What's Good for the Goose

What's Good for the Goose
Directed by	Menahem Golan
Written by	Norman Wisdom Menahem Golan
Produced by	Tony Tenser
Starring	Norman Wisdom Sally Geeson Terence Alexander David Lodge
Cinematography	William Brayne
Edited by	Dennis Lanning
Music by	Ken Howard
Distributed by	Tigon British Film Productions
Release date	March 1969 (1969-03) (UK)
Running time	105 minutes (UK) 98 minutes (edited)
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

What's Good For The Goose, also known as Girl Trouble, is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Menahem Golan and starring Norman Wisdom.

It was written and directed by Menahem Golan. The film features pop music by Electric Banana, otherwise known as the Pretty Things. The film uses locations around the Southport area, including the Birkdale Palace Hotel.

Plot

Norman Wisdom plays a 50-something assistant bank manager called Timothy Bartlett whose working life and marriage in London have become lacklustre. After the death of his superior, he is sent in his place to a bankers' conference in Southport, and he gives a lift to two fun-loving female students, Meg and Nikki (Sally Geeson). Initially annoyed by them, he ends up becoming interested in Nikki. Wandering around to find something to do one night, he ends up meeting her, at a Mod Band venue where the band The Pretty Things are playing. After this, she comes back to his hotel where they spend the night together.

The following day, during the conference, he can only think of her. He abandons his work responsibilities to have a perfect day with her, taking in all the seaside amusements and recapturing his youthful energy. He tells her he has fallen in love with her and rents a 'love nest' for them. Her friend tries to warn him not to get too serious, as Nikki doesn't want a relationship. He comes back to their love nest, only to find all the hippies are hanging out there having sex, and have vandalised it. When he goes to the bedroom, he finds that Nikki is in bed with another man of her own age. Her friend Meg tells him he was just a two-day novelty for her and she has already moved on to someone her own age, and that's the nature of the free love scene.

However, inspired by the time he has spent there, he invites his wife to join him at the resort. She doesn't recognise him when he meets her at the airport, as he is now wearing counterculture scene clothing. He takes her to buy "young" clothes, and goes off with her to the places Nikki and he had gone to where he had such a good time. They replicate the perfect day he had with Nikki, though his wife doesn't enjoy everything as much as Nikki did. He finds he can have (almost) as much enjoyment with his wife, and ultimately, the couple embrace dressing "young" and doing cool now things.

Cast

• Norman Wisdom as Timothy Bartlett
• Sally Geeson as Nikki
• Sarah Atkinson as Meg
• Sally Bazely as Margaret Bartlett
• Stuart Nichol as Bank Manager
• Derek Francis as Harrington
• Terence Alexander as Frisby
• Paul Whitsun-Jones as Clark
• David Lodge as Porter
• Karl Lanchbury as Pete
• Hilary Pritchard as Cashier in Discotheque

Production

There was also a German dubbed version of the film which bears the title Öfter mal was Junges!! This version is 27 minutes shorter than the UK version running to 75 minutes instead of 102 minutes. It contains alternative longer versions of the hotel bedroom scenes in which Sally Geeson is topless rather than remaining in her bra as she does in the UK print (which is the generally available version). The text in the opening credits is completely redone in German over the same unfettered film sequence as in the UK version meaning it must have been prepared concurrently.

External links

• What's Good for the Goose at IMDb