In 1979, Dudley Moore starred in '10', written and directed by Blake Edwards, about the angst of a man approaching forty. It was hugely successful and made him a star.
But a decade earlier, he had starred in and co-written ( with Joe McGrath and the late John Wells ) '30 Is A Dangerous Age Cynthia', about the angst of a man approaching thirty. Nightclub pianist Rupert Street dreams of being both married and a successful composer. Rather improbably, his dreams begin to come true almost simultaneously. Firstly, he meets and falls for the stunningly beautiful teacher Louise Hammond ( Suzy Kendall ). Secondly, some shady theatrical types - among them Jonathan Routh of 'Candid Camera' fame - commission him to write a new West End musical!
In search of inspiration, Rupert and his friend Oscar travel to Ireland where from the lips of a dying man they hear the incredible tale of 'The Golden Legend Of Erin'. It begins with the words: 'long, long ago, when there were still snakes in Ireland...!'. Rupert uses the story as the basis for his show.
But, on returning to London, he finds his beloved Louise has grown impatient with waiting for him and moved out of Mrs.Woolley's boarding house. Desperate to find and marry her before his 30th birthday, Rupert hires private eye Herbert Greenslade ( the brilliant John Bird )...
The first thing to be said about this film is that its no 'Bedazzled'. Dud may have been a better actor than Pete, but could not hold a candle to him when it came to writing. Allegedly a fair amount of autobiographical material went into the script. Dud originally wanted the film to centre on Rupert's music, his marriage was only included at the request of the producer, wishing to give the plot a romantic angle.
No-one liked it when it came out - audiences were not used to seeing Dud without Pete. As well as being a Swinging Sixties romantic comedy, it also attacked the cult of celebrity ( as it looked in 1968 ).
Producer Walter Shenson had just made two films with The Beatles, and wanted something in a similar vein. Joe McGrath had worked with Moore on the 'Not Only But Also' television series, and was the first director on the madcap 'Casino Royale' spoof.
To tie-in with its release in the U.K., Panther Books brought out a strange novelisation by 'brilliant American humorist' ( as it says on the inside cover ) Stanley Reynolds. I say strange because it seems to bear little resemblance to the script on which its based!
Moore here proved he could carry a film without Peter Cook, and the wonderful supporting cast includes Eddie Foy Jr., Patricia Routledge, John Bird and ( in his last movie ) Duncan Macrae. Suzy Kendall ( then Mrs.Moore ) looks incredible in her '60's dolly-bird gear!
Its flawed of course; Joe McGrath smothers the flimsy storyline with overdone 'Billy Liar' style fantasy sequences such as the stock car race and Beethoven spoof. Some of the musical numbers ( 'The Real Stuff' anyone? ) are horrid. Its hard not to think: 'ego trip'. But as ego trips go, its an engaging one, non-malicious, charming, and full of gentle nostalgia for Swinging London. Even if it wasn't like that, who cares? They don't make 'em like this anymore.
A must for Dudley Moore fans.
But a decade earlier, he had starred in and co-written ( with Joe McGrath and the late John Wells ) '30 Is A Dangerous Age Cynthia', about the angst of a man approaching thirty. Nightclub pianist Rupert Street dreams of being both married and a successful composer. Rather improbably, his dreams begin to come true almost simultaneously. Firstly, he meets and falls for the stunningly beautiful teacher Louise Hammond ( Suzy Kendall ). Secondly, some shady theatrical types - among them Jonathan Routh of 'Candid Camera' fame - commission him to write a new West End musical!
In search of inspiration, Rupert and his friend Oscar travel to Ireland where from the lips of a dying man they hear the incredible tale of 'The Golden Legend Of Erin'. It begins with the words: 'long, long ago, when there were still snakes in Ireland...!'. Rupert uses the story as the basis for his show.
But, on returning to London, he finds his beloved Louise has grown impatient with waiting for him and moved out of Mrs.Woolley's boarding house. Desperate to find and marry her before his 30th birthday, Rupert hires private eye Herbert Greenslade ( the brilliant John Bird )...
The first thing to be said about this film is that its no 'Bedazzled'. Dud may have been a better actor than Pete, but could not hold a candle to him when it came to writing. Allegedly a fair amount of autobiographical material went into the script. Dud originally wanted the film to centre on Rupert's music, his marriage was only included at the request of the producer, wishing to give the plot a romantic angle.
No-one liked it when it came out - audiences were not used to seeing Dud without Pete. As well as being a Swinging Sixties romantic comedy, it also attacked the cult of celebrity ( as it looked in 1968 ).
Producer Walter Shenson had just made two films with The Beatles, and wanted something in a similar vein. Joe McGrath had worked with Moore on the 'Not Only But Also' television series, and was the first director on the madcap 'Casino Royale' spoof.
To tie-in with its release in the U.K., Panther Books brought out a strange novelisation by 'brilliant American humorist' ( as it says on the inside cover ) Stanley Reynolds. I say strange because it seems to bear little resemblance to the script on which its based!
Moore here proved he could carry a film without Peter Cook, and the wonderful supporting cast includes Eddie Foy Jr., Patricia Routledge, John Bird and ( in his last movie ) Duncan Macrae. Suzy Kendall ( then Mrs.Moore ) looks incredible in her '60's dolly-bird gear!
Its flawed of course; Joe McGrath smothers the flimsy storyline with overdone 'Billy Liar' style fantasy sequences such as the stock car race and Beethoven spoof. Some of the musical numbers ( 'The Real Stuff' anyone? ) are horrid. Its hard not to think: 'ego trip'. But as ego trips go, its an engaging one, non-malicious, charming, and full of gentle nostalgia for Swinging London. Even if it wasn't like that, who cares? They don't make 'em like this anymore.
A must for Dudley Moore fans.