Ooh... You Are Awful
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Cliff Owen (director) |
| Products | Comedy film |
Ooh... You Are Awful (known in the U.S. as Get Charlie Tully) is a 1972 British comedy film helmed by director Cliff Owen and featuring performances by Dick Emery, Derren Nesbitt, Ronald Fraser, and Cheryl Kennedy. The screenplay, crafted by John Warren and John Singer, serves as a full-length adaptation of The Dick Emery Show (which aired on BBC TV from 1963 to 1981) and marks Emery's sole leading role in cinema.
Plot
The story follows con artists Charlie Tully and Reggie Peek, who manage to defraud two Italian men out of £500,000. After Peek secures the funds in a Swiss bank account, he is assassinated on the orders of London crime boss Sid Sabbath, motivated by Peek’s involvement with Sabbath’s sister. Peek had tattooed the bank account details on the lower backs of four women. Employing various disguises, Tully sets out to find these women while simultaneously dodging repeated but inexplicably unsuccessful assassination attempts from Sabbath’s henchmen. Meanwhile, unknown to both parties, Italian mobsters are covertly safeguarding Tully.
Cast
- Dick Emery as Charlie Tully
- Derren Nesbitt as Sid Sabbath
- Ronald Fraser as Reggie Campbell Peek
- Pat Coombs as Libby Niven
- William Franklyn as Arnold Van Cleef
- Cheryl Kennedy as Jo Mason
- Norman Bird as Warder Burke
- Roland Curram as Vivian
- Liza Goddard as Liza Missenden Green
- Ambrosine Phillpotts as Lady Missenden Green
- Brian Oulton as funeral director
- David Healy as tourist (credited as Dave Healey)
- Steve Plytas as Signor Vittorio Ferruchi
- Louis Negin as Emilio Ferruchi
- Neil Wilson as Attendant Price
- Henry Gilbert as Don Luigi
- Anthony Stamboulieh as Dino (credited Antony Stamboulieh)
- Guido Adorni as Carlo
- Stefan Gryff as Capo Mafioso
- Louis Mansi as Mancini
- Frank Coda as Mafioso (credited Frank Codo)
- Sheila Keith as Lady Magistrate
- Tucker McGuire as American woman
- Phil Brown as American man
- Joan Ingram as Woman in Art Gallery
- Julie Crosthwaite as Patsy
- Anna Gilchrist as Jane
- Margaret Courtenay as woman police officer
- Dinny Powell as Arthur (credited Dinnie Powell)
- Larry Taylor as hoodlum
- as second American tourist
- Reg Lye as fake milkman
Production
The film received a £62,000 investment from the National Film Finance Corporation. This marked their inaugural funding commitment following the cessation of government support and the introduction of financing through a consortium of merchant banks. Opting to back only projects deemed low-risk, the NFFC selected Ooh... You Are Awful as their first venture under this new approach.
Actress Liza Goddard later described her nude scene during filming as an "unpleasant, embarrassing ordeal."
Reception
Financially, the movie turned a profit.
The Monthly Film Bulletin commended Dick Emery’s comedic characterizations integrated within an engaging narrative, praising Cliff Owen’s inventive direction and the film’s effective use of dark humor. The review also drew attention to entertaining cameo roles such as Brian Oulton’s funeral director and Stefan Gryff’s Mafia chief.
The Observer referred to it as "the finest British comedy in many years."
Critic Leslie Halliwell characterized it as an "entertaining star showcase featuring ample impersonations and bold humor."
In contrast, The Radio Times Guide to Films awarded it 2 out of 5 stars, describing it as a spirited and cheeky comedy reminiscent of a Donald McGill seaside postcard.