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 LANCE PERCIVAL as the tramp |
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 PETER NOONE might not be the world's best actor - he certainly wouldn't win an Oscar for "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter." But he smiles his way through the film in a winning manner, and does what is expected of him. The story is not terribly strong but from the way the film has gone in the States, it will be popular with herman's Hermits fans. The story is this: a greyhound from his grandfather which wins the Manchester heat of the Greyhound Derby. He meets Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their lovely daughter Judy (played by Stanley Holloway, Mona Washbourne and Sarah Caldwell respectively). They arrange to meet again in London. The boys, plus hound, make it to the big city to seek fame and fortune. But are disappointed. The dog gets lost and Herman loses his girl friend Sarah. She goes off for a modelling job in Paris for a couple of months. Disappointed, the lads return to Manchester. But naturally it all works out in the end. From an acting point of view, Lance Percival, as the posh speaking tramp makes his every appearance welcome. Stanley Holloway performs with a certain elan. But unfortunately, I get the feeling that none of the actor's hearts were really in the film. Like it was just another job. Why do film-makers always think on the same lines for a party in Swinging London? You know, the semi-outrageous clothing and scenes. Probably the film was made for the States. If so, it won't fool many people in Britain. Presumably it is difficult to get a pop group across in an acting role. And the difficulty is rather apparent here - the acting being somewhat wooden and mechanical. With a pop group in a film you will obviously have songs, and included are some of Herman's big hits: "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter", "There's A Kind of Hush", "The Most Beautiful Thing In My Life", "Holiday Inn", "Ooh She's Done It Again", "Nice To Be Out In The Morning" and "Lemon and Lime". If you love Herman's Hermits, see it. If not, forget it. |
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