Penny Points to Paradise

Harry Secombe has won a hundred thousand pounds in the football pools, but he and Spike Milligan choose to take their Brighton holiday at the same shoddy guest house...and the gold diggers and con artists come a-trooping, including Peter Sellers in two roles.

The three of them had just taken the airwaves by storm with CRAZY PEOPLE; the following year it would become THE GOON SHOW. This movie is right in the mold, with old jokes, retired majors, and a musical interlude. It also has some silent pantomime sequences with organ accompaniment. While it occasionally veers into the surreal humor of the show, it's neither particularly original nor well put together. Still, it offers Secombe's third screen appearance, Milligan'sfirst and Sellers first in a manner of speaking.... he had done two voices in earlier pictures.

I have seen most of the films of Peter Sellers and recently went to YouTube to see if they had any of the missing ones. Several of his early films are there...and it's obvious they were intended to be seen by British audiences. So, it's not exactly fair to say my score of 3 is for everyone....more for how enjoyable the film would be to Americans. And, with the very thick accents (with no captions) and British vaudeville-style comedy, it was a chore to see this one. To put it bluntly, I disliked it. It didn't help that the film was mad in only three weeks and featured an upright piano score....the sort you'd expect to see if you were watching a broad slapstick comedy from bygone days. Overall, a real chore to watch and little indication of the brilliance Sellers would show in later films...and in this one, he's just a supporting character.

The Goons' first cinematic outing is slightly better than their second attempt, Down Among the Z Men. The characters here are marginally funnier, and the overall energy is livelier - but still far from perfect. Most of the jokes fall flat, and at times the film drags to the point of tedium. One can't help but wonder why Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe didn't give the lead role to Sellers, who so clearly possessed the sharpest comedic instincts of the group. There must have been a reason, though it's hard to see one from the result. And yes, the story itself is paper-thin.

Even Sellers wasn't fond of the film. As recalled by his friend Vic Pratt, Sellers once described it as "a terrifyingly bad film - as you'll see when you watch it." I wouldn't go quite that far, but I can't disagree entirely either. I'd call it about 60% bad and 40% good - not unwatchable, but far from great. It's not the kind of movie you'd want to buy, but perhaps one you'd rent just for curiosity's sake, to witness the earliest spark of a soon-to-be brilliant career.

If you're a fan of Peter Sellers or The Goons, it's worth a look for historical interest alone - a must-see for completists, even if it's hardly a masterpiece.

"Penny Points to Paradise" is the first feature film to star the three members of the popular "The Goon Show" that aired on British radio from 1951 to 1960. But this is a comedy with a very thin plot that bounces all over the place, from parodies of silent films and vaudeville, to slapstick and antics. That latter was the style of Red Skelton, Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx Brothers. It may yet have appealed to some in 1951, but by the mid-20th century most of these types of comedy were fast becoming a thing of the past. And, aside from an interesting cast, this film has very little going for it in the 21st century.

The leads here all had talent, and all audiences will know Peter Sellers who went on to worldwide fame with a considerable number of great comedy films. The plot for this film is very skimpy and the screenplay is even worse. The movie starts off as a parody of silent films, with bouncy piano playing included. But that soon becomes annoying, and it repeats for two more scenarios in the film. Those include car scenes and chases reminiscent of the Keystone Kops.

No doubt Harry Secombe was very good as a comedian in his day, but most of his varied antics and changes in persona don't go over well many decades later. He very closely resembles Red Skelton at times. Sellers has two roles, but neither of those have any good comedy. Marks is somewhat funny just for his persona as the big guy shyster who's full of himself, but his accomplice, Digger, can do little more than spew what are supposed to be comical complaints.

While Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers had been in a few films before, this was the first film of Spike Milligan. Only four other members of this film cast had or would have much of a career in cinema. Alfred Marks is the shyster Edward Haynes; Bill Kerr is his accomplice, Digger Graves; Vicky Page is Sheila Gilroy; and Sam Kydd is the cross-eyed porter. Most of the rest of this cast have no other films to their credit, including hazel Jennings who plays the Landlady with a considerable part. Marks and Paddie O'Neill, who plays Christine Russell, would marry the next year, for life, and have two children. O'Neill likely gave up the cinema to be a homemaker, but she clearly shows the talent to have had an entertainment career.

The only thing that keeps this film from a complete bore is the scenario toward the end when most of the cast wind up fleeing and chasing in a wax museum. The frequent posing and costume changing to fit into various wax displays is amusing. Here are a couple of lines - the best of the humorous dialog in the script.

Landlady, "There's a lovely view of the sea from the window if you stand on a chair and lean well out"

Spike Donnelly, "Listen, big guy, you're a terrific man. You're a financial lizard." Edward Haynes, "Wizard, laddie, wizard."

British actors peter sellers and spike milligan. The first 25 minutes, it's mostly a bunch of silly vaudeville bits, some of them even silent movie type gags, where the piano plays as the physical slapstick humor is shown. Now, we finally see a plot begin to unfurl. Harry (secombe) has won the sweepstakes, and a flim flam artist (sellers, playing two different roles) is out to find the stash of money. Then more vaudeville bits under the guise of a hypnotist. There are about 40 minutes of actual story, and another 40 of filler and silliness. The first feature film directed by tony young. It's all ridiculous and amateur hour. Can't really recommend this one, although it is early sellers and milligan, so their fans should see it, for historical reasons.