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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