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That's him. 
That's me. 

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I don't know who that is. 
When The Morning Star, nin, you 

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live, the postman stuff with the
dog do not, you know, 

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Hello and welcome to goon pod on
a very, very hot day. 

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I'm joined by an equally sweaty 
guest, a returning guest. 

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Sorry Jeremy didn't mean to 
refer to you like that. 

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Thanks for getting that out of 
the way, right? 

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Start. 
Yeah, Jeremy Phillips from 

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Cinema limbo. 
Allow their thank you for 

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returning. 
It was last time you were here. 

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It was what it was 18 months 
ago. 

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I guess it was, it was quite a 
while. 

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Uh yeah and you've come back to 
talk about a film but before we 

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before we go on to that before 
we get into that let's talk 

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about Cinema limbo. 
Which I have been a guest on on 

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two occasions that I think I 
think there was just the one 

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occasion when we last spoke on 
goon pod but I've subsequently 

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joined you to talk about the 
comic with Dick Van. 

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Dyke. 
Yes a really unusual fascinating

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filled. 
That's weirdly being forgotten. 

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Van Dyke's greatest performance.
Hmm, I think as a really 

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horrible person, yeah. 
It's the story of a fictional 

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comic in the 1920s who 
systemically destroys his own 

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life because of his own ego. 
And it's a remarkable film from 

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1969 available now to watch for 
free on YouTube because the 

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copyright holder seemingly 
doesn't get now to written a 

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really good film and I enjoyed I
enjoyed talking about it. 

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So it's in a limbo I think it's 
fair to say that. 

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You cover. 
Both highbrow and lowbrow 

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Cinema. 
Yes, I'm just. 

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Yeah, the remit is 
underappreciated film, so that 

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could equally be films. 
That have been big box office 

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failures, like the most recent 
version of the Fantastic Four, 

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or Hudson Hawk, or more obscure 
films, which have fallen out of 

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the movie conversation, like the
comic one upcoming film, I'm 

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doing So, the next episode 
that's coming out is Amsterdam 

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and which is a Dutch action 
thriller, which is uniquely 

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Dutch in tone and style, but is 
easily the equal of anything 

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Hollywood was making in the late
80s. 

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Okay? 
It was, what's his name? 

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Paul verhoeven. 
Was he involved with that at 

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all? 
No, it was, it was by the other 

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Dutch director, dick mass and it
was his Spirit. 

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His brainchild? 
Yes, it is a funny name. 

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Name isn't sorry, I'm such a 
child. 

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I tell you, I Dutch film. 
I do enjoy from the 80s as its 

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poor lose. 
Is that how? 

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It's pronounced the vanish? 
I believe. 

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So, yes. 
George slices, The Vanishing. 

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I've not seen the original, but 
I have seen the American remake.

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He made when they change the 
ending, which I won't spoil. 

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Mmm, but it completely blows. 
The film's foot off in terms of 

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quality. 
Yeah, okay, well I haven't seen 

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that. 
But no, the original is very, 

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very good. 
Yeah. 

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So in essence, I suppose you 
examine the sort of films that 

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would be the, the, the weird 
videos on the bottom shelf at 

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the Blockbuster that you'd kind 
of grudgingly rent when Back to 

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the Future and Rambo when the 
Terminator were were out. 

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Well, yeah, I mean the most 
recent releases we've had is 

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Supergirl Which has wound up 
being bizarrely timely because 

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the flash has just been released
in cinemas with the first Cinema

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appearance by the character and 
Supergirl since 1984, and it was

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interesting to re-examine that 
film and think about all the 

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reasons why it doesn't work and 
wasn't Peter, O'Toole in that 

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Peter O'Toole, and Peter Cook. 
Peter, a cook Peter, Peter 

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occur. 
Fukrey, yes, there was an 

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accident and they merged there's
a lot of an analogy to the first

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Superman film and Peter Cook. 
Effectively plays, the Ned 

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Beatty role of the villains 
funny sidekick, but he's playing

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it as Peter Cook. 
So it's very strange to see him 

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in, in a superhero picture, 
playing henchmen to Faye Dunaway

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as a source with a wants to take
over the world. 

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The world. 
Hmm. 

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Okay any other shows on the 
Slate that you've not yet 

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recorded, another one coming up 
is equilibrium the 2002 Sci-Fi 

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Action Movie that tries to cross
1984 with the Matrix and has a 

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bizarre all-star cast for a 
film. 

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That got barely released 
Christian Bale, Emily, Watson, 

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Sean Bean and Sean Pertwee. 
I'm also hoping to do an episode

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on a film called the telephone, 
which was Harry nilsson's last 

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roll of the dice as a creative 
Force. 

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Co-written by him with Terry 
Southern Iran also directed by 

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Rip Torn, his only film as 
director Li me and he starring 

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Whoopi Goldberg in. 
What is effectively a one-woman 

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show of a woman in her 
apartment, interacting with the 

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outside world through Hotel. 
A phone over the course of 90 

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minutes in real time and it was 
buried at the time. 

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It was, everyone was off their 
face on cocaine when it was 

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being made, mmm. 
And like I said, it's one of 

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those movies that it's just on 
YouTube for free and you could 

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watch it for nothing because no 
one, because no one bothered. 

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Yeah, because no one's bother 
picking up the right. 

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And it's a really interesting 
strange. 

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Oddity of all these people 
either at the end or the 

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beginning of there. 
Is just getting back to 

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equilibrium. 
I've got this terrible memory of

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being at a family event where 
someone suggested doing sure 

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playing charades, you know, how 
they do. 

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Oh yes, and I got given X 
equilibrium. 

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Can you imagine China, China act
that out the solution I think, 

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is rather like, in that episode 
of Peep Show where Jesse's given

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the unbearable lightness of 
being and he simply mines, In 

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run instead and Jazz the person 
who gave him the piece of paper 

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to correct him. 
Okay, so we aren't we are 

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talking about a film today as I 
said and it is the 1962, British

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comedy film postman's. 
Knock starring everyone's 

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favorite Spike Milligan. 
So Jeremy, why would you suggest

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coming on and talking about this
film? 

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Why wide postman's knock? 
Why this film? 

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Well it My list of films to come
off a cinema limbo. 

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So it was a nice bit of overlap 
in our, okay, Collective remit. 

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I've been a, as I said, on the, 
my previous appearance, I've 

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been a huge gun show fan for 
many, many years ever. 

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Since I was a young teenager, 
and I've watched many of the 

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films that Peter Sellers as done
is my favorite actor. 

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Milligan had a much less 
eventful career as a film actor 

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and correct. 
If I'm wrong, but this is his 

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only lead role. 
Is that right? 

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Yes. 
Yes, pretty much. 

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Yeah it is. 
So I thought it was interesting 

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that a talent as singular as 
visual as here because Q, I 

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think works fantastically well 
and that was in that visual 

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sense, and his writing means 
that he knows how to tell a 

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story and those how to explore 
characters ever a long-form 

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piece of work. all of that 
together, yields one single lead

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role but fairly obscure But I 
found it to be really not not 

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not as representative of the 
spike humor, his style of Comedy

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as I would have hoped. 
Oh no. 

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I mean, it could have really 
could have been any. 

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He's a pretty I mean in this 
film we'll talk about this. 

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He is fairly Bland really he's 
not he's not wacky zany Spike. 

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There are a couple of moments 
now and then where he Paul sort 

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of a equals this face or white 
horse. 

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His eyebrows a bit, but it's, 
it's immediately lost. 

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00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:05,400
Yeah, so we'll look at the the 
beginnings or what, how this 

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film came about and spikes, 
rather, abortive film career. 

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So in late 1959, the running 
jumping and standing still film 

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comes out. 
And in early 1960 it's announce 

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that it's been nominated for an 
Academy Award and I know that I 

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mean it didn't win it, but it 
was the Kim's, you know, 

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nominations pretty good. 
And I know Spike for the rest of

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his life. 
I was very proud of that fact, 

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and obviously his colleague, 
Peter Sellers, was his film. 

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Career was on the up-and-up and 
in January 1960, the Goon show 

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ends. 
And in April 1960, the UK, I 

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think it was the UK of MGM 
signed Spike up on a contract to

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make to make films for at least 
seven years early, and for a 

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sizable son. 
I don't know how much but he was

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going to make some decent money 
out of it and a name GM. 

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Spokesman said, that spike is a 
great personality and we hope to

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make full use of his talents as 
a comic, actor, writer and 

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ideas, man. 
I think Spike saw himself as as 

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equally talented, if not more 
talented, Peter Sellers perhaps 

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and maybe he saw himself copping
some of that. 

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Some of that success that 
sellers was enjoying because, 

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you know, with each successive 
film you know, the films were 

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getting better and better more 
financially successful and 

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critically acclaimed and 
sellers. 

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In fact, one in March, 1961, a 
best actor, bafta for I'm all 

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right jack. 
So I wondered where the spike 

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felt that he himself could make 
it as a you know as a Screen 

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Actor. 
Comic screen The or inactive 

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period because sellers were 
turning out to be not, just to 

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be, you know, a fine comic on 
the Silver Screen. 

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But he was also, it also filmed,
never let go. 

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Have you ever seen never let go 
Jeremy? 

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00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,900
Yes, I saw that a couple of 
years ago and I was very 

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00:12:14,900 --> 00:12:17,600
impressed by it. 
I thought you were a big boy but

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a few bucks. 
Brighten the veneer. 

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You never believed it would you 
some of these young tatse. 

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Just don't bloody care. 
Pick it up to me it shows. 

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You see they never learn. 
They all think they know better 

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than I do but you've only got to
look at them. 

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And look at me, haven't you? 
You see, I've I've got a 

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00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:54,800
legitimate business here, Tommy,
but nearly 200 account customers

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and I've got twice as much cash 
on the side. 

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Well, I because I've learned 
that money makes money. 

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00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:06,300
Tommy Boy. 
Never do anything silly and you 

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can be. 
All right. 

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00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:10,500
Your trouble is you just don't 
think you want to think. 

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00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,300
Listen to Lin, don't go doing 
anything silly again. 

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00:13:15,100 --> 00:13:20,100
You see, nobody tell me. 
So he can he could he have to 

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00:13:20,100 --> 00:13:23,000
eat the dramatic chops as well 
and I just wonder where the 

185
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spike thought well you know, I 
should be having some of that. 

186
00:13:26,700 --> 00:13:30,300
I think basically, he might have
been looking towards the likes 

187
00:13:30,300 --> 00:13:38,200
of Stan Laurel or Jacques tati 
in terms of the actor comedian 

188
00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:46,200
writer model of a comedy otter, 
and hoping that he was going to 

189
00:13:46,300 --> 00:13:47,500
have something like that, 
perhaps. 

190
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,500
Oops, possibly. 
Yeah, although of course 

191
00:13:50,500 --> 00:13:54,900
postman's knock. 
He's credited as is contributing

192
00:13:54,900 --> 00:13:58,300
some dialogue, but that's about 
it but maybe yeah, maybe that 

193
00:13:58,300 --> 00:14:03,100
was the initial motivation. 
But yeah, it's his film career 

194
00:14:03,100 --> 00:14:08,000
didn't take off and in the early
1970s in an interview he said he

195
00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,400
said, I'd very much like to have
done comedy in films and I 

196
00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:12,500
wonder how people who are less 
funny than I am. 

197
00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,100
Have got into it spiked with 
typical humility. 

198
00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:22,500
Anyway, He was so spike in 61 
was cast in the film Invasion, 

199
00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:25,800
quartet alongside Bill Travers, 
who listens to go in public 

200
00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:30,500
folders talking about on the 
smaller Show on Earth two-parter

201
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:35,900
and Spike later called the film 
desperately unfunny, but there 

202
00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:39,100
was one major positive to come 
out of it in as much as he 

203
00:14:39,100 --> 00:14:41,400
noticed. 
One of the extras in the film, 

204
00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:45,300
who was a young lady called 
Patricia Ridgeway, who he was 

205
00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:50,400
subsequently to marry. 
Around this time that he was 

206
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:54,800
filming Invasion cortex, the BBC
were asking for another series 

207
00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,900
of the Goon show. 
It appears that the the idea for

208
00:14:58,900 --> 00:15:01,900
a new series of the Goon show 
had been floated sporadically 

209
00:15:01,900 --> 00:15:06,400
since the end of series 10 in 
January 1960, and Harry was 

210
00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,800
usually willing but the other 
two, particularly Spike kind of 

211
00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,000
blew hot or cold on the on the 
idea. 

212
00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,100
So when he was approached in 
summer 1961, he wrote to the BBC

213
00:15:17,100 --> 00:15:19,600
and he said, as much as I would 
like to write the show, I'm 

214
00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:21,100
sorry. 
But I cannot throw money away by

215
00:15:21,100 --> 00:15:23,700
taking money at a smaller 
remuneration. 

216
00:15:24,500 --> 00:15:27,100
Therefore, my decision is that I
want to write the show but 

217
00:15:27,100 --> 00:15:29,800
cannot afford to write under the
conditions, the BBC stipulate. 

218
00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,700
So basically, he was saying that
he didn't want to turn down MGM,

219
00:15:32,700 --> 00:15:37,000
film work or compromise his 
commitment to MGM. 

220
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,500
But that was where the real, the
real money was. 

221
00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:45,000
But really after Invasion 
quartets, there was postman's 

222
00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:50,200
knock and that was it. 
He had a significant number of 

223
00:15:50,208 --> 00:15:52,500
other film roles during the rest
of his career. 

224
00:15:52,500 --> 00:15:58,400
I mean yes, only a little while 
ago, I was listening to the last

225
00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:04,400
word a bit SRI on Raquel Welch 
and doesn't aren't they a couple

226
00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,300
in the three? 
And the Four Musketeers? 

227
00:16:07,500 --> 00:16:08,700
Yeah. 
Three Musketeers. 

228
00:16:08,700 --> 00:16:12,400
Yeah, hmm. 
And his Cameo, and Life of 

229
00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,000
Brian, I think yet was 
yellowbeard his last film. 

230
00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:17,800
Do you know think it may have 
been? 

231
00:16:17,900 --> 00:16:21,300
Yeah, that was 83, wasn't it? 
Yes, I think it may well have 

232
00:16:21,300 --> 00:16:22,900
been. 
Yeah, absolutely. 

233
00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:25,600
He was in and he was in a string
of films but never it was, it 

234
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,500
was usually a cameo role or at 
least third or fourth, or fifth 

235
00:16:29,500 --> 00:16:32,900
down the cast list. 
It was the special guest star. 

236
00:16:33,300 --> 00:16:36,300
Yeah. 
Like the logo as in Digby. 

237
00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:39,600
The biggest dog in the world. 
Oh well, I mean the big star. 

238
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:41,300
There is the dog. 
Yes. 

239
00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:46,600
Saying that we said was this was
postman's knock. like he's only 

240
00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,600
starring role I suppose you 
could also say the great 

241
00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:56,400
McGonagall In the mid 70s, 
although he's oh yeah, I know he

242
00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:58,400
is the star of that. 
He's the titular star, isn't he?

243
00:16:58,500 --> 00:17:01,500
I've not seen it. 
My understanding was, it was 

244
00:17:01,500 --> 00:17:04,000
kind of a split lead with 
sellers. 

245
00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,099
Well, I guess that was just to 
make sure that he could get 

246
00:17:07,099 --> 00:17:09,500
settled on board. 
But sellers are only in it for a

247
00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:11,300
probably about seven or eight 
minutes in total. 

248
00:17:11,900 --> 00:17:15,099
So ghost in the Noonday Sun 
would be more of a split between

249
00:17:15,099 --> 00:17:17,099
the two. 
Well, that was more sellers. 

250
00:17:17,099 --> 00:17:19,400
Yeah. 
Milligan was quite it turns out 

251
00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:21,900
quite late in that film. 
So I would say, I would say the 

252
00:17:21,908 --> 00:17:24,700
great man. 
It was probably his last big 

253
00:17:24,700 --> 00:17:29,700
film role for sure, but they was
Turnin up and things like, you 

254
00:17:29,708 --> 00:17:32,300
know, how did the Baskervilles 
to cook and more and of the 

255
00:17:32,300 --> 00:17:38,300
Baskervilles last remake of Beau
geste, Marty Feldman. 

256
00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:41,900
Seen any of those? 
No, I haven't actually it's 

257
00:17:41,900 --> 00:17:46,000
always seems to be in support of
other Great Canadian. 

258
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:48,100
So we got Marty Feldman cook and
more. 

259
00:17:49,100 --> 00:17:52,100
He was he was in history of the 
World Part 1 for Mel Brooks, I 

260
00:17:52,108 --> 00:17:54,300
think. 
Yes he was and then yellowbeard 

261
00:17:54,300 --> 00:17:58,900
for Greg Chapman and so it's 
always sort of it. 

262
00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,200
It's nice to think that it's the
next generation of comedians. 

263
00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:05,600
Wanting to bring in Spike, 
someone who they love and 

264
00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,300
respect. 
But it could but it could just 

265
00:18:08,300 --> 00:18:11,500
be that he was offered. 
Well-paid acting were consider 

266
00:18:11,500 --> 00:18:12,000
all right. 
Then. 

267
00:18:13,300 --> 00:18:15,400
Yeah, well I know what you did. 
Life of Brian famously? 

268
00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:16,700
He was just on holiday in our. 
Yeah. 

269
00:18:17,100 --> 00:18:19,300
That was just pure chance that 
he was there. 

270
00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:24,200
Yeah, so February 1996, T2 is 
very, he's a very busy man 

271
00:18:24,300 --> 00:18:27,900
early, early February, the bed, 
sitting room play began. 

272
00:18:28,300 --> 00:18:31,700
There's a, there's an audio 
recording of Spike live at the 

273
00:18:31,700 --> 00:18:34,400
Belgrade theater. 
Contrary recorded 18th of 

274
00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:39,300
February 1962, where there was 
Jazz and comedy and postman's 

275
00:18:39,300 --> 00:18:42,100
knock the film were talking 
about today was released on the 

276
00:18:42,108 --> 00:18:49,500
22nd of February 1962. 
The film is what you call it a 

277
00:18:49,508 --> 00:18:52,600
gentle comedy. 
Typical of the, the sort of 

278
00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:55,400
comedies low-budget its 
extremities. 

279
00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,600
It's coming out this time. 
It feels very Ealing. 

280
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:03,200
It feels very Norman. 
Wisdom of the, the little man 

281
00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,500
against the system. 
I I can imagine they would have 

282
00:19:05,500 --> 00:19:11,700
wrapped this up in Albania. 
She's absolutely because I've I 

283
00:19:11,708 --> 00:19:14,000
was thinking watching it. 
It's yet. 

284
00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,800
There's a there's a notable 
scene or scenes where you've got

285
00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:22,300
another example. 
Yet another example of, of the 

286
00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:26,100
Triumph of the little man over 
newfangled technology, 

287
00:19:26,700 --> 00:19:29,600
everything is mechanized and 
modern, doesn't end, and it's 

288
00:19:30,100 --> 00:19:33,800
and I guess it's playing to 
Their audience which is largely 

289
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:39,700
consisting of people suspicious.
Of the march of progress and the

290
00:19:39,700 --> 00:19:41,700
increased automation of the 
workplace. 

291
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:48,500
It's always very pro-worker 
pro-union often. 

292
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,300
Yeah. 
And it's interesting then to 

293
00:19:52,300 --> 00:19:56,400
look at the other carry on 
Films, which were consistently 

294
00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:59,800
successful, but then in 1970, 
you have carry on at your 

295
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:06,300
convenience, which is a satire 
on Labor Relations and Union 

296
00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:12,000
politics and it was famously 
aboard because it it ran counter

297
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,600
to what the audience wanted. 
Yeah it's right. 

298
00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,600
I mean I think that's my 
favorite carry on film that end.

299
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:22,500
It sort of it alternates between
that and carry on abroad. 

300
00:20:24,500 --> 00:20:26,100
Yeah. 
Oh yeah. 

301
00:20:26,900 --> 00:20:28,900
What's your favorite? 
Not don't take Columbus. 

302
00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:33,400
Now I've done an episode on 
carry on Columbus with me. 

303
00:20:33,900 --> 00:20:37,100
Oh well yes and didn't didn't 
didn't. 

304
00:20:37,300 --> 00:20:41,500
Didn't we do well, didn't we not
know? 

305
00:20:41,500 --> 00:20:45,100
I would, I have very fond 
memories of carry on doctor and 

306
00:20:45,100 --> 00:20:49,000
carry on at the jungle, but I 
think I'd have to go for up the 

307
00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,900
Khyber, okay? 
I think, I think it's just the 

308
00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:56,100
most lavishly produced most 
polished most witty. 

309
00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:00,600
Film in the series where with 
everyone at the height of their 

310
00:21:00,900 --> 00:21:03,800
abilities. 
With this all these resources 

311
00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:08,900
behind them location filming in 
far-off wails. 

312
00:21:09,700 --> 00:21:11,800
Yeah, it's a good. 
I mean, all I think we never 

313
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:14,600
think of carry on up the Khyber 
just think of Tiffin. 

314
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:19,600
I just think if Kenneth Williams
face and his nostrils opening up

315
00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,600
like Channel tunnel not flared 
nostrils. 

316
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:24,800
Yeah. 
Okay. 

317
00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:33,100
So postman's knock, so starring 
Spike as Harold pets who is a 

318
00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:37,700
rural Village Postman, who 
somehow, or other gets a job in 

319
00:21:37,700 --> 00:21:44,400
the big city and Chaos ensues. 
Now, first observation, I would 

320
00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:48,000
make Spike. 
As I say plays Harold pets, and 

321
00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:53,300
I think his surname is was 
presumably coined, purely and 

322
00:21:53,300 --> 00:21:56,900
simply in order to trade on a 
recurring gag. 

323
00:21:58,500 --> 00:22:01,000
I didn't think they allowed pets
in the post office. 

324
00:22:01,900 --> 00:22:04,500
Yeah, a couple of times, I think
that's purely, that's, that's 

325
00:22:04,500 --> 00:22:07,400
the only reason he's called 
Harold, pets, names. 

326
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,800
Pets are all that. 
I don't think we have to see the

327
00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:16,000
day when it's what allowed in 
the post office, famous turbo. 

328
00:22:17,100 --> 00:22:28,900
It Yes, I mean it the the name 
needs to be something small and 

329
00:22:28,900 --> 00:22:30,100
concise. 
It doesn't. 

330
00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:31,900
It shouldn't be too 
over-elaborate. 

331
00:22:31,900 --> 00:22:34,900
Because that makes him sound too
big instance, that you little, 

332
00:22:34,900 --> 00:22:37,700
because he's a little man in the
system. 

333
00:22:37,700 --> 00:22:43,600
So it fits very neatly, but it 
also feels a bit too formulaic 

334
00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:45,800
as much of the film does, I 
think? 

335
00:22:47,700 --> 00:22:53,100
So, the, the, the original story
is by Jack, Trevor story who I 

336
00:22:53,100 --> 00:22:56,900
knew from Um, he wrote The 
Trouble with Harry, which is a 

337
00:22:56,900 --> 00:23:02,200
very underrated Hitchcock film. 
Yes, it's very very good. 

338
00:23:02,900 --> 00:23:06,600
He he also wrote Invasion 
quartet which was the film Spike

339
00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,900
made before this, and the 
screenplay was by Jack Trevor 

340
00:23:10,900 --> 00:23:13,300
story and John Briley with 
additional dialogue. 

341
00:23:13,300 --> 00:23:17,800
As I said, my Spike and George 
Berkeley and it was directed by 

342
00:23:18,500 --> 00:23:21,400
someone. 
I hadn't until this week and you

343
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,300
know obviously doing research 
for our conversation direct 

344
00:23:25,300 --> 00:23:31,100
directed by Robert Lynn who had 
never heard of who Really do 

345
00:23:31,100 --> 00:23:35,400
much else. 
It did quite a bit of Telly in 

346
00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:39,100
the 60s and 70s, and he produced
the railway children, but his 

347
00:23:39,100 --> 00:23:41,500
career never really amounted to 
much. 

348
00:23:42,100 --> 00:23:48,000
Having said all that, having 
said, all that last night I was 

349
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:52,600
watching for my sins, the 
fiendish plot of dr. 

350
00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,600
Fu-manchu. 
Oh yeah, because that is an 

351
00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:00,200
upcoming episode. 
We're doing a goon pod and I 

352
00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:07,100
Watching it with someone mutual 
friend, tilt, Gary and Andrew as

353
00:24:07,100 --> 00:24:11,800
well. 
And I noticed that Robert Lynn 

354
00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:18,300
was listed as location manager. 
So and I think that he died 

355
00:24:18,300 --> 00:24:21,200
about a year later, so, that was
through Manchu, was one of his 

356
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,100
last films. 
Although he know, obviously he 

357
00:24:23,100 --> 00:24:28,700
wasn't directing it. 
So we've got spiked, we've got 

358
00:24:29,300 --> 00:24:32,300
as well in the cast. 
And Barbara Shelly as Jean. 

359
00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:36,600
Who's essentially the love 
interest for for Harold. 

360
00:24:37,500 --> 00:24:40,900
What did you say her name was 
Barbara Shelly. 

361
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,600
Now the egg, the character Gene 
Where is it? 

362
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:49,000
You got that from because I 
don't think her name is said at 

363
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,700
any point in the film. 
It will it's not but it on 

364
00:24:53,700 --> 00:24:56,900
Wikipedia and IMDb it's down as 
Gene. 

365
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:02,400
But yeah because that's the 
thing right up until the last 15

366
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,700
minutes. 
They're addressing each other, 

367
00:25:06,700 --> 00:25:11,400
she calls him Postman, and she 
called, he calls her Miss and 

368
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,400
then she permits him or he 
permits her. 

369
00:25:16,900 --> 00:25:19,500
To call him Harold. 
But she she doesn't reciprocate 

370
00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:21,700
her don't think and they 
eventually get married and I'm 

371
00:25:21,700 --> 00:25:23,400
not even sure he knows what her 
name is. 

372
00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:30,200
No, I mean that again, there's 
humor in that of a, he never 

373
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,400
finds out her name. 
And maybe it turns out she 

374
00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,700
doesn't have a name and like the
ret the the marriage certificate

375
00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:41,800
just has a blank space. 
It's it's, it's sloppy, really. 

376
00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:47,000
And given that there's a scene 
where she's in she's introduced 

377
00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:52,600
to, we see her friend. 
Oh, Barbara played by the 

378
00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,100
wonderful Denise coffee. 
Oh, she gets her name. 

379
00:25:55,500 --> 00:25:57,200
Oh yeah, she gets. 
She gets her name in it. 

380
00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:58,000
Yeah. 
But you thought? 

381
00:25:58,000 --> 00:25:59,600
Yes, exactly. 
You thought she'd have walked in

382
00:25:59,608 --> 00:26:02,900
the the flat and say hello Jean,
something like that. 

383
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,300
Oh, Jane, I've been painting all
night. 

384
00:26:06,300 --> 00:26:10,100
Yeah. 
And, and that twat of a Critic 

385
00:26:10,100 --> 00:26:13,500
art critic, who will come to 
mind you. 

386
00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:14,700
He wouldn't have referred to as 
Gene. 

387
00:26:14,700 --> 00:26:17,300
Would he have said? 
He'd have either said oh dear 

388
00:26:17,300 --> 00:26:19,700
Miss Cooper or whatever. 
Whatever her surname was you 

389
00:26:19,708 --> 00:26:22,100
know, he'd have been 
condescending like that are 

390
00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:23,600
either. 
I can't imagine I'll ever love 

391
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,700
to see the name of Miss Jean 
Cooper in the National Gallery. 

392
00:26:27,500 --> 00:26:30,800
Yes. 
And then of course he should and

393
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,400
it should be a painting of 
Harold. 

394
00:26:32,900 --> 00:26:34,900
Yes. 
Yes, indeed. 

395
00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:39,700
Now, I don't know much about 
Barbara Shelly, really 

396
00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:43,100
shamefully. 
What do you mean? 

397
00:26:43,100 --> 00:26:44,500
Obviously? 
She, you know, she's very 

398
00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:46,900
popular actress Village of the 
Damned Dracula Prince of 

399
00:26:46,900 --> 00:26:50,800
Darkness and the like, but do 
you know her from any particular

400
00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:55,600
films or television? 
Whilst he was a huge name in 

401
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,300
horror films, rather than 40 
comedy. 

402
00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,200
And had, as you said, did a 
bunch of films of hammer during 

403
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:06,000
the 60s, the Gorgon Dracula 
Prince of Darkness, quite a mess

404
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:11,400
in the pit postman's. 
Knock is a weird sort of 

405
00:27:11,700 --> 00:27:17,900
aberration in her career because
she done several major movies 

406
00:27:17,900 --> 00:27:19,700
already. 
She was in Village of the Damned

407
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:27,100
But now she's in this very light
comedy in quite a thankless role

408
00:27:27,100 --> 00:27:32,300
and it's it seems like a very 
backward step. 

409
00:27:33,500 --> 00:27:37,700
Maybe she was under contract 
maybe she does, maybe she wants 

410
00:27:37,700 --> 00:27:43,200
to work with Spike Dudley Maybe 
Spike wanted to work with her. 

411
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:45,500
Yeah. 
But she doesn't have a lot to do

412
00:27:45,500 --> 00:27:49,000
really, does she know. 
There is some character 

413
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,600
development for her during the 
course of the story. 

414
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,800
But there's, I mean, the fact 
that she's never given a name is

415
00:27:57,900 --> 00:28:02,300
pretty indicative of how 
sloppily she's treated in my 

416
00:28:02,300 --> 00:28:04,500
notes. 
I've just referred to her as 

417
00:28:04,500 --> 00:28:06,600
artists. 
Yeah. 

418
00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:08,400
Because I didn't know what else 
to call her. 

419
00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:13,500
Yeah, well, she isn't. 
She's an art student and Harold.

420
00:28:13,500 --> 00:28:16,500
First sees her at the train 
station, as he arrives into 

421
00:28:16,500 --> 00:28:17,600
London. 
She's painting. 

422
00:28:17,900 --> 00:28:19,400
She's on the platform. 
Painting, isn't she? 

423
00:28:20,500 --> 00:28:21,900
The film begins. 
So we see this. 

424
00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,100
The chart will talk through the 
rest of the cast as we come to 

425
00:28:25,100 --> 00:28:27,800
them. 
We see this little Charming, 

426
00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:32,800
little rural Village. 
That we come to know as up a 

427
00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:36,800
friendly and you have the early 
morning train with the mail on 

428
00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:40,500
it and it blows its whistle in 
a, presumably pre-arranged 

429
00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:45,400
fashion and it Rouses Postman 
Harold pets from his Slumbers 

430
00:28:45,900 --> 00:28:49,000
and he leapt out of bed, run to 
the window and blows a bugle in 

431
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,600
response. 
And then he gets dressed in this

432
00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:57,900
very kind of, I die. 
The way he gets dressed made me 

433
00:28:57,900 --> 00:29:01,800
think I wonder if Nick park ever
saw this film because it made me

434
00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:03,800
think it's something. 
I don't wanna see grommet. 

435
00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,700
He's got this. 
He's got the, the, to the two 

436
00:29:06,700 --> 00:29:09,700
hooks that he hooks his 
nightshirt. 

437
00:29:09,700 --> 00:29:13,100
The sleeves of his nightshirt on
to, and Paul's myself out of it.

438
00:29:13,700 --> 00:29:17,100
And yeah, and it's in a single 
motion, pulls his trousers under

439
00:29:17,100 --> 00:29:18,800
from, under the out, from under 
the mattress. 

440
00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:20,900
And puts them all. 
Yes, that's it. 

441
00:29:20,900 --> 00:29:24,700
Where they've been pressing 
overnight and then he Pelts down

442
00:29:24,700 --> 00:29:28,100
the stairs as mum's waiting with
a sandwich for breakfast or a 

443
00:29:28,100 --> 00:29:30,600
piece of toast and he's on his 
bike. 

444
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,700
And he takes delivery from the 
train moving train of a large 

445
00:29:34,700 --> 00:29:37,300
second male. 
And then he proceeds to make his

446
00:29:37,300 --> 00:29:39,600
morning deliveries and it's 
clear that the villagers are 

447
00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,200
very, very fond of Harold. 
He arrives home and he delivers 

448
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:47,300
himself a letter, From from the 
mr. 

449
00:29:47,300 --> 00:29:51,900
Fordyce and he's been offered a 
job down in that London. 

450
00:29:53,100 --> 00:29:55,100
I couldn't quite tell what it 
looks like that. 

451
00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:59,500
It's pretty much he has to, he 
has to leave for London that 

452
00:29:59,500 --> 00:30:02,000
very same day. 
Did you get that impression? 

453
00:30:02,900 --> 00:30:06,400
Yes. 
I mean it there could have been 

454
00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:09,700
a single couple of words of 
dialogue to say. 

455
00:30:09,700 --> 00:30:11,200
Oh, I have to go there next 
week. 

456
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:16,200
Yeah, but no, it does look like 
he's going that day with no 

457
00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,100
postal service tomorrow. 
Apparently. 

458
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:20,800
Yes. 
Yeah. 

459
00:30:21,100 --> 00:30:24,200
Who's going to replace him? 
And it looks like the whole 

460
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:28,100
village has turned out to see 
him off at the station and 

461
00:30:28,100 --> 00:30:31,800
including a very tardy Mario for
breed. 

462
00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,300
See, it doesn't have time to 
read the speech that he prepared

463
00:30:35,300 --> 00:30:37,700
and it's always a good film. 
You always know that you're 

464
00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:39,800
watching a good black and white 
British comedy film. 

465
00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:44,000
When you see the very familiar 
mustaches of Mario, for Britt, 

466
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,100
see who sadly died. 
Soon after this film came out, 

467
00:30:47,100 --> 00:30:51,400
actually. 
Oh yeah, so Harold arrives in 

468
00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:58,500
London and as I say, He sees as 
you call it artist on the 

469
00:30:58,500 --> 00:31:01,500
platform painting and Harold 
obviously is lacking. 

470
00:31:01,500 --> 00:31:06,000
The, he likes the social graces 
and he's ignorant of how, how 

471
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,600
one should conduct oneself in 
the nation's capital? 

472
00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:12,300
In other words, never make eye 
contact with with anybody. 

473
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,000
I actually I was writing my 
notes all the way through 

474
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,900
watching this film, everyone has
bloody rude in London. 

475
00:31:21,100 --> 00:31:22,600
As far as this film is 
concerned, anyway. 

476
00:31:24,100 --> 00:31:25,900
Well that's it's a reflection 
on. 

477
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:29,200
I think what the audience wants 
to see everyone in the 

478
00:31:29,208 --> 00:31:32,400
countryside is all nice and 
lovely and all coming to have a 

479
00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:35,900
cup of tea and a slice of cake 
and everyone in the city wants 

480
00:31:35,900 --> 00:31:37,900
to mug you and steal your 
trousers. 

481
00:31:39,100 --> 00:31:42,100
And is is mean and horrible, all
the time. 

482
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:47,100
And then we have some business 
on the platform, which kind of 

483
00:31:47,100 --> 00:31:51,200
showcases Harold is being a very
efficient and fast working. 

484
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:55,800
Postman, got mail being loaded 
onto a train and unloaded. 

485
00:31:55,900 --> 00:32:00,300
I wasn't quite sure. 
But, there's some, some Malarkey

486
00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:07,600
with, with some mail being 
driven off, by half a mother, 

487
00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:10,400
who's always a way. 
Well, has he always a welcome 

488
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:14,600
face in British films? 
I'm not quite sure if he is well

489
00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,500
given what? 
We now know about his personal 

490
00:32:17,500 --> 00:32:18,500
life. 
Possibly? 

491
00:32:18,500 --> 00:32:21,500
Not. 
Yeah, yeah. 

492
00:32:21,900 --> 00:32:24,800
But he's a good choice for that 
character. 

493
00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:29,800
This is this the the, the one 
round type Meathead. 

494
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:33,800
Yeah, and he does get one really
great line of dialogue later. 

495
00:32:33,900 --> 00:32:35,800
A child, which I think is worth 
noting. 

496
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,700
Yeah, he's never, he's always 
out of my league. 

497
00:32:39,100 --> 00:32:42,400
He's not he's not he's not an 
actor with tremendous range but 

498
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,600
he is trying to make off with 
some mail on a trip, on a 

499
00:32:45,608 --> 00:32:56,500
trolley, there's a Chase you're 
doing with our mail. 

500
00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,500
It's not your mail sir. 
It's is maily dropped it. 

501
00:33:00,500 --> 00:33:02,000
It's not a postback wears them 
here. 

502
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:03,900
We just unloaded. 
What's the trouble here? 

503
00:33:03,900 --> 00:33:06,200
Mayor robbery we caught this one
red-handed. 

504
00:33:06,700 --> 00:33:09,100
No no no you got it all wrong. 
Wrong. 

505
00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:12,100
I'm one of them. 
I'm a postman. 

506
00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:15,000
I just been transferred here. 
You look, I got a letter. 

507
00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:18,000
They're here. 
Is this what All the Troubles 

508
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,900
about where'd you get that post 
Bay Watch, he's one of them. 

509
00:33:20,900 --> 00:33:23,700
One of what I'm an art student, 
I wouldn't be surprised. 

510
00:33:23,900 --> 00:33:26,500
That's my grandfather's bag. 
He was in the post office, you 

511
00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:33,100
know, and my father. 
All right, but there's some 

512
00:33:33,500 --> 00:33:36,900
confusion because Harold's all 
and involved in this unwittingly

513
00:33:36,900 --> 00:33:39,300
and so comfortable. 
Summoned. 

514
00:33:39,900 --> 00:33:44,500
And it's John Wood. 
John Wood CBE. 

515
00:33:45,100 --> 00:33:47,700
Very fine actor. 
Do you recognize him from 

516
00:33:47,700 --> 00:33:50,100
anything? 
Yes. 

517
00:33:50,300 --> 00:33:54,300
Wasn't he in your eyes? 
Only as Denis Thatcher. 

518
00:33:55,900 --> 00:34:02,600
Was that not John H, John not 
Jones. 

519
00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:04,900
John Wells, John. 
Well, yes, I'm always getting 

520
00:34:04,900 --> 00:34:07,600
the two confused. 
Yes. 

521
00:34:07,900 --> 00:34:10,199
Well, there's Jon Burge on Wells
and John Fortune. 

522
00:34:10,199 --> 00:34:15,300
I always get those three 
confused with John Wood is. 

523
00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:18,300
Maybe I'd love to design DB 
page, its massive and he was 

524
00:34:18,300 --> 00:34:21,600
much more. 
It was a huge theater actor and 

525
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:24,900
funny enough interestingly for 
this podcast, he was Peter 

526
00:34:25,100 --> 00:34:32,600
Ursula's understudy in brouhaha,
in 1958 59, he, but he made it a

527
00:34:32,607 --> 00:34:39,100
lot of early TV, a lot of TV, he
was Barnaby rudge in a early 60s

528
00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:42,300
TV adaptation. 
He was also in Invasion quartet 

529
00:34:42,300 --> 00:34:45,400
with Spike just before this, and
he made loads of films, 

530
00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:49,199
including leave or not, Jumpin 
Jack Flash in the 80s. 

531
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,800
I'm just I'm just looking at his
later filmography. 

532
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:57,700
I mean Jumping Jack Flash ties 
in nicely because that was 

533
00:34:57,700 --> 00:35:02,700
another Whoopi Goldberg vehicle 
like the telephone and one of 

534
00:35:02,700 --> 00:35:07,700
his last film roles was the film
of the Avengers, which was the 

535
00:35:07,700 --> 00:35:11,200
very first recorded edition of 
my podcast. 

536
00:35:12,700 --> 00:35:14,900
It's the is that the hang on. 
Is that the won? 

537
00:35:14,900 --> 00:35:18,800
Both the one base top. 
Yes the ray finds John Steed and

538
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,500
mrs. 
Peel one. 

539
00:35:21,100 --> 00:35:23,000
Yeah. 
In which he plays a tailor, 

540
00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:26,300
you're right. 
Okay, yeah. 

541
00:35:26,300 --> 00:35:30,300
See I I'd ever I don't recognize
him from anything but he's look.

542
00:35:30,300 --> 00:35:32,000
You look at us. 
Just look at his IMDb. 

543
00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:35,800
Massive but is not one of those 
faces that I wreck I instantly 

544
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:39,000
recognized is very tall. 
Quite lanky, isn't it? 

545
00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:42,300
Yes. 
It's his name is Got the actors,

546
00:35:42,300 --> 00:35:45,300
John would ya? 
John would but he's playing PC 

547
00:35:45,300 --> 00:35:48,600
Woods. 
And later on, we've got Wilfred 

548
00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:51,600
loss and playing a postman 
called Postman Lawson. 

549
00:35:53,100 --> 00:35:55,800
Not a lot of thought went into 
the names and they didn't even 

550
00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:58,000
give Barbara Shelly one, God's 
sake, actually. 

551
00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,100
There's one other thing that's 
worth noting is that wood was in

552
00:36:02,100 --> 00:36:08,400
the film war games in 1983. 
The, the nuclear war Thriller. 

553
00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:12,300
Yeah, and his character was 
originally, to have been played 

554
00:36:12,300 --> 00:36:19,700
by John Lennon. 
What should the designer of the 

555
00:36:19,700 --> 00:36:23,000
supercomputer? 
We then retires because he wants

556
00:36:23,100 --> 00:36:25,800
peace. 
That character was serving 

557
00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,600
played by John Lennon but he was
killed when the script was being

558
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:31,900
developed I went it was 
eventually released it that 

559
00:36:31,900 --> 00:36:33,200
character was played by John 
Wood. 

560
00:36:33,900 --> 00:36:43,500
That's incredible. 
Okay. so, We see, we see Mallard

561
00:36:43,500 --> 00:36:48,600
turn up at some Rendezvous meets
up with the rest of the gang 

562
00:36:48,700 --> 00:36:52,200
that he's in. 
And and the gang is a typically,

563
00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,700
hopeless and helpless as is the 
rule in black and white British 

564
00:36:56,700 --> 00:37:00,700
comedies around this time. 
They feel like they've escaped 

565
00:37:00,700 --> 00:37:03,100
from a children's film 
Foundation production. 

566
00:37:03,100 --> 00:37:08,000
Yes they do they do. 
Yeah, they embody ineptitude 

567
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,300
stupidity clumsiness and you've 
got, you've got Warren me. 

568
00:37:12,100 --> 00:37:17,700
The four humors, don't worry. 
Mitchell is Rupert, which I 

569
00:37:17,700 --> 00:37:22,200
thought was quite an odd name. 
For a rubber Lads, Percival 

570
00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:26,000
didn't get his name and John 
Bennett and John Bennett. 

571
00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:29,100
You talk about IMDb entries. 
My God. 

572
00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:33,000
He's been in everything and I 
think he's probably best known 

573
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,200
that he was. 
He was in like a Funny Thing 

574
00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:41,000
Happened on the Way to the 
Forum, how strip blood 11 Doctor

575
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,800
Who's I believe. 
Give my regards to Broad Street 

576
00:37:43,900 --> 00:37:47,000
getting back to the Beatles 
connection, mowbray, didn't 

577
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:48,100
remember mowbray. 
That's sick. 

578
00:37:48,100 --> 00:37:49,100
I do. 
Yes. 

579
00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:53,700
Yeah, he's in the pianist with 
you, man. 

580
00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:56,400
What's the name Agent? 
Brody. 

581
00:37:56,600 --> 00:38:01,800
Yeah. 
And Minority Report but I 

582
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:07,000
noticed that he was listed as 
the medical officer in porridge 

583
00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:10,600
and I'm thinking it's probably 
that famous scene We do. 

584
00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:12,600
Ya get. 
Yes, that's him. 

585
00:38:12,900 --> 00:38:18,600
Suffer from any illness. 
Bad faith has bad feet. 

586
00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:22,400
But a recent visit, your doctor 
or Hospital? 

587
00:38:22,500 --> 00:38:27,600
Anyone, we both feet. 
Are you now? 

588
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,200
Have your anytime been a 
practicing homosexual? 

589
00:38:30,500 --> 00:38:36,100
What Woody's feet. 
Yes. 

590
00:38:36,100 --> 00:38:40,400
So we've got these four who make
up the comedy gang. 

591
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:45,600
I autocorrects you at, sorry. 
At the, the Doctor Who fan 

592
00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:47,900
patented me has come out. 
You said he was in the Eleventh 

593
00:38:47,900 --> 00:38:50,100
Doctor, Who's he was an eleven 
episodes? 

594
00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:57,100
Of two different cereals. 
All right, he played at Witch 

595
00:38:57,100 --> 00:39:03,600
Doctors, he played a corrupt 
General as part of a conspiracy 

596
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,100
up with Jon Pertwee and then 
opposite. 

597
00:39:06,100 --> 00:39:11,300
Tom Baker, he played a Chinese 
stage magician in full in full 

598
00:39:11,300 --> 00:39:15,900
yellow face makeup, which 
remains very controversial, but 

599
00:39:15,900 --> 00:39:19,900
his performances a bit more 
thoughtful and complex than you 

600
00:39:19,900 --> 00:39:22,600
might have expected. 
Acted, but it's still not great.

601
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,300
And, of course, as I said 
before, in a few weeks time, we 

602
00:39:26,300 --> 00:39:28,400
will be discussing the fiendish 
plot of dr. 

603
00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:30,400
Fu-manchu. 
Well, if you can think of a way 

604
00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:35,400
that that film is in any way. 
Acceptable, I will send you a 

605
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:39,000
book token, when you have to 
listen to the episode, then at 

606
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,200
the police station. 
Meanwhile, the inspector refuses

607
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:45,000
to believe that Harold is a 
postman or for that matter that 

608
00:39:45,700 --> 00:39:51,500
the artist is an art student and
Harold and His father and his 

609
00:39:51,500 --> 00:39:54,400
grandfather were Postman and we 
said, well, we actually earlier 

610
00:39:54,400 --> 00:40:01,100
saw some mocked up pictures on 
Harold's mums front parlor, wool

611
00:40:01,100 --> 00:40:07,400
of Spike made up to be pets. 
Senior and pets, even more 

612
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:13,700
senior as as post people and mr.
Fordyce arrives from the post 

613
00:40:13,700 --> 00:40:16,900
office right now. 
Have you ever met or heard of 

614
00:40:16,900 --> 00:40:20,400
anyone called Fordyce outside of
British comedy? 

615
00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:25,500
Pre-1980. 
Oh no, no. 

616
00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:32,400
It's like like Grimm's Dale. 
Yeah that one's actually called 

617
00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:35,600
that know. 
So, mr. 

618
00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:38,500
Ford ice is played by Ronald 
Adam. 

619
00:40:39,700 --> 00:40:42,900
Just you see him? 
And you think oh, that guy being

620
00:40:42,900 --> 00:40:49,100
so many things but his as 
obviously was a character actor,

621
00:40:49,100 --> 00:40:55,200
but he supposedly, Was shot down
by the Red Baron in World War 

622
00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:57,400
one. 
Did you know that I did not? 

623
00:40:57,400 --> 00:40:59,600
That's quite a claim to fame. 
Hmm. 

624
00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:04,600
Yeah. 
But yeah, I mean, he's lots of 

625
00:41:04,600 --> 00:41:05,800
feel. 
He's been a lot of films with 

626
00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:10,300
goons, he was in heavens above 
count and brown of the fo naked 

627
00:41:10,300 --> 00:41:15,700
truth Helter Skelter. 
That had hairy seat early Rock 

628
00:41:15,700 --> 00:41:18,500
early role for Harry seek him 
and that and song of Norway with

629
00:41:18,500 --> 00:41:23,800
Harry and he was in carry on 
Admiral which Is famous for what

630
00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,000
reason? 
It's not a carry on film. 

631
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:28,500
Exactly what was that. 
Was that two or three years 

632
00:41:28,500 --> 00:41:31,200
before? 
Sergeant, I think so. 

633
00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:34,500
Yeah about that, I think. 
So he vouchers, he arrives at 

634
00:41:34,500 --> 00:41:37,100
the police station, vouchers for
Harold and the inspector 

635
00:41:37,100 --> 00:41:43,300
grudgingly releases Harold and 
Gene and there's reference made 

636
00:41:43,300 --> 00:41:48,900
to the mold and gang. 
And I immediately assumed that 

637
00:41:48,900 --> 00:41:52,300
the mold and gang was Warren 
Mitchell and his mates but turns

638
00:41:52,300 --> 00:41:56,700
out Out not to be Harold's out 
on the street. 

639
00:41:56,800 --> 00:42:00,900
And he has to find some digs and
he asked Gina, she can help and 

640
00:42:00,900 --> 00:42:03,300
she directs him to the nearest 
Tube Station. 

641
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,300
And then, after taking the best 
best part of an afternoon to 

642
00:42:06,308 --> 00:42:09,800
cross the road, a busy road, 
that's what it's like in the Big

643
00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:13,500
Town, you know. 
Yeah, it'd be the eventually 

644
00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:17,000
manages to cross the road and 
find the tube station while he 

645
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:21,600
gets hit by a mini. 
First and that would stack comes

646
00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:24,900
back as a gag later of him, 
being hit by another Mini. 

647
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:28,400
Yeah. 
And and, and we just hear it off

648
00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:30,000
screen. 
And then we cut back and he's 

649
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:33,900
sprawled across the Bonnet and 
roof and hits upon the idea of 

650
00:42:33,900 --> 00:42:40,400
using a blind man as a kind of 
Shield buffer and I got the 

651
00:42:40,408 --> 00:42:42,700
impression that the blind man 
just grabbed him and then 

652
00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,200
launched at both of them across 
the street. 

653
00:42:45,900 --> 00:42:48,800
Presumably above the logic that 
if you can't see the traffic, 

654
00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:52,200
then it can't see you or the 
other way around. 

655
00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:55,600
Yeah. 
The Chief Inspector back at the 

656
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,000
police station. 
He isn't buying this innocent 

657
00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:05,700
Postman story. 
So he assigns PC Woods to would 

658
00:43:05,700 --> 00:43:07,500
you call it? 
Active detail. 

659
00:43:07,500 --> 00:43:11,300
He tells him to follow Harold 
and Report available regularly 

660
00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:13,000
surveillance. 
Yes, valence. 

661
00:43:14,500 --> 00:43:17,000
And then we see Spike, we have 
quite a bit of business on the 

662
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:20,700
tube at the tube station with 
people being crammed in like 

663
00:43:20,700 --> 00:43:24,500
sardines and a an obscene brief 
scene where Harold's convinced 

664
00:43:24,500 --> 00:43:27,000
that one of his fellow 
passengers has done a wheel as 

665
00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:29,400
trouser leg and it's a vicar as 
well. 

666
00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:31,400
Of course, it is. 
Yeah. 

667
00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:35,200
And they also a bomb Point Rises
up through the beard of an 

668
00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:40,700
orthodox priest. 
It's funny that you say that the

669
00:43:40,700 --> 00:43:44,800
other than the actual see. 
Well, that's what they do, Sagat

670
00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:47,400
allowed. 
It sounds very Guna shhhh, I 

671
00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:53,700
think, but only if you see it 
and think, okay, mmm and Harold 

672
00:43:53,700 --> 00:44:00,100
is just getting sort of shuttled
shuffled, pushed pulled, and 

673
00:44:01,100 --> 00:44:06,000
ends up going full, circle ends 
up back at the tube station that

674
00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:07,800
he began. 
And I notice that one point, we 

675
00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:12,700
see a poster on on a platform 
wall, for the Magnificent Seven 

676
00:44:12,700 --> 00:44:16,000
playing at the London Pavilion, 
because filming for this film 

677
00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:19,200
began in, May 1961, which was a 
month after that film was 

678
00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:23,900
released in the UK. 
Yeah, it's always a good idea to

679
00:44:23,908 --> 00:44:30,300
remind the audience of other 
better films and Lauren 

680
00:44:30,300 --> 00:44:33,600
Mitchell's gang read about the 
business at the train station in

681
00:44:33,600 --> 00:44:36,500
the newspaper and in the 
newspapers. 

682
00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:40,900
Ori the speculation that the 
botched robbery may have been 

683
00:44:40,900 --> 00:44:45,500
the work of the mold in gang and
Roop. 

684
00:44:45,500 --> 00:44:50,900
It thinks that Harold must be 
involved with the mold and gang 

685
00:44:50,900 --> 00:44:53,300
and so tells our formula to 
follow him. 

686
00:44:53,900 --> 00:45:00,000
So we have obviously PC Woods. 
and now awesome, a lot trailing 

687
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:06,500
Herald around, London, around 
London, Miss No, it's me the 

688
00:45:06,500 --> 00:45:10,400
postman I know. 
Am I glad I found you? 

689
00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:12,900
You sure there's a station 
called windlesham row. 

690
00:45:14,200 --> 00:45:15,600
You mean you haven't found it 
yet? 

691
00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:17,300
No. 
I've been on the Underground to 

692
00:45:17,300 --> 00:45:18,900
bread. 
Way, ever since I last saw you 

693
00:45:20,300 --> 00:45:22,900
look Postman. 
Try and make your way through 

694
00:45:22,900 --> 00:45:26,200
life, without me. 
Hmm, good night. 

695
00:45:30,900 --> 00:45:35,100
But miss I I haven't got 
anywhere to sleep tonight. 

696
00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:43,000
Come on. 
What come on? 

697
00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:49,600
I'm going to regret this I word.
I'm certainly glad I met you 

698
00:45:49,900 --> 00:45:52,800
Jean walks past and reluctantly 
agrees to the two little dots 

699
00:45:52,800 --> 00:45:55,900
down at her flat for the night. 
And then PC Woods puts two and 

700
00:45:55,900 --> 00:45:58,300
two together because he's 
followed them and eat phones as 

701
00:45:58,300 --> 00:46:01,400
Inspector and says the postman 
and the girl live at the same 

702
00:46:01,400 --> 00:46:04,700
address and the inspectors 
delighted by this because it 

703
00:46:04,700 --> 00:46:09,900
supports his holy flimsy theory 
that there's That there's some 

704
00:46:09,900 --> 00:46:13,300
sort of villainy of foot and 
then PC, would spend the whole 

705
00:46:13,300 --> 00:46:17,400
night, since sat outside the 
flat near the bins. 

706
00:46:17,500 --> 00:46:20,300
Well, that's on their way. 
There's a sequence. 

707
00:46:20,300 --> 00:46:25,800
I rather like, where they walk 
past the Gene and Terrell, what,

708
00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:28,200
past the front door of one of 
the other people who live in the

709
00:46:28,200 --> 00:46:33,200
building, Where the bread and 
the milk are piling up. 

710
00:46:34,100 --> 00:46:37,600
And Harold asks about whoever 
might be in there, but Gene 

711
00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:42,000
doesn't know them. 
And he's astonished that you 

712
00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:45,900
wouldn't know who your neighbors
are and you you turn a blind eye

713
00:46:45,900 --> 00:46:49,000
when they might be in trouble. 
Well, yeah, because he's come 

714
00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,800
from such a close-knit, little 
community. 

715
00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:55,900
It's completely alien to him 
that you wouldn't know everybody

716
00:46:55,900 --> 00:46:59,500
that lives within a mile of your
facility within screaming 

717
00:46:59,500 --> 00:47:00,700
distance. 
Yeah. 

718
00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:04,200
Okay. 
So the next morning, He arrives 

719
00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:08,900
at the postal Depo, the post 
office, bright and early. 

720
00:47:08,900 --> 00:47:11,400
How did he find it? 
Bearing in mind, he couldn't, he

721
00:47:11,400 --> 00:47:13,800
couldn't find his well, he 
couldn't find his ass in his 

722
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:15,700
underpants. 
Let alone write the tube. 

723
00:47:15,700 --> 00:47:19,700
How do you manage so quickly and
efficiently to find the the post

724
00:47:19,700 --> 00:47:21,500
office? 
But anyway, we'll let that slide

725
00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:24,900
in supposed money has postal 
senses. 

726
00:47:25,600 --> 00:47:29,300
Yes, you can, you can smell the 
sellotape, smell the sellotape. 

727
00:47:29,300 --> 00:47:32,500
The stamps. 
He reports for Duty, and we get 

728
00:47:32,500 --> 00:47:34,700
some physical Comedy with a 
conveyor belt. 

729
00:47:34,700 --> 00:47:36,600
I like that, I like that. 
When he's sleeping on the 

730
00:47:36,600 --> 00:47:42,900
conveyor belt is using a parcel 
as a pillow, but everyone is 

731
00:47:42,900 --> 00:47:45,700
rude and nobody notices anything
that's something else. 

732
00:47:45,700 --> 00:47:47,700
I wrote down throughout this 
film. 

733
00:47:48,300 --> 00:47:52,200
Well, it's the, it's the kind of
the robotic machine element that

734
00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:57,200
the people are just a machine 
parts within this system, and 

735
00:47:57,200 --> 00:48:02,100
they're not looking at things 
individually as Kind caring 

736
00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:07,300
Countryside postal workers 
would, there is that and Harold 

737
00:48:07,300 --> 00:48:13,100
goes out in this first first 
round with Wilfred Lawson, and 

738
00:48:13,100 --> 00:48:16,100
he's assigned an incredibly 
modern looking block of flats 

739
00:48:16,600 --> 00:48:21,100
for the time and I imagine that 
those Flats probably aged very 

740
00:48:21,100 --> 00:48:23,900
badly over the following decade.
Yeah. 

741
00:48:23,900 --> 00:48:27,400
They look as that they look like
they're patient zero of sick. 

742
00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:29,200
Building syndrome. 
Hmm. 

743
00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:33,600
And we have this Midi sequence 
with automatic doors which maybe

744
00:48:33,600 --> 00:48:40,400
we're not a novelty for 1961. 
I don't know, I think so it's a 

745
00:48:40,400 --> 00:48:44,000
shame because the the whole 
scene of Harold fiddling around 

746
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:49,100
with the infrared eye. 
There's potential there for. 

747
00:48:49,500 --> 00:48:54,200
I think some interesting goon 
ish type humor but it's really 

748
00:48:54,200 --> 00:49:00,300
just thrown away with Dull 
Antics and arm waving really. 

749
00:49:01,700 --> 00:49:05,800
Yeah, I've never really watched 
Norman, Wisdom films would 

750
00:49:05,800 --> 00:49:07,100
Norman Wisdom of done. 
It better. 

751
00:49:07,100 --> 00:49:08,300
I'm sure he probably would have 
done. 

752
00:49:09,500 --> 00:49:13,300
I think he would have taken it 
to it, more naturally, because 

753
00:49:13,300 --> 00:49:17,100
that kind of more lightweight 
material. 

754
00:49:17,100 --> 00:49:25,000
I think is, is more his, his key
Milligan, it just doesn't fit 

755
00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:30,400
with the the type of Comedy, 
he's, he's used to and that he's

756
00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:34,400
had such expertise. 
For it seems it seems too much 

757
00:49:34,400 --> 00:49:37,600
like a waste of ability and a 
waste of talent. 

758
00:49:38,100 --> 00:49:43,000
They have a great mind like his 
doing these other ones, say 

759
00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:48,900
lowbrow lower quality material. 
This does seem like it's a waste

760
00:49:48,900 --> 00:49:54,200
of his talent. 
And we have a showdown with a 

761
00:49:54,700 --> 00:50:00,600
typically large matronly looking
cleaning lady charlady. 

762
00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:05,400
What it, why is it in these 
these films of this period that 

763
00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:08,900
ladies of that type? 
Shall we say of that of that 

764
00:50:08,900 --> 00:50:15,000
build are always portrayed as 
scowling harridans, who want to 

765
00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:19,900
do real damage to our hapless 
hero or Heroes? 

766
00:50:20,300 --> 00:50:23,300
What was that mothers-in-law 
mothers-in-law? 

767
00:50:23,300 --> 00:50:28,700
Yes, Wow, maybe we should go 
into it psychologically and it's

768
00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:33,400
male, fear of female power. 
It's not that kind of podcast. 

769
00:50:36,600 --> 00:50:40,500
And we see the most powerful 
vacuum cleaner in Christendom 

770
00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:44,800
trying to suck up Harold's 
letters and almost empty taters.

771
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:49,300
And at one point there's a bit 
where he's walking along the 

772
00:50:49,300 --> 00:50:50,800
corridor posting letters 
through. 

773
00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:56,400
Let us lat and one door. 
As the slot on its side and we 

774
00:50:56,408 --> 00:50:59,200
get a comedy Chinese musical 
sting. 

775
00:50:59,500 --> 00:51:01,300
Why is that? 
I didn't get that. 

776
00:51:01,900 --> 00:51:06,200
I think it's the idea like 
because rather than being 

777
00:51:08,900 --> 00:51:12,700
Horizontal like that are normal,
Western not a slots. 

778
00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:20,300
It's it's like an I think in 
terms of eyes may be okay. 

779
00:51:20,900 --> 00:51:24,300
I mean it's either. 
I don't know. 

780
00:51:24,700 --> 00:51:31,000
Maybe they don't 1962 rolling in
the aisles at that loss is 

781
00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:34,600
waiting outside, impatiently for
Harold to finish his round. 

782
00:51:37,100 --> 00:51:39,900
But how how go try to get back 
into the building but an 

783
00:51:39,900 --> 00:51:42,900
engineer's fixing. 
The automatic door, Howell 

784
00:51:42,900 --> 00:51:45,000
brains himself on the glass and 
he falls backwards. 

785
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:47,900
All of a heap on the ground and 
the engineer said of just 

786
00:51:47,900 --> 00:51:51,800
glances at him in doesn't care. 
Because as I say, nobody notices

787
00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:54,800
anything and nobody gives a toss
Engineers grandson. 

788
00:51:54,800 --> 00:51:57,400
Now works in it, and has exactly
the same attitude. 

789
00:51:59,700 --> 00:52:01,700
We see a dog at one point. 
A dog runs off with some 

790
00:52:01,700 --> 00:52:05,800
letters, Jack, Trevor, story 
mindful of the old comedy 

791
00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:09,100
writers, Maxim that audiences 
love a cheeky, dog. 

792
00:52:09,500 --> 00:52:13,200
Of course, and later we hear 
that there's been some 

793
00:52:13,200 --> 00:52:16,000
complaints to the post office 
that a dog was delivering 

794
00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:18,100
letters. 
So that was quite sweet. 

795
00:52:19,300 --> 00:52:21,800
I don't, I wouldn't have 
complained about. 

796
00:52:21,800 --> 00:52:24,500
I would have found a Charming 
novelty and the other people 

797
00:52:24,500 --> 00:52:27,400
complain about anything. 
Oh yeah I mean, yeah, in the big

798
00:52:27,400 --> 00:52:31,500
city I mean These, there's trees
the wrong color. 

799
00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:33,600
I mean, typical. 
Hmm. 

800
00:52:34,800 --> 00:52:39,900
This has been going on for what 
45 minutes, something like that 

801
00:52:41,300 --> 00:52:44,200
bit of character development, 
but not much and then we get 

802
00:52:44,200 --> 00:52:46,200
some plot. 
Ya? 

803
00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:49,200
Betta, watch it. 
No trace of the mold and gang. 

804
00:52:49,200 --> 00:52:50,800
Nothing. 
Nothing nothing. 

805
00:52:51,200 --> 00:52:53,900
But I'm sitting in a coffee bar,
even a cup of tea and you know, 

806
00:52:53,900 --> 00:52:55,000
what? 
And how to pay for it. 

807
00:52:55,400 --> 00:52:58,700
When I hear on the radio, a bank
of England, a calling into 

808
00:52:58,700 --> 00:53:02,800
million, I'll pan out Burning 
and a post office and a real 

809
00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:07,000
wiser and Lena stuff. 
The post office. 

810
00:53:09,800 --> 00:53:17,500
Post office. 
The post 2 million is going 

811
00:53:17,500 --> 00:53:21,200
through it, so that's what the 
mold and going was after. 

812
00:53:21,200 --> 00:53:24,200
Yeah, yeah. 
But we're going to get there 

813
00:53:24,200 --> 00:53:26,300
first. 
We're going to do it properly 

814
00:53:26,300 --> 00:53:31,000
this time with finesse e, he 
both Harold bumps into our 

815
00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:36,600
thermal load in the street as 
it's all I know you don't, I And

816
00:53:36,700 --> 00:53:39,300
he replies are no, that was 
someone else. 

817
00:53:39,800 --> 00:53:44,100
I'm French au revoir. 
Yes. 

818
00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:45,400
And that was the bit that I 
thought. 

819
00:53:45,400 --> 00:53:47,500
Was that funny? 
That was what I wrote down 

820
00:53:48,200 --> 00:53:50,200
didn't he say auf wiedersehen 
later on as well. 

821
00:53:50,200 --> 00:53:53,100
Yeah, he does again again, no 
accident. 

822
00:53:56,600 --> 00:54:02,200
But art student comes home and 
reaches for her neighbors, milk 

823
00:54:02,200 --> 00:54:08,000
and bread as though Harold 
influence of Of more Village. 

824
00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:12,200
Goodness is rubbing off on her. 
Yeah. 

825
00:54:12,200 --> 00:54:14,200
She reaches for it then she 
changes her mind, doesn't she? 

826
00:54:14,700 --> 00:54:16,600
Yeah. 
Just want to break the code of 

827
00:54:17,300 --> 00:54:21,900
ignoring everyone around you 
being a pig, ignorant Londoner. 

828
00:54:22,000 --> 00:54:24,600
Yeah, I lived in London for 20 
years. 

829
00:54:24,600 --> 00:54:28,900
I'm quite pleased to leave that 
sort of environment behind 

830
00:54:32,600 --> 00:54:38,000
Harold sleeps through his alarm 
and is five hours late for work 

831
00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:41,900
and Rupert's. 
Gang are on a tour of the post 

832
00:54:41,900 --> 00:54:46,400
office. 
This is where we have the, the 

833
00:54:46,600 --> 00:54:51,700
mechanized letter sorter, which 
apparently cost 150,000 pounds. 

834
00:54:51,700 --> 00:54:54,700
Now, I didn't check the 
inflation calculator, but I 

835
00:54:54,700 --> 00:55:00,500
imagine 150,000 pounds in 1961. 
It's probably about 18 million 

836
00:55:00,500 --> 00:55:07,800
pounds. 
Now allow me to check. 2.6 

837
00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:10,100
million. 
I think I was at all. 

838
00:55:10,500 --> 00:55:13,300
No thank you sir. 
That's entirely plausible than 

839
00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:18,800
but Harold is racing the 
mechanized letter sorta and 

840
00:55:18,800 --> 00:55:23,300
manages to beat it and it short 
circuits and other and the 

841
00:55:23,300 --> 00:55:25,700
watching tourists all applaud. 
Yeah. 

842
00:55:25,900 --> 00:55:28,900
But of course the philosophy of 
the post office is the 

843
00:55:28,900 --> 00:55:33,700
elimination of the human element
in favor of mechanized industry.

844
00:55:34,700 --> 00:55:38,600
And by destroying the mechanized
sorter Harold has struck a blow 

845
00:55:38,600 --> 00:55:42,000
against that philosophy or at 
least that's what the chairman 

846
00:55:42,100 --> 00:55:46,900
of the post office. 
Bob, Todd tells Harold and then 

847
00:55:46,900 --> 00:55:48,700
suggest that Harold should see a
psychiatrist. 

848
00:55:48,700 --> 00:55:51,500
And by the way, Bob, Todd 
looking very Suave. 

849
00:55:52,200 --> 00:55:53,300
Oh yeah. 
Usually so. 

850
00:55:55,300 --> 00:56:00,900
I mean Robert Todd almost hmm, 
the an art student Jean isn't. 

851
00:56:00,900 --> 00:56:05,400
There's an art school exhibition
and an art critic, who thinks 

852
00:56:05,400 --> 00:56:11,000
he's the absolute shiz is 
examining her paintings. 

853
00:56:11,100 --> 00:56:15,200
And he's being a totally 
patronising arse and I wrote 

854
00:56:15,200 --> 00:56:17,200
down what he said, he said my 
dear young lady. 

855
00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:19,800
I can't help myself. 
I must be frank take to 

856
00:56:19,800 --> 00:56:24,100
matrimony motherhood, something 
which requires neither mental 

857
00:56:24,100 --> 00:56:28,500
effort or Education, take a job,
sell some stockings, stick to 

858
00:56:28,500 --> 00:56:32,400
the simple things in life, 
despite this he somehow manages 

859
00:56:32,400 --> 00:56:36,800
to avoid a swift knee to the 
spuds, how I was really shocked,

860
00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:38,000
but I watched it for the first 
time. 

861
00:56:38,000 --> 00:56:43,000
Yeah, how cruel he is? 
Yeah, I mean, he was lucky to 

862
00:56:43,000 --> 00:56:45,400
leave that room alive but she, 
yeah. 

863
00:56:45,400 --> 00:56:48,400
But she didn't even seem 
bothered by that. 

864
00:56:48,700 --> 00:56:50,400
She was upset because he didn't 
like a painting. 

865
00:56:50,400 --> 00:56:53,500
She's got some, she wasn't upset
by the misogyny, by the 

866
00:56:53,500 --> 00:56:56,400
chauvinism. 
It was a polling. 

867
00:56:56,600 --> 00:57:00,200
Hmm. 
The chairman Bob, Todd has 

868
00:57:00,200 --> 00:57:02,200
suggested that Harold see a 
psychiatrist. 

869
00:57:02,400 --> 00:57:05,800
I don't quite know why, maybe 
they're hoping that they can get

870
00:57:05,800 --> 00:57:11,200
Harold invalided out of the 
postal service and be because 

871
00:57:11,200 --> 00:57:14,000
he's if he's better than the 
machines and he's too much of an

872
00:57:14,000 --> 00:57:17,900
embarrassment but they do say at
one point that they can't fire 

873
00:57:17,900 --> 00:57:19,400
him because he's a civil 
servant. 

874
00:57:20,000 --> 00:57:23,400
Yes. 
And the psychiatrist is Miles 

875
00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:24,900
Matheson, who was the George 
Clooney? 

876
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:28,500
Uni of 1950s British Cinema. 
I think it's fair to say he lost

877
00:57:28,500 --> 00:57:31,700
his looks somewhat by the 60s 
but you stood still a very 

878
00:57:31,700 --> 00:57:37,100
striking looking man and and he 
hides in the closet to observe 

879
00:57:37,100 --> 00:57:41,600
Harold who comes into his office
and lickety-split solves, all 

880
00:57:41,600 --> 00:57:45,100
these puzzle tests that are on 
the tables. 

881
00:57:46,500 --> 00:57:49,300
So what the, what they're 
trying, what the film is trying 

882
00:57:49,300 --> 00:57:54,400
to tell us is that Harold is 
some sort of What's the most the

883
00:57:54,400 --> 00:57:56,400
phrase? 
Jeremy is an idiot savant. 

884
00:57:57,700 --> 00:58:00,200
I think that I think that's the 
one. 

885
00:58:00,200 --> 00:58:02,500
You mean? 
But the way the film portrays 

886
00:58:02,500 --> 00:58:05,500
him as he's he's just a simple 
country lad. 

887
00:58:06,700 --> 00:58:13,900
He's very good at puzzles. 
And it's he's better than the 

888
00:58:13,900 --> 00:58:19,300
city types that everything. 
And that is shown by her being a

889
00:58:19,300 --> 00:58:23,200
genius because the script 
doesn't really know how else to 

890
00:58:23,200 --> 00:58:26,000
have him best them. 
I think we are. 

891
00:58:26,000 --> 00:58:28,600
But he then for some reason the 
psychiatrist, I don't know why 

892
00:58:28,600 --> 00:58:35,300
the psychiatrist is setting him.
This district superintendent 

893
00:58:35,300 --> 00:58:39,100
test because Harold passes with 
the highest results ever 

894
00:58:39,100 --> 00:58:42,600
recorded. 
And he and he knows all these 

895
00:58:42,600 --> 00:58:45,000
answers off the top of his head,
like the postage rates to 

896
00:58:45,000 --> 00:58:49,600
Afghanistan, and yes, which they
wouldn't have had to in up a 

897
00:58:49,700 --> 00:58:52,900
friendly. 
They wouldn't have to send 

898
00:58:52,900 --> 00:58:57,500
parcel post a cobble. 
He thought I'd like to ask you a

899
00:58:57,500 --> 00:59:04,800
few more questions. 
Question seemed rather more 

900
00:59:05,100 --> 00:59:09,000
elusive now. 
Oh, I'm so sorry. 

901
00:59:09,100 --> 00:59:12,000
So my here they are. 
I tend to that later. 

902
00:59:13,900 --> 00:59:19,300
Now, Postman Audrey grade, what 
is the parcel rate to 

903
00:59:19,300 --> 00:59:21,600
Afghanistan? 
The first Last Mile? 

904
00:59:21,600 --> 00:59:24,500
Segment announced second last my
old serpent announced are my old

905
00:59:24,500 --> 00:59:26,700
still announced all of the best 
snipers announce. 

906
00:59:26,700 --> 00:59:30,400
Yeah, that's that's correct. 
Try this. 

907
00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:38,400
This great post but I push bag 
containing 35 Parcels ways 54 

908
00:59:38,400 --> 00:59:41,000
pounds. 
If two-thirds of Two Parcels 

909
00:59:41,000 --> 00:59:44,000
weigh twice as much as 3/8 of 
the parcels. 

910
00:59:44,900 --> 00:59:48,200
How much will 10 of the 
passageway 18 pounds? 

911
00:59:50,600 --> 00:59:53,300
Goodness gracious. 
They tip up. 

912
00:59:54,200 --> 00:59:55,900
That's right. 
Let's quickly. 

913
00:59:58,400 --> 01:00:01,600
As you say, Bob, Todd and his 
minions debate. 

914
01:00:01,600 --> 01:00:04,300
What to do about Harold, the 
can't fire him because his civil

915
01:00:04,300 --> 01:00:06,400
servants. 
So they decided to put him where

916
01:00:06,400 --> 01:00:09,800
he can cause no trouble. 
So he's assigned to the parcel, 

917
01:00:09,800 --> 01:00:12,700
sorting section, which if you 
ask me, there is trouble 

918
01:00:12,700 --> 01:00:15,900
inherent in the idea of a 
parcel, sorting section, big 

919
01:00:15,900 --> 01:00:20,800
bulky packages and and the like,
but again, he is very, very 

920
01:00:20,800 --> 01:00:22,200
fast, very Swift. 
You babe. 

921
01:00:22,400 --> 01:00:25,500
Keep that he does all the sort 
of himself all the other sort of

922
01:00:25,508 --> 01:00:28,400
the system stand and watch. 
Yeah open mouth. 

923
01:00:29,500 --> 01:00:33,500
And Jane decides she needs a job
because she can't cut it as an 

924
01:00:33,500 --> 01:00:35,300
artist. 
She can't make it as an artist 

925
01:00:35,800 --> 01:00:37,900
and Harold says, he'll get her a
job at the post office and he's 

926
01:00:37,900 --> 01:00:38,500
only been here. 
What? 

927
01:00:38,500 --> 01:00:40,600
Two days. 
He's thinks he's got that 

928
01:00:40,600 --> 01:00:44,400
influence. 
But anyway, Woods who's 

929
01:00:44,400 --> 01:00:45,600
listening outside the door 
dressed? 

930
01:00:45,600 --> 01:00:50,100
As a guy was a gas man and an 
electricity meter reader, he 

931
01:00:50,100 --> 01:00:54,700
hears he hears them talking But 
he only, he is certain phrases 

932
01:00:54,700 --> 01:00:59,300
such as big job at the post 
office and he misconstrues that 

933
01:00:59,300 --> 01:01:02,200
to mean a robbery at the post 
office and he calls it in. 

934
01:01:02,600 --> 01:01:05,800
But we have this little bit of 
little slightly sweet. 

935
01:01:05,800 --> 01:01:09,700
Little moment between the art 
student and the postman. 

936
01:01:10,700 --> 01:01:17,700
And as we said earlier, he tells
her his name, but keeps calling 

937
01:01:17,700 --> 01:01:22,900
her Miss and then we're really 
into the last Edge of the film 

938
01:01:22,900 --> 01:01:26,000
with the police. 
Escort transporting. 

939
01:01:27,600 --> 01:01:30,400
Please escort Trend following. 
This van transporting two 

940
01:01:30,400 --> 01:01:32,600
million pounds of notes to the 
post office. 

941
01:01:33,300 --> 01:01:37,700
We have had a, we have had a 
dune hyper-verbal joke when 

942
01:01:37,900 --> 01:01:41,700
Woods phones in his report and 
he's told our you'll get 

943
01:01:41,700 --> 01:01:45,200
promotion to Constable for this.
Oh, thank you. 

944
01:01:45,800 --> 01:01:49,900
Thank you, sir. 
I'm already a constable and 

945
01:01:49,900 --> 01:01:53,400
Rupert and his gang of like, 
they've, they've Consolidated or

946
01:01:53,400 --> 01:01:57,300
teamed up with another gang. 
Including a gentleman. 

947
01:01:57,300 --> 01:02:02,100
He talks quite Posh and they're 
they're going to pull resources 

948
01:02:02,100 --> 01:02:05,300
and they're going to knock out 
Postman all over London. 

949
01:02:05,300 --> 01:02:09,200
So they can poses them at the 
post office and try and fill ch2

950
01:02:09,900 --> 01:02:14,200
this two million pounds. 
And of course as is the way of 

951
01:02:14,200 --> 01:02:18,900
these films, there's a police 
detail disguises Postman also 

952
01:02:19,600 --> 01:02:24,600
dispatched to the post office. 
And I guess rather than spoil my

953
01:02:24,600 --> 01:02:27,600
quarter of an hour of slapstick 
gold, which there's a Chase and 

954
01:02:27,600 --> 01:02:31,100
people being knocked out. 
There's an awful lot of antics. 

955
01:02:31,400 --> 01:02:32,700
Antics. 
That's the word. 

956
01:02:32,800 --> 01:02:36,900
Yes, but everything. 
Everything is tied up with a 

957
01:02:36,900 --> 01:02:39,500
neat little bow. 
The superintendent the inspector

958
01:02:39,800 --> 01:02:42,900
is happy because some however 
the mold and gang have been 

959
01:02:42,900 --> 01:02:47,600
quite unaccountably seized in 
Brighton and somehow he gets the

960
01:02:47,600 --> 01:02:51,300
credit for that. 
I don't know why but PC Woods 

961
01:02:51,300 --> 01:02:56,000
are still The house in on 
something and how would save the

962
01:02:56,008 --> 01:02:58,300
day. 
And there must have been a 

963
01:02:58,308 --> 01:03:02,800
passage of time because we next 
see Howard and Jean living back 

964
01:03:02,800 --> 01:03:07,300
in Upper friendly and I guess 
he's now postmaster or something

965
01:03:07,300 --> 01:03:14,300
and she's designing cards and 
woods is there still spying on 

966
01:03:14,300 --> 01:03:19,900
them and the film ends with him 
getting a horn up his ass, from 

967
01:03:19,900 --> 01:03:28,000
a bull. yes, it's it's a very 
disappointing film. 

968
01:03:28,000 --> 01:03:32,400
I think there's so much 
potential with the, the central 

969
01:03:32,400 --> 01:03:33,700
idea. 
I mean, I mentioned Jack 

970
01:03:33,700 --> 01:03:36,600
Daugherty earlier. 
Have you seen any of his work? 

971
01:03:37,500 --> 01:03:42,700
Monsieur hulot is holiday. 
I've possibly his best film but 

972
01:03:42,700 --> 01:03:47,800
his first feature was Jour. 
De fête Festival day in which he

973
01:03:47,800 --> 01:03:54,000
plays the postman in a little 
Country Village who sees a film 

974
01:03:54,000 --> 01:03:56,900
about the American Postal 
Service which is this. 

975
01:03:56,900 --> 01:04:02,900
The credibly over-exaggerated a 
paramilitary operation with no 

976
01:04:02,900 --> 01:04:05,500
parachutists and Beach Landings 
and everything. 

977
01:04:06,200 --> 01:04:08,200
And he decides to try and 
emulate that and go for 

978
01:04:08,200 --> 01:04:13,200
increased efficiency and In 
completing his round. 

979
01:04:13,200 --> 01:04:15,200
That's right. 
Nick Pete pace. 

980
01:04:15,600 --> 01:04:19,100
And it's full of visual gags and
verbal humor. 

981
01:04:20,100 --> 01:04:27,400
And it seems like a really clear
inspiration for this. but, That 

982
01:04:27,400 --> 01:04:32,800
only works if you have a mind as
gifted as Patties or Milligan's 

983
01:04:33,200 --> 01:04:35,900
driving the whole production. 
Hmm. 

984
01:04:36,700 --> 01:04:41,100
Instead you have Milligan really
being just an actor. 

985
01:04:42,500 --> 01:04:46,000
And if and so rather than 
Jacques tati, it feels too much 

986
01:04:46,000 --> 01:04:49,300
like later, Laurel and Hardy, 
where they were just hired as 

987
01:04:49,300 --> 01:04:52,100
actors and stand. 
There all had no creative input 

988
01:04:52,100 --> 01:04:56,700
into the scripts at all, and 
those films are gruesome to 

989
01:04:56,700 --> 01:05:00,900
watch. 
This isn't quite that bad at 

990
01:05:00,900 --> 01:05:02,000
all. 
K, is at one of them. 

991
01:05:03,000 --> 01:05:06,200
I've never been able to bring 
myself to watch at all K. 

992
01:05:06,800 --> 01:05:08,500
I've heard of it. 
I've never seen it. 

993
01:05:08,800 --> 01:05:12,100
They made half a dozen films. 
The 20th Century Fox during the 

994
01:05:12,200 --> 01:05:18,200
40s after they left, Hal roach. 
And those films are pretty bad 

995
01:05:19,800 --> 01:05:23,000
at all K. 
Apparently is just too 

996
01:05:23,000 --> 01:05:27,700
depressing of seeing these two 
very ill old men. 

997
01:05:29,800 --> 01:05:33,200
Going through the motions in 
this terrible poorly written 

998
01:05:33,200 --> 01:05:36,700
script. 
Yeah, yeah, I think Mulligan is 

999
01:05:36,700 --> 01:05:41,200
much more of a clown. 
He, he can do these very big 

1000
01:05:42,000 --> 01:05:46,400
buzz, like the big eyes, and 
the, the miming and the, the 

1001
01:05:46,800 --> 01:05:51,500
visual slapstick, he can make 
something out of that. 

1002
01:05:51,900 --> 01:06:02,700
I think, but he doesn't have the
the control or the authority 

1003
01:06:02,700 --> 01:06:04,100
over. 
This is a project. 

1004
01:06:05,400 --> 01:06:09,700
So now to lean into that, he's 
just being pigeon-holed as the 

1005
01:06:09,700 --> 01:06:13,700
light comic lead. 
I mean, I'm amazed that he 

1006
01:06:13,700 --> 01:06:17,200
doesn't get to do a salt. 
Well, he does kind of because 

1007
01:06:17,200 --> 01:06:19,400
the think the best thing about 
this film is the theme tune. 

1008
01:06:19,400 --> 01:06:23,100
I think the beginning and the 
res of course, which I 

1009
01:06:23,107 --> 01:06:25,000
absolutely loved and there was 
released as a single. 

1010
01:06:27,000 --> 01:06:30,400
I've listened to it often over 
the years and I think it's 

1011
01:06:30,400 --> 01:06:34,400
Charming little piece. 
Yeah but I think with the film 

1012
01:06:34,400 --> 01:06:38,500
it's I think Spike probably 
found while he was making it he 

1013
01:06:38,800 --> 01:06:40,300
probably thought it was a load 
of rubbish. 

1014
01:06:40,400 --> 01:06:43,200
I would imagine he would have 
but he was thinking well if it 

1015
01:06:43,200 --> 01:06:48,600
gets me Fame and Fortune and you
know further Up up the the Run 

1016
01:06:48,600 --> 01:06:52,300
of success, then, so be it. 
But if it's heart isn't really 

1017
01:06:52,300 --> 01:06:55,100
in it because, you know, he's 
not really involved with the 

1018
01:06:55,100 --> 01:06:57,800
writing or direction or anything
like that. 

1019
01:06:58,200 --> 01:07:03,800
Then maybe that's why maybe if 
he'd been more involved as as in

1020
01:07:03,800 --> 01:07:07,400
the Goon shows, although their 
audio obviously, you know, he 

1021
01:07:07,400 --> 01:07:10,600
gives a much more powerful 
performance intercooler shows. 

1022
01:07:11,800 --> 01:07:14,900
Then he does in this, if he'd 
been given some of the story 

1023
01:07:14,900 --> 01:07:17,400
out, I don't know early draft. 
The script and asked to just 

1024
01:07:17,400 --> 01:07:20,300
tailor it for his own style of 
Comedy, I think it would have 

1025
01:07:20,300 --> 01:07:22,600
worked a lot better. 
It would have had the spine of a

1026
01:07:23,200 --> 01:07:27,100
traditional healing type comedy,
but it could have been filled 

1027
01:07:27,100 --> 01:07:32,800
with the more Milligan humor 
that would be fresher and more 

1028
01:07:32,800 --> 01:07:35,900
original and really mark it out 
of something quite different 

1029
01:07:35,900 --> 01:07:39,800
instead. 
It's it's just another another 

1030
01:07:39,800 --> 01:07:44,600
piece on the production line? 
Yeah, I just want to say, 

1031
01:07:46,100 --> 01:07:52,800
Mention a theme Chone. 
Now Herbert kretzmann actually 

1032
01:07:52,800 --> 01:07:54,900
wrote the lyrics for the 
postman's. 

1033
01:07:54,900 --> 01:07:58,800
Knock is theme. 
Tune, have you heard of it? 

1034
01:07:58,800 --> 01:08:03,100
Grandma, the name rings a bell. 
I'm sure you can enlighten me. 

1035
01:08:03,700 --> 01:08:06,700
Okay. 
So he, he was a good friend 

1036
01:08:06,800 --> 01:08:10,600
actually of Peter Sellers, but 
also spiked and he interviewed 

1037
01:08:10,600 --> 01:08:15,000
spike a couple of weeks for the 
Daily Express, a couple of weeks

1038
01:08:15,000 --> 01:08:18,000
after postman's knock. 
Knock was released, I think the 

1039
01:08:18,008 --> 01:08:20,500
film more or less sank without 
trace. 

1040
01:08:20,500 --> 01:08:23,500
It didn't really do any 
business, but he interviewed 

1041
01:08:23,500 --> 01:08:28,899
Spike for the newspaper and I 
just want to share some extracts

1042
01:08:29,000 --> 01:08:33,700
if you don't mind because it's 
quite really, he meaning 

1043
01:08:33,700 --> 01:08:36,300
Milligan. 
He is against everything and 

1044
01:08:36,300 --> 01:08:40,600
everybody, he announces, I hate 
the human race. 

1045
01:08:41,600 --> 01:08:44,300
I am unemployed says mr. 
Milligan, nobody wants me. 

1046
01:08:44,700 --> 01:08:47,600
The television doesn't want me. 
The BBC doesn't want me. 

1047
01:08:48,000 --> 01:08:50,300
I have become little more than a
nuisance to the cowards. 

1048
01:08:50,300 --> 01:08:52,899
In idiots who run the BBC to 
hell with them? 

1049
01:08:54,100 --> 01:08:57,500
Let's hope Herbert kretzmann. 
Clearly cool. 

1050
01:08:57,500 --> 01:09:01,500
Spike on one of his good days, 
the Carries On mr. 

1051
01:09:01,500 --> 01:09:05,100
Milligan is widely recognized 
and venerated as a comic genius 

1052
01:09:05,200 --> 01:09:09,300
but he insists I'm basically the
unfunniest person in the world. 

1053
01:09:10,300 --> 01:09:12,800
But such conscious martyrdom has
no real basis. 

1054
01:09:12,800 --> 01:09:16,700
In fact, in any other terms than
his own Spike, Milligan is a 

1055
01:09:16,700 --> 01:09:21,500
success last year he starred in 
to MGM films Invasion, quartet 

1056
01:09:21,500 --> 01:09:24,500
and postman's knock. 
He bought out a long playing 

1057
01:09:24,500 --> 01:09:27,500
record called Milligan preserved
and a book of Dustbin of 

1058
01:09:27,500 --> 01:09:29,899
Milligan which became one of the
country's best sellers. 

1059
01:09:30,500 --> 01:09:31,700
His tenure. 
As radio. 

1060
01:09:31,700 --> 01:09:34,100
Compare of Children's. 
Choice was a runaway Triumph. 

1061
01:09:34,700 --> 01:09:37,200
Milligan appeared in the mermaid
theater production of Treasure 

1062
01:09:37,200 --> 01:09:39,200
Island. 
He also found time to write a 

1063
01:09:39,207 --> 01:09:40,399
novel. 
And a play. 

1064
01:09:41,100 --> 01:09:45,300
Yet Milligan insists on seeing 
1961 as a disastrous year, which

1065
01:09:45,300 --> 01:09:47,500
saw him tottering on the edge of
bankruptcy. 

1066
01:09:48,300 --> 01:09:51,500
He says, I don't work anymore, 
I'm living on the cash, I've 

1067
01:09:51,500 --> 01:09:55,200
saved. 
So I just thought that was very 

1068
01:09:55,200 --> 01:09:58,800
revealing because, you know, 
he's as kretzmann sets out 

1069
01:09:58,800 --> 01:10:05,100
there, he's been incredibly busy
and Successful, not always not 

1070
01:10:05,100 --> 01:10:07,800
with the film's. 
Maybe but he's been busy. 

1071
01:10:07,900 --> 01:10:11,400
And he's been making money, but 
he still sees himself as a 

1072
01:10:11,407 --> 01:10:13,900
failure, who's more or less 
penniless? 

1073
01:10:15,300 --> 01:10:19,500
I think a lot of that might well
be the disorder talking. 

1074
01:10:19,800 --> 01:10:21,600
Oh I know. 
Absolutely I know. 

1075
01:10:21,600 --> 01:10:24,800
But yeah if it'd gone the next 
day and interviewed him it might

1076
01:10:24,800 --> 01:10:26,700
have been something completely 
different and completely 

1077
01:10:26,700 --> 01:10:30,000
different Milligan. 
I thought I I knew that Kretz 

1078
01:10:30,000 --> 01:10:31,800
first name rang a bell and I've 
looked it up. 

1079
01:10:32,400 --> 01:10:35,600
He was The Lyricist for the 
english-language version of Les 

1080
01:10:35,600 --> 01:10:37,300
Miserables. 
Oh blimey. 

1081
01:10:38,800 --> 01:10:40,900
Okay. 
Well his, yeah because he's a 

1082
01:10:41,400 --> 01:10:46,300
he, if you read the want to 
lose, Lewis book about sellers, 

1083
01:10:46,600 --> 01:10:48,500
he crops up quite a lot 
kretschmer. 

1084
01:10:49,400 --> 01:10:55,700
And remember, there's a story in
there and let me just try and I 

1085
01:10:55,700 --> 01:10:57,300
might edit the spit out, there's
a story. 

1086
01:10:57,300 --> 01:11:02,400
He in the Roger, Lewis book 
about kretzmann has been invited

1087
01:11:03,200 --> 01:11:06,000
to Peter. 
Sellers as London, flat one 

1088
01:11:06,000 --> 01:11:11,400
evening for what sellers 
promises to be like a really 

1089
01:11:11,400 --> 01:11:17,600
magnificent properly authentic 
Dean dinner party, okay, and 

1090
01:11:17,600 --> 01:11:19,900
invite Spike as well. 
So spikes there as well. 

1091
01:11:20,400 --> 01:11:23,300
And I don't know, I'm guessing 
this must be sort of mid 60's, 

1092
01:11:23,300 --> 01:11:28,000
something like that. 
So Kretz memorize spikes there, 

1093
01:11:28,400 --> 01:11:33,000
Peter's really distant and 
distracted, okay? 

1094
01:11:33,500 --> 01:11:37,600
As is his as this is way but 
they're sort of there they sit 

1095
01:11:37,600 --> 01:11:39,100
around this big table in there, 
waiting for the. 

1096
01:11:39,800 --> 01:11:43,300
There's no there's no there's no
Cutlery, there's no wine. 

1097
01:11:43,400 --> 01:11:46,500
There's nothing on the table. 
Just like a glass table I think 

1098
01:11:47,100 --> 01:11:50,200
and then there's a knock on the 
door and a takeaway driver 

1099
01:11:50,200 --> 01:11:57,700
delivers, a mass of curries in 
in foil trays as you would, you 

1100
01:11:57,700 --> 01:11:58,900
know, as you would get today. 
Yeah. 

1101
01:11:59,400 --> 01:12:03,200
And sellers basically had them 
spread out on this large table 

1102
01:12:03,800 --> 01:12:08,400
and got some plastic forks and 
the guests just had to eat out 

1103
01:12:08,400 --> 01:12:12,400
of the trays with forks. 
As I don't know, Winery to go 

1104
01:12:12,400 --> 01:12:14,800
out there and, and sellers 
wasn't even sat at the table. 

1105
01:12:14,800 --> 01:12:18,100
He was over at the record player
sticking on and then taking off 

1106
01:12:18,100 --> 01:12:22,500
LPS and, and then staring 
thrust. 

1107
01:12:22,500 --> 01:12:26,800
A telescope, which is got 
directed A Big Ben, I think. 

1108
01:12:27,500 --> 01:12:30,200
Okay, and completely ignoring 
his kists. 

1109
01:12:30,700 --> 01:12:35,100
So it's a real sort of bit of a 
disaster as far as dinner 

1110
01:12:35,100 --> 01:12:38,300
parties go. 
But the next day, Crepes mer, I 

1111
01:12:38,300 --> 01:12:40,600
guess felt obliged to telephone 
cell. 

1112
01:12:40,900 --> 01:12:45,300
And thank him for the night 
before and since sellers sellers

1113
01:12:45,300 --> 01:12:50,300
says something like, yes, it's 
nice. 

1114
01:12:50,300 --> 01:12:52,800
You have to make an effort. 
Sometimes to entertain one's 

1115
01:12:52,800 --> 01:12:58,000
friends and give them good food 
and conversation which is just 

1116
01:12:58,600 --> 01:13:01,000
yes. 
I wonder if he could imagine 

1117
01:13:01,000 --> 01:13:07,000
what that might be like. 
I would have given anything to 

1118
01:13:07,000 --> 01:13:10,100
have been at that dinner party 
for all that, you know. 

1119
01:13:11,600 --> 01:13:14,300
I mean, yeah the atmosphere. 
I mean, it sounds like it would 

1120
01:13:14,300 --> 01:13:20,800
have been a prank. 
Maybe, I mean it's hard to know 

1121
01:13:20,800 --> 01:13:24,000
because it with sellers being 
the way he was it could have 

1122
01:13:24,000 --> 01:13:27,500
been completely sincere and I'm 
just not comprehending. 

1123
01:13:27,500 --> 01:13:29,500
What was wrong with what he was 
doing? 

1124
01:13:30,900 --> 01:13:33,400
Yeah yeah yeah. 
And I wonder who if it was the 

1125
01:13:33,400 --> 01:13:36,800
mid 60's, he was with Britt so I
wonder where she was while all 

1126
01:13:36,800 --> 01:13:44,000
this was going on but so Final 
thoughts. 

1127
01:13:44,000 --> 01:13:51,100
Conclusions on postman's knock, 
it's it's not awful it's fine on

1128
01:13:51,100 --> 01:13:56,500
its own terms. 
It's just there's so much 

1129
01:13:56,500 --> 01:14:00,200
potential there and I feel like 
I've said this several times, 

1130
01:14:00,200 --> 01:14:05,000
there's so much potential to do 
something with a performer like 

1131
01:14:05,000 --> 01:14:07,200
spikes on with a very specific 
style. 

1132
01:14:07,200 --> 01:14:11,500
Someone with a very original 
unusual, sense of humor. 

1133
01:14:12,100 --> 01:14:15,900
And you could have done a lot 
with the idea of a figure like 

1134
01:14:15,900 --> 01:14:20,300
that in the Postal Service. 
I'm sure they've done post based

1135
01:14:20,300 --> 01:14:23,900
episodes of the Goon show. 
They have, yes. 

1136
01:14:23,900 --> 01:14:28,400
And it's just thrown away on 
something light and disposable. 

1137
01:14:28,400 --> 01:14:33,700
They could have made the effort 
to create a new comedy star in 

1138
01:14:33,700 --> 01:14:36,000
the movies. 
And instead they just tried to 

1139
01:14:36,000 --> 01:14:39,600
force him into a pre-existing 
shape, and it didn't work. 

1140
01:14:40,500 --> 01:14:45,100
And it just seems such a waste. 
Yeah. 

1141
01:14:46,500 --> 01:14:48,600
Well, I often think what, 
because I watch a lot of old 

1142
01:14:48,600 --> 01:14:52,400
movies as I'm sure you do. 
I know you do and low. 

1143
01:14:52,600 --> 01:14:57,000
His films of around this period,
late 50s into the 60s. 

1144
01:14:58,100 --> 01:15:01,600
The last act would often 
culminate in a either car chase 

1145
01:15:01,600 --> 01:15:04,700
or just a Chase of some 
description as we get in this 

1146
01:15:04,700 --> 01:15:09,700
which is which is just lazy. 
I think the lazy way of rounding

1147
01:15:09,700 --> 01:15:14,800
out a film If you can do 
something original with it, if 

1148
01:15:14,800 --> 01:15:19,700
you can find a an original angle
or if you're doing it in a 

1149
01:15:19,700 --> 01:15:23,700
comedy, then you can work out 
some original gags to do then. 

1150
01:15:23,700 --> 01:15:27,700
That's fine. 
I think I mean a cliches work 

1151
01:15:27,700 --> 01:15:31,900
for a reason and I think 
figuring out how to make them 

1152
01:15:31,900 --> 01:15:36,700
work in a fresh unusual. 
Way is often the secret to good 

1153
01:15:36,700 --> 01:15:39,300
writing and good joke writing. 
Mmm. 

1154
01:15:41,900 --> 01:15:44,300
But when it's, when it's 
crowbarred in, but yeah, but 

1155
01:15:44,300 --> 01:15:48,600
when it's, when it feels like 
that situation arises naturally 

1156
01:15:48,600 --> 01:15:52,800
out of the story, so it doesn't 
feel forced in and of itself. 

1157
01:15:52,900 --> 01:15:57,100
But you're right in that it just
feels like this is just the same

1158
01:15:57,100 --> 01:15:59,900
that we see before. 
It's just wrote formula 

1159
01:15:59,900 --> 01:16:01,300
material. 
Mmm. 

1160
01:16:02,800 --> 01:16:05,500
And yes, so it was with the 
exception of the great McDonald 

1161
01:16:05,500 --> 01:16:11,900
boobs, the last starring vehicle
on Always, at least for Spike. 

1162
01:16:14,000 --> 01:16:16,600
But look at me. 
No one can say he didn't have a 

1163
01:16:16,600 --> 01:16:21,300
fantastic career and it's such 
an influential, man and such a 

1164
01:16:21,300 --> 01:16:27,100
great body of work. 
Well absolutely, I mean not 

1165
01:16:27,100 --> 01:16:31,000
everyone is tremendously. 
Creative is going to be equally 

1166
01:16:31,000 --> 01:16:33,700
successful in every Arena. 
I mean, how many jokes have 

1167
01:16:33,700 --> 01:16:35,600
there been about? 
David Bowie's film career? 

1168
01:16:38,800 --> 01:16:40,900
I quite like, I quite like 
absolute beginners. 

1169
01:16:42,600 --> 01:16:44,100
Oh, I quite like, Merry 
Christmas, mr. 

1170
01:16:44,100 --> 01:16:49,800
Lawrence but I mean, he also did
the Linguini, incident and turn 

1171
01:16:49,800 --> 01:16:52,300
down the villain role in A View 
to a Kill because he said, he 

1172
01:16:52,300 --> 01:16:54,400
didn't want to spend six months,
watching his stunt double 

1173
01:16:54,400 --> 01:16:59,900
falling off cliffs, which great,
he's great in the ellow did. 

1174
01:17:01,200 --> 01:17:04,100
I haven't seen it. 
You've never seen you in a bit 

1175
01:17:04,200 --> 01:17:07,500
now I haven't. 
He's got a, he's got a small 

1176
01:17:07,500 --> 01:17:12,200
Cameo as a shark. 
Oh, yes, I don't do anything 

1177
01:17:12,200 --> 01:17:13,900
about that. 
So yeah, that ties it all 

1178
01:17:13,900 --> 01:17:16,600
together, really, doesn't it? 
Yeah, I posted, I was quite 

1179
01:17:16,600 --> 01:17:19,100
proud of this. 
I posted a picture of screenshot

1180
01:17:19,100 --> 01:17:23,200
of Bowie, with his, as the shark
from yellowbeard. 

1181
01:17:23,200 --> 01:17:28,000
And I captioned it the Thin 
White Duke, that was quite 

1182
01:17:28,100 --> 01:17:29,300
excellent. 
Hmm. 

1183
01:17:29,800 --> 01:17:35,200
Anyway, let's move on from that.
Jeremy, listen, thank you so 

1184
01:17:35,200 --> 01:17:40,400
much for joining me today and if
people want to Check out Cinema 

1185
01:17:40,400 --> 01:17:42,100
limbo. 
We've already obviously touched 

1186
01:17:42,100 --> 01:17:44,600
on it, but where is it? 
Where is it available? 

1187
01:17:45,600 --> 01:17:50,600
It's available from usual, pod 
catchers, Google podcasts, Apple

1188
01:17:50,600 --> 01:17:57,800
podcasts a cast. 
We have a video feed as well 

1189
01:17:57,800 --> 01:18:01,300
where I review every film that I
see for the first time whether 

1190
01:18:01,300 --> 01:18:05,200
it's a new release or something 
from the archive and that's 

1191
01:18:05,200 --> 01:18:08,300
updated, maybe two or three 
times a week. 

1192
01:18:10,100 --> 01:18:12,900
And I'm on Twitter at Cinema 
underscore Limburg. 

1193
01:18:13,900 --> 01:18:16,900
Very good, very good. 
And you're not weekly, or even 

1194
01:18:16,900 --> 01:18:19,600
monthly iuu. 
It's not as regular. 

1195
01:18:20,100 --> 01:18:23,700
No, I mentioned earlier that 
I've moved out of London. 

1196
01:18:23,700 --> 01:18:27,600
It's made of the bit harder to 
organize recordings because it's

1197
01:18:27,600 --> 01:18:30,800
how I can't be in the room. 
So the release rate has gone 

1198
01:18:30,800 --> 01:18:34,900
down to once every four weeks 
moment, but I'm hopeful that I 

1199
01:18:34,907 --> 01:18:37,900
might be able to increase that 
back to Fort likely in the near 

1200
01:18:37,900 --> 01:18:40,500
future. 
Hopefully, I can come back and 

1201
01:18:40,500 --> 01:18:44,000
do another one, some point. 
Well, after the mess you made of

1202
01:18:44,008 --> 01:18:46,400
the furniture last time I make 
no guarantees. 

1203
01:18:48,200 --> 01:18:50,000
All right, Jeremy, thanks. 
Thanks again, mate. 

1204
01:18:50,000 --> 01:18:52,900
And we will begin to. 
Thank you very much. 

1205
01:18:52,900 --> 01:19:14,400
Bye. 
In the morning.