Man About the House (film)

Not to be confused with A Man About the House (film).
Man About the House
UK theatrical poster
Directed byJohn Robins
Written byJohnnie Mortimer
Brian Cooke
Based on
Man About the House
by
  • Johnnie Mortimer
  • Brian Cooke
Produced byRoy Skeggs
StarringRichard O'Sullivan
Paula Wilcox
Sally Thomsett
Yootha Joyce
Brian Murphy
CinematographyJames Allen
Edited byArchie Ludski
Music byChristopher Gunning
Production
company
Distributed byEMI Films
Release date
  • 22 December 1974 (1974-12-22)
Running time
90 mins
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office£90,000 (London area)[1]

Man About the House is a 1974 British comedy film directed by John Robins and starring Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett,Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy.[2] It was written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke based on the TV sitcom of the same name (1973–1976), starring the same main cast.

Plot

The Ropers learn that Mr. Pluthero, an estate agent and developer, wants to buy their building. The room-mates circulate a petition to stop the development, which attracts the interest of MP Sir Edmund, who keeps a mistress in another house in the same street.

Cast

Production

The film started shooting in March 1974 at Elstree Studios in London, finishing on 12 April.[3]

It was the last in a series of big screen adaptations of popular television comedies made by Hammer Films,[1] although a film of George & Mildred (featuring Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy in the title roles) was made in 1980 by another studio.

The plot of the film hinted at the story arc of the TV versions of Man About the House and George and Mildred, where the Ropers' building was eventually subject to a compulsory purchase order forcing them to move.

Reception

Box office

The film was a hit, taking £90,000 in London alone.[1]

Critical

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "In Man About the House, the battle between the property developers and the environmentalists is merely a backdrop to the serious business of a sex comedy. ... But It is a comedy of words, not actions – the only breast exposed is a manly one – and the script manages to produce some good laughs and a few sniggers. In this, it is well served by an experienced supporting cast. ... Yootha Joyce, as the frustrated Mrs. Roper, is particularly strong; even the more explicit sexual jokes leave her lips with a venom which seems born of real despair. As the tenants, Paula Wilcox and Richard O'Sullivan exude a lively warmth, while the vacuous Sally Thomsett looks on. The film succeeds within the limits which it sets itself, though there are some directorial miscalculations ... But in the main, the film acquits itself better than most movie spin-offs from TV series."[4]

David Parkinson writing in the Radio Times: "Great cast, shame about the script ... The material is thinner than a bedsit wall."[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Tom Johnson and Deborah Del Vecchio, Hammer films: An exhaustive filmography, McFarland, 1996. p375.
  2. ^ "Man About the House". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  3. ^ Alan Barnes & Marcus Hearn, The hammer story: The authorised history of Hammer films, Titan books, 2007. p 151.
  4. ^ "Man About the House". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 42 (492): 11. 1 January 1975 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ "Man about the House | Film review and movie reviews". Radio Times. Retrieved 2014-03-20.