Monday 22 February 2021

The Punch and Judy Man (1963 Jeremy Summers)

Written by Tony Hancock and Phillip Oakes. In Piltdown (Bognor Regis) seaside entertainer Hancock is talked into appearing at a snobby gala by his wife Sylvia Sims. He's the catalyst for the chaos that ensues, but frankly the snobs need no help fucking it up for themselves. This is a nicely observed little film and it's a great shame it was Hancock's last - he has a nice touch, evident in scene in which he takes care of a little boy, and they eat ice cream together. But he was apparently drinking copiously at this point, and felt the Punch was cursed... (I learned that a swozzle is what gives Punch the high pitched voice.)

A recognisable cast includes John Le Mesurier, Ronald Fraser, Barbara Murray (Lady Jane, Passport to Pimlico), Hugh Lloyd, Pauline Jameson again, Peter Vaughan, Norman Bird.

Photographed by Gilbert Taylor (Frenzy, Cul-de-Sac, Repulsion, A Hard Day's Night, Dr Strangelove, The Rebel).




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