The Bed-Sitting Room (film)

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The Bed Sitting Room
Cover of Paperback publication of play script .
Author	Spike Milligan and John Antrobus
Publisher	Tandem
Publication date	1973
Pages	96

The Bed-Sitting Room is a satirical play by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus. It began as a one-act play which was first produced on 12 February 1962 at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, England, where it received good local notices. However, it made little impact on London's theatrical scene for over a year, when it was adapted to a longer play and Bernard Miles put it on at the Mermaid Theatre, where it was first performed on 31 January 1963 before transferring several weeks later to the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End. ^{[1] [2]} It was a critical and commercial hit, and was revived in 1967, with a successful provincial tour, before opening at London's Saville Theatre on 3 May 1967. ^[3] The script was later published in paperback book.^[4].

A film based on the play was released in 1970, although this was less successful. The film was directed by Richard Lester and the cast included Ralph Richardson, Arthur Lowe, Rita Tushingham, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Michael Hordern, Marty Feldman, Harry Secombe and Milligan himself. The adaptation was by Charles Wood.

The play is set in a post-apocalyptic London, nine months after World War III (the "Nuclear Misunderstanding"), which lasted for two minutes and twenty eight seconds – "including the signing of the peace treaty".^{[2] [5]} Nuclear fallout is producing strange mutations in people; the title refers to the character Lord Fortnum, who finds himself transforming into a bed-sitting room (other characters turn into a parrot and a wardrobe). The plot concerns the fate of the first child to be born after the war. In his 2002 book of reflections, Antrobus describes his idea as about "a man who fears he will turn into a bedsitting room, which he does, and the dubious doctor he has been seeing moves in with his fiance, declaring that it will be easier to work a cure on the premises. Therein lies the dilemma. For the doctor to heal the condition would mean becoming homeless"^[6]

In a 1988 interview with Bernard Braden on ITV's "All Our Yesterdays", Milligan portrayed his view of The Bed-Sitting Room thus:

"Nobody ever got the point about what it was about. What we were trying to say through all this laughter and fun, was that if they dropped the bomb on a major civilisation, the moment the cloud had dispersed and sufficient people had died, the survivors would set up all over again and have Barclays Bank, Barclay cards, garages, hates, cinemas and all…just go right back to square one. I think man has no option but to continue his own stupidity."^[7]

Contents 1 Original cast list for play 2 Film synopsis 3 Set design 4 Literary and dramatic counterparts 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Original cast list for play

The following is the original cast list as it appears on page 5 of the 1973 paperback^[4] of the script, with music played by The Temperance Seven

Captain Pontius Kak, Graham Stark. This is Lord Fortnum's doctor, whose name appears to have later changed to Captain Martin.[2] At one time Barry Humphries played this role, which he names as Captain Martin Bules.[8] Lord Fortnum of Alamein, Valentine Dyall. (Ralph Richardson in the film)[9] Mate/Arthur Scroake, Spike Milligan Shelter Man, John Bluthal Plastic Mac Man, John Bluthal (Roy Kinnear in the film) Underwater Vicar, John Bluthal Brigadier/Sergeant, John Bluthal Chest of Drawers/Gladys Scroake, Marjie Lawrence. (In the film, the character is Mrs. Ethel Shroake). Penelope, Marjie Lawrence.

Diplomat, Bob Todd First Announcer, Bob Todd Sea Captain, Bob Todd Second Announcer, Johnny Vyvyan Delivery Man/Chauffeur, Johnny Vyvyan Seaman, Johnny Vyvyan Coffin Man, Clive Elliott Pianist, Alan Chase Third Announcer, Bill Kerr EXTRAS: Phantom Old Soldier Orderly

.

[edit] Film synopsis

The film is set on the third or fourth anniversary of a war which lasted two minutes and twenty-eight seconds, including signing the peace treaty. Three years after the nuclear holocaust, several survivors wander amidst the debris of London. Penelope is 17 months pregnant and lives with her lover, Alan, and her parents in the remains of the London Underground.

Other survivors include Capt. Bules Martin, who holds a "Defeat of England" medal, as he was unable to save Buckingham Palace from disintegration during the war. Lord Fortnum (Richardson) is fearful that he will mutate into the "bed sitting room" of the title. Mate is a fireguard, except that there is nothing left to burn. Shelter Man serves as a regional "head of government" over a decimated population. Similarly, the "National Health Service" is the name of a male nurse, although overwhelmed by the extent of the past war. Finally, there are two policemen who hover overhead in a balloon and shout "keep moving" to offset the 'danger' of becoming a 'target' in the (unlikely) event of another outbreak of hostilities.

Lord Fortnum travels to 29 Cul de Sac Place and does become a bed sitting room. Penelope's mother is provided with a death certificate, after which she turns into a cupboard. Penelope is forced to marry Martin because of his "bright future", despite her love for Alan. Her father is initially selected to become Prime Minister due to his prodigious leg length, but unfortunately, he mutates into a parrot and is cooked and eaten due to the starvation conditions that prevail.

Penelope finally gives birth, but her monstrous mutant progeny dies. It emerges that Martin is impotent, so he yields marriage consummation to Alan. Penelope has a second child, who is normal, and there is an indication of hope for the future amidst the devastation. She, Alan and her child walk off together. A band pays homage to Mrs. Ethel Shroake of 393A High Street, Leytonstone, the late Queen's former charwoman, and thus closest in succession to the throne.

[edit] Set design

The absurdity of the film extends even to the settings. One scene is shot besides a pile upon which a British pottery firm had been throwing rejected plates since World War II^[10] (the joke being that an actor is looking for a dish that isn't broken). Another set of the film is a mock triumphal arch made of appliance doors, beneath which a Mrs. Ethel Shroake ("of 393A High Street, Leytonstone"), the closest in line for the throne, is mounted on a horse. Even the opening credits have a touch of the absurd, listing the cast not by appearance or alphabetically, but by height.

[edit] Literary and dramatic counterparts

The Bed-Sitting Room can be compared with The Goon Show, in which Milligan and Secombe were involved, but with a savage, cynical and even more surreal edge, and an existential despair; one critic memorably described it as being "like Samuel Beckett, but with better jokes".

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Bed-Sitting Room at the Internet Movie Database
• The Bed-Sitting Room at Allmovie
• The Bed-Sitting Room at the TCM Movie Database
• Feature at Britmovie.co.uk

v • d • e Films directed by Richard Lester 1960s The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960) • It's Trad, Dad! (1962) • The Mouse on the Moon (1963) • A Hard Day's Night (1964) • The Knack …and How to Get It (1965) • Help! (1965) • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) • How I Won the War (1967) • Petulia (1968) • The Bed-Sitting Room (1969) 1970s The Three Musketeers (1973) • Juggernaut (1974) • The Four Musketeers (1974) • Royal Flash (1975) • Robin and Marian (1976) • The Ritz (1976) • Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979) • Cuba (1979) 1980s Superman II (1980) • Superman III (1983) • Finders Keepers (1984) • The Return of the Musketeers (1989) 1990s Get Back (1991)