George and Mildred (film)
| George and Mildred | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British quad poster by Tom Beauvais | |
| Directed by | Peter Frazer Jones |
| Written by | Dick Sharples |
| Based on | George and Mildred by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke |
| Produced by | Roy Skeggs |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Frank Watts |
| Edited by | Peter Weatherley |
| Music by | Les Reed |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | ITC Film Distributors |
Release date | 27 July 1980 |
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
George and Mildred is a 1980 British comedy film directed by Peter Frazer Jones.[1] 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.[2] It was written by Dick Sharples.[1]
Synopsis
Mildred is keen to ascertain whether or not her husband George has remembered their 27th wedding anniversary. Needless to say, he has not. When he finally remembers, he books a table at the restaurant where he first proposed to Mildred. But to his horror, he discovers on arrival that it has been turned into a greasy spoon café run by Hells Angels style bikers. Mildred then decides that she and George will celebrate their 27th wedding anniversary in style at the plush, world famous London hotel - however unhappy George might be at the cost involved. But on arrival, George is mistaken for a ruthless hit-man by a shady businessman (Stratford Johns), who wants a rival eliminated.
Reception
Released on 27 July, less than a month before the death of star Yootha Joyce (who died on 24 August 1980), the film was neither a commercial nor a critical success.[3] One critic has described the film as "one of the worst films ever made in Britain . . . so strikingly bad, it seems to have been assembled with a genuine contempt for its audience."[4] A writer for The Guardian stated that the film's failure marked "the death knell" for the 1970s British practice of producing motion picture spinoffs based on sitcoms.[5] The film aired on television on Christmas Day 1980, only five months after its theatrical release.
Cast
- Yootha Joyce as Mildred Roper
- Brian Murphy as George Roper
- Stratford Johns as Harry Pinto
- Norman Eshley as Jeffrey Fourmile
- Sheila Fearn as Ann Fourmile
- Kenneth Cope as Harvey
- David Barry as Elvis
- Sue Bond as Marlene
- Nicholas Bond-Owen as Tristram Fourmile
- Neil McCarthy as Eddie
- Dudley Sutton as Jacko
- Garfield Morgan as Big Jim Bridges
- Harry Fowler as Fisher
- Bruce Montague as Spanish businessman
- Michael Angelis as Café proprietor
- Hugh Walters as Waiter
- Johnnie Wade as Porter
- John Carlin as Casino Supervisor
- Suzanne Owens as Croupier
- Bridget Brice as Receptionist
- Robin Parkinson as Receptionist
- Roger Avon as Commissionaire
- Dennis Ramsden as Bishop
References
- ^ a b "George and Mildred (1980)".
- ^ "George and Mildred (1980) - Peter Frazer Jones - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "From the Ab Fab movie to George & Mildred: the best (and worst) big screen Britcoms".
- ^ Julian Upton, "Carry On Sitcom: The British Sitcom Spin-off Film 1968-1980", [[Bright Lights Film Journal|]], no. 35 (January 2002).
- ^ Jon Bentham, "Funny money", The Guardian, 12 January 2006
