Forces' Sweetheart

The downside in this movie is the weak comedy material which wastes the talents of Seacombe and Bentine, but the film was still mildly entertaining with not-too-bad songs, however it was badly let down by a poor boxing sequence at the finale. I knew little about the star Hy Hazel. She was regarded as Britain's answer to Betty Grable but had a tragic death at the age of just 50. She was starring in Fiddler on the Roof but choked to death in 1970 while eating a steak in a restaurant.

That's Hy Hazell in the title role. Even though it's actual a revue, there's enough of a plot to keep things moving along. Miss Hazell's staff is putting on a show, backed by Freddie Frinton, who made his packet selling chewing gum. However, with Miss Hazell's title, comes the delusion among the various branches that she's engaged to any number of men, including private Harry Secombe, and leftenant Michael Bentine.

But, as I noted, it's really a revue, so everyone sings at least one song, Graham Stark shows up because Peter Sellers isn't available, the comics mug it up in skits supposedly written by Bentine and director Maclean Rogers, and there's a bevy of pretty dancers for two numbers, as well as a comic boxing match.

It's all an excuse for fans of the Goon Show to have a little fun, but not too much of it. It's about as much as you can expect in an E. J. Fancy production; at least it wasn't shot wild.

Made by the same team as DOWN AMONG THE Z MEN, with Harry Secombe playing a similar role, this is lacking even the remnants of the Goon's radio shows that survived in the earlier film, despite Michael Bentine's roles as co-star and co-writer. It's pretty certain, if you couldn't stand Z MEN, you will want to avoid this. It does have a measure of nostalgia and camp appeal though.

Thin plot has leggy Hy Hazell returning from entertaining the troops in Korea (yes, the Brits did fight there) and rehearsing for a new West End show, hampered by lovelorn amiable idiots, Secombe, an army private, and RAF pilot Bentine. The show is sponsored by eccentric millionaire Freddie Frinton, who's made a packet, selling millions of packets of 'synthetic rubber chewing gum' during the war. Frinton gives the most consistently funny performance, and at one stage, in his celebrated alcohol fuelled mode, assisted by Secombe and Bentine, sings a comic song 'I'm to be married in the morning' which has a curious, partial similarity to the later famous number from MY FAIR LADY. Bentine and Secombe's more amusing moments tend to be of childlike humour, dressing up and wearing outrageous wigs and Bentine utilises his contemporary stage performance, including using walking sticks and a sink plunger as props. Leslie Robert's Toppers, also returning from Z MEN, do another high-kicking leg-show routine, followed by a more sedate Charlie Chaplin tribute. Mr. Secombe offers a traditional ballad as well. Additional glamour is provided by E.J. Fancey's stunning daughter Adrienne, here with a striking resemblance to Marilyn Monroe. Surprisingly, she never made much impact as an actress, but had much more success running her father's companies in the 1970s.

One or two reviews have referred to very poor production values, but apart from a poorly staged, would-be-funny boxing match at the end, they seem no worse than in many other B films of the period.

A quickie follow-up to 'Down Among the Z-Men' enhanced by a couple of outdoor scenes (including one for which producer F.J.Fancey wangled the loan of a helicopter) with the less funny half of the original Goons performing a few skits in support of revue star Hy Hazel and chorus girls dressed as Charlie Chaplin, gym instructresses and boxing seconds. (After naughty references to coshes and cocaine a happy ending is facilitated by a truely surreal final sight gag.)

In Sellars's absence his perennial sidekick Graham Stark returns from the earlier film. Also featuring are Fancey's daughter Audrey Scott in heavy-framed glasses and a sweater, and Freddie Frinton (not drunk for once, not that you'd notice) dressed like Tom Baker's Dr Who.

Consciously 'madcap' and 'zany' comedy from two-thirds of the Goons that seems to go on forever despite a running time of only 76 minutes. At least Harry Secombe and Michael Bentime believe they are hilarious. An embarrassed Hy Hazell shows off her legs at every opportunity while Freddie Frinton does his best to be eccentric by walking with a wobbly head.