The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn

Shamefully hidden behind the acknowledgement "Down Among The Z Men" has as being the only major Goon film, Case of the Mukkinese Battlehorn, being only a third in length, is a vast superior. Devised by Peter Sellers and starring himself, Spike Milligan and Dick Emery (filling out Harry Secombes shoes) the story twists and turns about quite incomprehensibility, but the comedy is completely at the floor ALL THE TIME. You've heard of people saying the films a-laugh-a-minute? Well, Case of the Mukkinese Battlehorn is the only time I've known it be true. Any fan of comedy, not just Goons, would see this and appreciate it.

Basically, this is the nearest you're going to get to a filmed Goon Show (1950's British radio programme). A lot of the jokes are lifted directly from Goon Shows. It's a pity Harry Secombe wasn't in it but Dick Emery is excellent. Peter Sellers excels as Quilt, Commissioner Gervaise and Henry Crun running a pawn shop (with Minnie off screen telling him there's someone knocking at the door). Milligan plays Brown or White depending which bit of the film (I think that was a re-write error) but it's Eccles. He also does a superb silent actor looking for the labour exchange skit and is the Police Sergeant assisting Inspector Quilt (and, of course the voice of Minnie Bannister). Dick Emery plays the museum curator and Maurice Ponk ("nothing to do with the story but we wanted you to see what a real idiot looks like"). It's long while since I've seen this film so I can't be certain but I think Emery plays Plackett (Willium Mate), the museum guard though it might be Sellers as the character was most often played by him on radio and the "they kept walloping me on the head" bit is from The Missing Prime Minister/10 Downing St and Sellers played Mate in both those radio shows

If you can't find the film on video, at least get some Goon Show CDs or tapes. The BBC and EMI both released some. The BBC set with 1985 on it is my favourite. The EMI one with Dishonoured is another good choice (featuring The Dance of the Seven Army-Surplus Blankets)

I'm not going to say it'll be easy, but if you enjoy British comedy at all you must find this film on tape, somewhere. In just under half an hour it packs in as many gleefully absurd laughs as anybody-- Pythons included-- ever got into even a full-length movie. Absolutely the best showcase for the hot-and-cool (in a McLuhanesque sense) team of Spike milligan and Peter Sellers-- Milligan working the corny old gags like a classic vaudevillian, and Sellers off in another dimension of brilliance entirely. (Good example: Sellers' languidly decadent police commissioner, lying on his chaise with cigarette holder in hand and demanding action from his force with all the masculine authority of Oscar Wilde getting a rubdown.)

I was rather surprised to see that none of the other reviewers noticed that this short was a skit on the Scotland Yard series introduced by Edgar Lustgarten and made coincidentally at the same studios,Merton Park.The giveaway is the file being extracted from the cabinet at the beginning.I suppose that you can call this a Goons film even if Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine weren't in this.I cannot say that The Goons were great favourites of mine.I find their films tedious except this one which is funny.Part the problem being Spike Milligans tendency to overactive.Some really funny one liners..So all in all funnier than Edgar Lustgarten.

I well remember a couple of one liners from this film, in the scene were the roc goes through the window a Scotland Yard Milligan is asked what he can deduce from the clue. "Well Sir, whoever did this was only a stones throw away from here!" (Groan!!!!)Then when has asked "are you being funny Seargent" he stares at the camera and says "yes, aren't we all?"