The Bed Sitting Room

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064074/

Anyone seen this film? It sounds like a great little gem with a fantastic cast:

Rita Tushingham
Ralph Richardson
Peter Cook
Dudley Moore
Spike Milligan
Roy Kinnear
Arthur Lowe
Harry Secombe

To name but a few.

It's a sci-fi comedy set in post-nuclear-holocaust England - sounds right up my street.

Directed by Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night) and adapted from a play written by Spike Milligan & John Antrobus.

Here is a trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AVBEwTIfDM

I saw it years ago but can't remember anything about it.

Ian Wolf has seen it: https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/13366/

I have it on DVD. The best joke was on the movie poster, which listed the starring cast 'In Order of Height'. Goon humour worked best on radio (and in print), though there is much to enjoy in this film if you are fan of Milligan and the various cast members. It's up there with The Great McGonagall as a good example of the sort of unconventional film that probably wouldn't be made theseadays.

I have it on Blu-ray IIRC, but haven't found time to watch yet.

I saw it live at The Grand Theatre Wolverhampton sometime in the 60s I would think.

I seem to remember it being somewhat of a shambles with 'God Save Mrs Gladys Skrook' or something I think it was as she was next in line to the throne . .

Or did I imagine it ?

It is very odd and somewhat surreal but well worth watching and there are some good laughs amongst all the strangeness.

Quote: Oldrocker @ January 12 2012, 12:05 AM GMT

I saw it live at The Grand Theatre Wolverhampton sometime in the 60s I would think.

I seem to remember it being somewhat of a shambles with 'God Save Mrs Gladys Skrook' or something I think it was as she was next in line to the throne . .

Or did I imagine it ?

View original

It is actually Mrs Ethel Shroake. She was the Queen's charwoman and so when the bomb fell and the royals we killed, she became next in line to the throne: hence the new national anthem:

God save Mrs Ethal Shroake,
Long live Mrs Ethal Shroake
God save Mrs Ethal Shroake,
Of 393A High Street, Leytonstone

Quote: Oldrocker @ January 12 2012, 12:05 AM GMT

I saw it live at The Grand Theatre Wolverhampton sometime in the 60s I would think.

I seem to remember it being somewhat of a shambles...

View original

Spike Milligan was the best writer of shambles EVER.

A big mess of a film adapted from a big mess of a play. A few nice nonsense ideas left with nowhere to go.

I have not seen this picture. Thanks for sharing because John Antrobus is one of my favourite writer.

According to his Wikipedia biog, John Antrobus is still involved in talent scouting...

What a splendid bloke that John Antrobus is...

But doesn't he also sound like a character from The Archers?

Quote: Tim Azure @ March 1 2012, 11:28 AM GMT

What a splendid bloke that John Antrobus is...

But doesn't he also sound like a character from The Archers?

View original

I think he's the brother of Marjorie Antrobus.

Brilliant film would love to have seen the original play. It's too easy to simply dismiss this out of hand because it's out of the ordinary.
So its surreal try using your imagination.

Listened to a radio version a while back with Bernard Cribbens, Catherine Tate, Derek Jacobi and Paul Merton, who had done the adaptation. It bore very little resemblance to my recollection of the film, whether that was down to Merton, or just the film bearing not much relation to the play, I am not sure.

Quote: Chappers @ 11th January 2012, 3:35 PM

I saw it years ago but can't remember anything about it.

View original

And I think that was a lie,