Forces' Sweetheart

Given that 2 of the original "Goons" are in this and one is the writer you would expect this to be at least reasonably funny.Bentine was one of the most inventive writers for TV.His "Its A Square World" was at the time hilarious and won international awards.Here everything falls flat.The only actor who is in any way funny is Freddy Frinton who is relying on his drunk act.The rest is embarrassingly bad.Particularly a boxing sketch at the end.Pity Bentine did not watch Chaplin or Laurel & Hardy.The musical numbers featuring Hy Hazell and the chorines are numbingly bad.The sets are so shoddy and small you feel that if anyone were to lean on them they would come crashing down.If anyone wants a reason why cinemas shut down in such large numbers in the 50s they need look no further than this film for their answer.

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.

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.

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.