In the early '70's, a number of Sphere-published books, all credited to one 'Timothy Lea' and whose titles were prefixed by the words 'Confessions Of A...', went on sale in Britain. I never bought one ( I was more into Agaton Sax ), but a Form Five boy brought several to school, which he passed round behind the bike shed, the naughty bits underlined in red. They were the work of Christopher Wood, and their riotous blend of sex and slapstick made them bestsellers.
In 1974, producer Greg Smith turned the first into 'Confessions Of A Window Cleaner' starring Robin Askwith as 'Timmy', a cheeky young Cockney whom the ladies adore. The director, Val Guest, had recently made another sex comedy - 'Au Pair Girls' with Gabrielle Drake.
Timmy's family is made up of half of the cast of the B. B. C.'s 'Till Death Us Do Part' - Dandy Nichols and Anthony Booth. Sheila White ( for me the sexiest bit of crumpet in the franchise ) played Timmy's blowsy sister 'Rosie', with Bill Maynard as his flat-capped Dad, who had a penchant for bringing home stuff from the Lost Property office where he worked. It amused cinema-going audiences in the '70's to see sitcom stars competing for attention with bare boobs and bums.
At the start of 'Cleaner', Timmy is still a virgin, even after an encounter with a sexy stripper named 'Lil' ( he makes love to her suspender belt by mistake! ) but finally a customer called Jackie does the dirty deed. In the film's most notorious scene, she and Timmy make out in a kitchen awash with soap bubbles.
Like 'Alfie', the story cheerfully bounds from one sexy encounter to another. Anita Graham pops up as an energetic Au Pair ( though her clothes disappointingly stay on throughout her scene ), Melissa Stribling tries to seduce Timmy in a coal cellar, and Linda Hayden raises temperatures as a policewoman called 'Liz' ( or 'Fanny The Fuzz' as Sid disparagingly refers to her ).
The 'Confessions' series has often been likened to the 'Carry On' series, but I think a more realistic comparison is to be made with the 'On The Buses' movies. Like 'Stan Butler', Timmy lives at home with his mother, sister, and brother-in-law. Interestingly, when Dandy Nichols backed out of the series, who did Smith replace her with? Doris Hare, of course.
Smith had the decency to acknowledge his debt to Peter Rogers at the time, while Tony Booth blasted the critics who panned 'Cleaner'. 'The mere thought that this is the first in a series is enough to set the jaw solid' sniffed one, while another stated simply: "Come back 'Carry On's', all is forgiven!'. The 'Confessions' films were noticeably tamer than the books, which were full of bad language.
But the public wholeheartedly embraced 'Cleaner' and made it the most commercially successful film on release in 1974, paving the way not only for three sequels but numerous imitators, such as the 'Adventures' series. I'm on their side because 'Cleaner' not only is good fun, but boasts a great soundtrack, and a first-rate cast clearly enjoying themselves.
It would not be until the '90's that the 'Confessions' finally made it to terrestrial television. Channel Five ( as it was then called ) garnered excellent ratings from the quartet. One in the eye for Mary Whitehouse! Historian Dominic Sandbrook has gone on record as saying tis film represents a 'low point in the history of British cinema'. He obviously never saw 'Sex Lives Of The Potato Men'!
In 1974, producer Greg Smith turned the first into 'Confessions Of A Window Cleaner' starring Robin Askwith as 'Timmy', a cheeky young Cockney whom the ladies adore. The director, Val Guest, had recently made another sex comedy - 'Au Pair Girls' with Gabrielle Drake.
Timmy's family is made up of half of the cast of the B. B. C.'s 'Till Death Us Do Part' - Dandy Nichols and Anthony Booth. Sheila White ( for me the sexiest bit of crumpet in the franchise ) played Timmy's blowsy sister 'Rosie', with Bill Maynard as his flat-capped Dad, who had a penchant for bringing home stuff from the Lost Property office where he worked. It amused cinema-going audiences in the '70's to see sitcom stars competing for attention with bare boobs and bums.
At the start of 'Cleaner', Timmy is still a virgin, even after an encounter with a sexy stripper named 'Lil' ( he makes love to her suspender belt by mistake! ) but finally a customer called Jackie does the dirty deed. In the film's most notorious scene, she and Timmy make out in a kitchen awash with soap bubbles.
Like 'Alfie', the story cheerfully bounds from one sexy encounter to another. Anita Graham pops up as an energetic Au Pair ( though her clothes disappointingly stay on throughout her scene ), Melissa Stribling tries to seduce Timmy in a coal cellar, and Linda Hayden raises temperatures as a policewoman called 'Liz' ( or 'Fanny The Fuzz' as Sid disparagingly refers to her ).
The 'Confessions' series has often been likened to the 'Carry On' series, but I think a more realistic comparison is to be made with the 'On The Buses' movies. Like 'Stan Butler', Timmy lives at home with his mother, sister, and brother-in-law. Interestingly, when Dandy Nichols backed out of the series, who did Smith replace her with? Doris Hare, of course.
Smith had the decency to acknowledge his debt to Peter Rogers at the time, while Tony Booth blasted the critics who panned 'Cleaner'. 'The mere thought that this is the first in a series is enough to set the jaw solid' sniffed one, while another stated simply: "Come back 'Carry On's', all is forgiven!'. The 'Confessions' films were noticeably tamer than the books, which were full of bad language.
But the public wholeheartedly embraced 'Cleaner' and made it the most commercially successful film on release in 1974, paving the way not only for three sequels but numerous imitators, such as the 'Adventures' series. I'm on their side because 'Cleaner' not only is good fun, but boasts a great soundtrack, and a first-rate cast clearly enjoying themselves.
It would not be until the '90's that the 'Confessions' finally made it to terrestrial television. Channel Five ( as it was then called ) garnered excellent ratings from the quartet. One in the eye for Mary Whitehouse! Historian Dominic Sandbrook has gone on record as saying tis film represents a 'low point in the history of British cinema'. He obviously never saw 'Sex Lives Of The Potato Men'!