A Weekend with Lulu

One of the many British comedy's from the 60s. With many familiar faces and a few from the Carry on team. Accidently ending up in france it follows their exploits as they try to make their way home. A few funny moments ensue, but not as good as the carry on films.

Although Hammer films is closely associated with the horror genre, the studio did produce other features, such as the crime drama Hell is a city and the wonderful comedy A Weekend with Lulu. The film stars Leslie Philips as a young man who wants to take his girlfriend (Shirley Eaton) to the seashore in a borrowed caravan. His friend Fred (Bob Monkhouse)is going to take them there, but in true comic fashion things don't go as planned and the group ends up stranded in France. Getting back to England is going to be difficult with no money and no petrol and these plot complications lead to one mishap after another. A fine comic cast, brisk pacing and a sweet natured approach to comedy that the British did so well in the 1950s and 60s make A Weekend with Lulu a very pleasant way to spend 90 minutes.

Nothing funnier than four Brits (two blokes, a bird, and a matron) heading off for a weekend in the English countryside and mistakenly ending up in France, a country which they manage to turn on its head during the Tour de France. The ad executive and his fiancé hoped for a quiet weekend at the seashore in Lulu the caravan (that's a camper for the American reader), towed by his unscrupulous friend driving an ice cream truck (he has 200 wt of ice cream he hopes to sell down at the shore for some side money). Of course, the future mum-in-law invites herself along and her stodginess provides some of the best comedic moments.

Very well crafted film and still funny after all these years. Great cast including Sid James in a small role. Many other faces you'll recognize from the Carry On films, as well.

Shown on TCM on American cable television.

Oh boy! I've been watching films along with the "House of Hammer" podcast for quite a while and nothing from their horror canon can prove to be more terrifying than the thought of yet another comedy. This, like all of them so far, is terrible.

Eager for a romantic weekend away with his girlfriend, Timothy Gray (Leslie Phillips) rents Lulu, a caravan, from his friend Fred Scrutton (Bob Monkhouse). Fred will be coming on the trip them as the driver, but unfortunately for Timothy, at departure time Deirdre's (Shirley Eaton) mother, Florence (Irene Handl) invites herself along on the trip too. Taking a wrong turn to avoid traffic they end up bedding down in the dark countryside, only to wake up the following morning on the back of a train, already in France.

So, look. I've said this before in my reviews - comedy is a particularly subjective genre at the best of times, and comedic taste from sixty years ago perhaps shouldn't be the same as it is today. All that said - this was largely a mirthless time. We're in the world of "proto-Carry On's" here so whilst it's not quite a sex comedy, it's on the way, with both Phillips and Monkhouse enjoying an ogle at Shirley Eaton getting dressed and Alfred Marks as a French Count who also propositions her at his Chateau.

Leslie Phillip's is already playing the sort of "ding dong" character that he would become associated with. Monkhouse is fine, though it's clearly not what he's particularly strong at and I can see why stand up and presenting would find him much more fame. There are smaller roles for Sid James and Syndey Tafler and a cameo for Russ Conway that's as inexplicable as it is unwelcome.

In all truthfulness, this was better than some of the other comedies that we've seen in recent months but still I'd describe it as being more tedious than anything else.

I saw this film in a drive-in theater in Massachusetts over 40 years ago. Lulu is the name of the camper and the movie lives very strong in my memory. If you like Monty Python, you'll love this. I think that they (Monty Python) might have gotten some ideas from this film.