As the '60's began to swing, a sea change took place in British comedy. Family-oriented fare gave way to a much ruder, cruder style. The 'Carry On' films were well placed to take advantage of this, but poor old Norman Wisdom found himself out in the cold. Determined not to be left behind, he co-wrote and co-produced this low-budget sex farce for Tigon Pictures.
In it, he plays 'Timothy Bartlett', a meek, middle-aged businessman, happily married to Margaret, and a devoted father. En route to a banker's conference at the seaside, he gives a lift to a pair of free-spirited young women, one of whom is 'Nikki', played by future 'Bless This House' star Sally Geeson. The girls annoy him at first, eating his sandwiches and urging him to overtake lorry drivers, but he winds up becoming infatuated by Nikki, and tracks her down to a discotheque.
Sneaking her into his room, they wind up in bed, and over the course of the next few days he learns to love life again. Soon he is wearing trendy clothes and they are riding the Big Dipper at funfair's, dancing, and even skinny-dipping! Timothy installs Nikki in a flat he has bought. But the fun ends when he finds her in bed with a younger man. Devastated, he accuses her of behaving like a whore. The relationship is over.
Rather than go home, he sends for his wife, and behaves with her the same way he did with Nikki.
'Goose' plays like a 60's version of 'Shirley Valentine' with the sex of the main character reversed. Norman does not do drugs here thank goodness ( besides, he already had a trip in 'The Early Bird' when he ate doped apples ), but seeing him frollicking with a young woman must have been a tremendous shock to his fans. Some traces of 'Pitkin' remain, however. When Timothy enters the disco, two men swinging from a rope Tarzan-style crash into him sideways. Locked out of his room, he climbs up the side of the hotel.
The dialogue could have been a bit sharper. For a sex farce, there's surprisingly little innuendo. Its amazingly sweet-natured too. The film's main strengths are Norman's and Sally's performances, plus supporting roles from Derek Francis, Terance Alexander and Paul Whitsun-Jones. And a great soundtrack from Reg Tilsley!
'Goose' bridged the gap between the old school of British comedy ( in which accident-prone losers like Norman became winners ), and the 'oo er missus' stuff of the '70's, such as the 'Confessions' series.
Well worth a look.
In it, he plays 'Timothy Bartlett', a meek, middle-aged businessman, happily married to Margaret, and a devoted father. En route to a banker's conference at the seaside, he gives a lift to a pair of free-spirited young women, one of whom is 'Nikki', played by future 'Bless This House' star Sally Geeson. The girls annoy him at first, eating his sandwiches and urging him to overtake lorry drivers, but he winds up becoming infatuated by Nikki, and tracks her down to a discotheque.
Sneaking her into his room, they wind up in bed, and over the course of the next few days he learns to love life again. Soon he is wearing trendy clothes and they are riding the Big Dipper at funfair's, dancing, and even skinny-dipping! Timothy installs Nikki in a flat he has bought. But the fun ends when he finds her in bed with a younger man. Devastated, he accuses her of behaving like a whore. The relationship is over.
Rather than go home, he sends for his wife, and behaves with her the same way he did with Nikki.
'Goose' plays like a 60's version of 'Shirley Valentine' with the sex of the main character reversed. Norman does not do drugs here thank goodness ( besides, he already had a trip in 'The Early Bird' when he ate doped apples ), but seeing him frollicking with a young woman must have been a tremendous shock to his fans. Some traces of 'Pitkin' remain, however. When Timothy enters the disco, two men swinging from a rope Tarzan-style crash into him sideways. Locked out of his room, he climbs up the side of the hotel.
The dialogue could have been a bit sharper. For a sex farce, there's surprisingly little innuendo. Its amazingly sweet-natured too. The film's main strengths are Norman's and Sally's performances, plus supporting roles from Derek Francis, Terance Alexander and Paul Whitsun-Jones. And a great soundtrack from Reg Tilsley!
'Goose' bridged the gap between the old school of British comedy ( in which accident-prone losers like Norman became winners ), and the 'oo er missus' stuff of the '70's, such as the 'Confessions' series.
Well worth a look.