What's Good for the Goose

This film is a great period piece but with a midlife crisis theme still relevant today. Released in 1969, in the period when the new 'permissive society' became relevant and news worthy, an assistant bank manager makes a fool of him self at a banker's conference in Southport as he falls in love with a teenage girl hitch hiker. It has aged much better then the traditional Norman Wisdom gimp movie, although it still has many of the Norman hallmarks - he takes credit for the script and is associate producer. There are parts which can make me cringe but only because, as a bloke in his fifties, I see painful reflections of my own behaviour. Sally Geeson is, as ever, a delightful presence. She quit acting much too soon! Not a truly great picture but sympathetic and, with a great supporting cast of British stalwarts and some good laughs, vastly better than many reviewers would have you believe.

Sod yer Jodorowsky's or David Lynch's – is this not the strangest movie ever made? Actually, the Jerry Lewis comedy Slapstick of Another Kind probably takes that honour – but this comes close.

From purveyor of violent kitsch Menahem Golan, this sees mild-mannered banker Timothy Bartlett (Wisdom, in his final film) getting turned on by the flower power generation, including a scrumptious Sally Geeson, down at the 'Screaming Apple' Discotheque and having it off with them to a grooveadelic soundtrack by The Pretty Things.

Unlike the reactionary Carry Ons there's not a euphemism in sight: here it's all, "Do you want to have sex?", though at the same time this utterly encapsulates the British reality of sex in a Rita and Sue kinda way: however day-glo the trousers, or far-out the argot, the end result still spells a good-old bunk-up with giggling and Y-fronts in a Southport hotel room.

Fascinating in all sorts of ways; and ultimately, surprisingly smart and touching, too.

I remember when I first saw this movie, back in 1969, I didn't like it because I was "old school" Norman Wisdom. I still am, I prefer his silly lovable fool character in his older movies. However having seen this all over again, first time in 35 years, it was pretty entertaining, not overly funny but enough to pass 100 minutes or so. Norman plays it almost straight, there are a few touches of his silliness, but not overly slapstick. Sally Geeson, I was in love with her then, and she still has spark. Pity she retired from acting after Carry On Girls (1972), to become a school teacher, lucky kids! It does manage to give a great feel for the sixties, very psychedelic, and great music by the Pretty Things, Norman even sings the title song himself. Sally looks great in the "skinny dipping" scene, but I could've done with seeing one of my fav comedians (Wisdom)naked! Anyway, worth a few laughs, especially Norman's battle of wits with Desk Clerk, David Lodge.

WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE is an unwieldy little comedy effort, shot in Southport of all places, and starring Norman Wisdom in a very different role to those earlier in his career. Although this is a comedy, there's no slapstick from the rubbery star here; instead, he plays a rather sad individual, a guy who's having a mid-life crisis and subsequently falls in love with the teenage Sally Geeson.

There were a lot of May to December films coming out around these years but WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE is one of the oddest. It's not really what you could call an entertaining movie, as it just sort of floats along aimlessly for a very long time. What it does provide is an eye-popping time capsule of late '60s fashions and attitudes, with the 'free love' movement in particular explored in depth.

Wisdom remains a likable character throughout and Geeson isn't bad either in an early role. The film was put out by Tigon, a company who typically specialised in cutting-edge horror fare, and written and directed by none other than Menahem Golan years before he founded Cannon.

Ok not the best film made by Norman Wisdom, but it's one of those movies that you watch late Sunday evening before returning to work!

Just a plain and simple film that sums up the entire 60's era, the clothes, the music, and the dialog!! Norman plays the hum drum banker (yes I spelt that correctly!) who plays away from home while on a business trip with noneother than Sally Geeson, a young trendy! The comedy is weak, the script poor, but this film is harmless fun, nostalgic, and a low budget British film with good locations. At least give it a chance, available as video, hunt it on ebay!