Man About the House | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Robins |
Written by | Johnnie Mortimer Brian Cooke |
Based on | |
Produced by | Roy Skeggs |
Starring | Richard O'Sullivan Paula Wilcox Sally Thomsett Yootha Joyce Brian Murphy |
Cinematography | James Allen |
Edited by | Archie Ludski |
Music by | Christopher Gunning |
Production company | |
Distributed by | EMI Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 mins |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | £90,000 (London area) [1] |
Man About the House is a 1974 British comedy film directed by John Robins and starring Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett,Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy. [2] It is a spin-off of the TV sitcom of the same name, starring the same main cast.
The Ropers learn that Mr. Pluthero, an estate agent and developer, wants to buy their building. The room-mates circulate a petition to stop the development, which attracts the interest of MP Sir Edmund, who keeps a mistress in another house in the same street.
The film started shooting in March 1974 at Elstree Studios in London, finishing on 12 April. [3]
It was the last in a series of big screen adaptations of popular television comedies made by Hammer Films, [1] although a film of George & Mildred (featuring Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy in the title roles) was made in 1980 by another studio.
The film was a hit, taking £90,000 in London alone. [1]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "In Man About the House, the battle between the property developers and the environmentalists is merely a backdrop to the serious business of a sex comedy. ... But It is a comedy of words, not actions – the only breast exposed is a manly one – and the script manages to produce some good laughs and a few sniggers. In this, it is well served by an experienced supporting cast. ... Yootha Joyce, as the frustrated Mrs. Roper, is particularly strong; even the more explicit sexual jokes leave her lips with a venom which seems born of real despair. As the tenants, Paula Wilcox and Richard O'Sullivan exude a lively warmth, while the vacuous Sally Thomsett looks on. The film succeeds within the limits which it sets itself, though there are some directorial miscalculations ... But in the main, the film acquits itself better than most movie spin-offs from TV series." [4]
David Parkinson writing in the Radio Times : "Great cast, shame about the script ... The material is thinner than a bedsit wall." [5]
A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television.
Man About the House is a British sitcom created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. It starred Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy. Six series were broadcast on ITV from 15 August 1973 to 7 April 1976. The series was considered daring at the time because it featured a man sharing a London flat with two single women. The show was made by Thames Television and recorded at its Teddington Studios in Greater London. It is regularly repeated on ITV3.
George and Mildred is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television and first aired between 1976 and 1979. It is a spin-off from Man About the House, and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as constantly-sparring married couple George and Mildred Roper. The premise of the series had George and Mildred leaving their flat as depicted in Man About the House and moving to a modern, upmarket housing estate in Hampton Wick. Their arrival horrifies their snobbish neighbour Jeffrey Fourmile, a middle-class estate agent who fears the Ropers' presence will devalue his home.
Yootha Joyce Needham, known as Yootha Joyce, was an English actress best known for playing Mildred Roper opposite Brian Murphy in the sitcom Man About the House (1973–1976) and its spin-off George and Mildred (1976–1979).
Three's a Crowd is an American sitcom television series produced as a spin-off and continuation of Three's Company that aired on ABC from September 25, 1984 until April 9, 1985, with reruns airing until September 10, 1985. It is loosely based on the British sitcom Robin's Nest, which was itself a spin-off of Man About the House, upon which Three's Company was based.
Richard O'Sullivan is an English comedy actor who is known for his role as Robin Tripp in the 1970s sitcoms Man About the House (1973–1976) and Robin's Nest (1977–1981) and as the title character in the period adventure series Dick Turpin (1979–1982). He also starred in Doctor at Large (1971), Doctor in Charge (1972–1973), Alcock and Gander (1972), Me and My Girl (1984–1988) and Trouble In Mind (1991).
Sally Thomsett is an English actress who starred as Phyllis in the film The Railway Children (1970) and played Jo in the TV sitcom Man About the House (1973–1976). She also appeared as Janice in the film Straw Dogs (1971) and Nemo in Baxter! (1973).
Paula Wilcox is an English actress. She played Chrissy Plummer in the ITV sitcom Man About The House from 1973 to 1976, and also had roles in TV shows such as The Lovers, Miss Jones and Son, The Queen’s Nose, The Smoking Room, Emmerdale, Mount Pleasant, Boomers, Upstart Crow and Girlfriends.
Brian Trevor John Murphy is an English actor and comedian. He is best known as the henpecked husband George Roper in the popular sitcom Man About the House and its spin-off series George and Mildred. He also played Alvin Smedley in Last of the Summer Wine. Other notable roles include Stan the shopkeeper in the 1990s children's series Wizadora and in the comedy drama series The Booze Cruise.
John Mortimer professionally Johnnie Mortimer, was a British scriptwriter for British TV whose work, along with creative writing partner Brian Cooke, also served as inspiration for American television projects.
Cutting Class is a 1989 American black comedy slasher film directed by Rospo Pallenberg in his directorial debut, written by Steve Slavkin, and starring Donovan Leitch, Jill Schoelen, Brad Pitt, Roddy McDowall, and Martin Mull. It was Pitt's second major role, after The Dark Side of the Sun.
Mildred Dorothy Roper is a fictional character from the Thames Television sitcoms Man About the House and George and Mildred. She was portrayed by Yootha Joyce.
Time Gentlemen, Please! is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert and written by Val Valentine and Peter Blackmore. The cast includes Eddie Byrne, Jane Barrett and Raymond Lovell. It was produced by Group 3 Films with funding from the NFFC and distributed by ABPC. It was shot at Southall Studios and on location at Thaxted in Essex. The film's sets were designed by the art director Michael Stringer. The film is based on the 1946 novel Nothing to Lose by R.J. Minney.
George and Mildred is a 1980 British comedy film directed by Peter Frazer Jones. It was an adaptation of the television series of the same name, with Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy reprising their roles as the two title characters. It was written by Dick Sharples.
Baxter! is a 1973 British-American drama film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Patricia Neal, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Britt Ekland. The film follows a young boy called Roger Baxter who struggles to overcome his speech problem (rhotacism) and his strained relationship with his parents. The film was based on a book by Kin Platt, called The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear.
Judy Matheson is a British actress notable for her appearances in several horror films in the 1970s. She also appeared in many other films and television series.
Thieves is a 1977 American comedy film directed by John Berry, written by Herb Gardner, and starring Marlo Thomas, Charles Grodin and Irwin Corey. It was released on February 11, 1977, by Paramount Pictures. The film was based on Gardner's Broadway play, and has almost the same cast, with the main exception being that Charles Grodin is playing Martin rather than Richard Mulligan, though Grodin directed and produced the play.