbing to me, actually! Must be my childhood sentimental attachment to patriotic ? yet suggestively bawdy! - flag-waving tunes. Go Figure.