Where Has Poor Mickey Gone?

Three young hoodlums and a hanger on commence their evening's recreation by being forcibly ejected from a jazz club, regaling the two burly, built like a brick bog-house bouncers with a torrent of abuse and threats, as they depart, smashing the club sign for good measure, before scarpering into the darkness.

They're not looking for trouble; they know exactly where to find it! Next up, a brutal, unprovoked attack upon a courting couple, leaves the man lying unconscious and the girl deeply traumatized.

A quick visit to the local chippy, followed by a further bout of taunting teenage girls and the night's work seems to be winding down.....until, peering into a dimly lit, low brow warehouse, they discover an Aladdin's cave of fairground attractions and novelties, presided over by slight, balding, middle-aged proprietor Warren Mitchell, checking the day's takings, prior to heading home.

With a suddenly rejuvenated, kid in a sweet shop mentality, they are instantly using and abusing both props and equipment, destroying Mitchell's livelihood and potentially, one fears, his life. He has, however, a single outside chance to outwit his assailants.....and that's magic!

With the action taking place entirely by night, pretty much in real time and with a constant sense of threat and menace, 'Mickey' evokes an inherently noirish tone. Throw in a title song performed by Ottilie Patterson, with support from Chris Barber and Sonny Boy Williamson and you have an intriguing period piece. A long lost movie, a significant find.

Where Has Poor Mickey Gone? Was made at a time of rapid change in Britain. The old, post Victorian world was fading under the assault from the 'demob' generation, now free to build their lives and apply what they had learned from overseas postings and contact with US culture. This is exemplified by Ottilie Patterson, who wrote and performed the powerful title and credits song. She was born in Norther Ireland to an Irish father and a Latvian mother, who had met in Georgia during the war.

Watching this film on Talking Pictures, I was struck by the visual, as well as textural, resemblance to A Clockwork Orange. In particular, Mick himself, with his signature hat and pointy nose, looks so much like Alex, and acts so much like him I can't believe it is a coincidence. The book had been published two years before Where Has Poor Mickey Gone? Came out, so it is quite possible that it was inspired by, if not based on, Bradbury's novel. Stanley Kubrick's film was a decade in the future, but the parallels are such that there must have been an influence. I never rely on "must have", but it would be worth pursuing for a film academic.

Tony Tenser and Michael Klinger, who ran Compton-Cameo Films, famously gave several young directors their first opportunities. One of them was Gerry Levy, who came to them with a script he'd written under the name Peter Marcus. The story of four tearaway lads who break into a fairground novelties warehouse and terrorise the owner (Warren Mitchell) before getting their come-uppance has a horror comic feel to it, but not a great deal of suspense. The business of a posh boy (Christopher Robbie) joining the other lads in their drunken spree takes up a lot of time but seems of marginal relevance. (Levy's brother has confirmed to me that this material was added to increase the running time, thereby qualifying the film for the government's Eady fund). Nevertheless this is a very unusual independent British spook film of the period. A good deal of time and effort was spent on it and this includes a lot of night shooting in London's Soho, the renting of a studio for the interiors, and a title song written and performed by Ottilie Patterson. Because it has few exploitable elements it was shelved after it was made in 1963 and eventually released as a second feature in 1966. Levy went on to direct "The Body Stealers" for Tenser's Tigon company, but then became a production manager. "Mickey" disappeared until a tattered print, with at least 20 minutes missing, turned up at BFI Southbank in 1997. A very good copy of the complete version is currently on the Talking Pictures channel. Two other points of interest are that it was Patricia Quinn's first film (can anyone confirm that she's one of two young women who come out of Portland Mews and reject the advances of the boys?) and that it was originally classified "X" but is now "U". The original certificate must have been awarded solely because the BBFC was still obsessed in the 1960s with the alleged influence of films showing juvenile delinquency.

WHERE HAS POOR MICKEY GONE? is an obscure little potboiler, obviously made on a very tight budget and set in just one location for the most part. It's notable for featuring a couple of TV favourites in the years before they came to fame, plus managing the tricky task of juggling both the thriller and horror genres. The story is about a group of juvenile delinquents - shades of THE BOYS - who go around town committing crime everywhere they go. They end up in a magician's shop, where they tie the magician to a chair before brutalising and tormenting him. However, there's a twist in store.

if I'm honest, WHERE HAS POOR MICKEY GONE? feels a bit dragged out at feature length. The plot reminded me a little of the Curd Jurgens segment from the Amicus anthology VAULT OF HORROR. It's very tame - U certificate, in fact - by modern standards, and quite slow and talky. Occasionally there are missteps, such as a screeching bit on the soundtrack that seems to go on forever. However, appearances from an on-form Warren Mitchell (TILL DEATH US DO PART) and a youthful John Challis (Boycie in ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES) make it watchable, and the twist ending still sends a few chills down the spine even today.

This 'X' certificate short was originally shown at UK cinemas with Roman Polanski's 'Cul-de-Sac'. It's unavailable commercially but I've now had the chance to see it at last, having obtained a copy on video for private viewing. It tells a neat, effective story which holds the attention, with Warren Mitchell giving a memorable performance, and a very young John Challis (now well-known as a television and stage performer in the UK) as one of the thugs who terrorise him. The pay-off is really clever and satisfying. It's a pity this film has never turned up on television and is virtually a 'lost' movie. It's well-worth seeing.