Publicity
poster for What a Whopper (© Gilbert
Gunn/Regal Films International/Viscount Films - reproduced here on a strictly non-commercial Fair Use basis for educational/review purposes only)
I can still fondly remember the first
time that I ever saw the early 1960s British comedy movie What a
Whopper. I was around 13 years old, and had been fascinated by the Loch
Ness monster ever since I first read about it as a child in a wonderful book
entitled Stranger Than People (click here
to read on my ShukerNature blog all about how this fascinating volume
greatly influenced my interests in mysteries in general and cryptozoology in
particular). The movie was shown on TV one evening in England, and I watched it
in absolute delight on our faithful old b/w television (as the movie itself was
made in b/w, I lost nothing by not watching it on a colour TV), thoroughly
engrossed and willing Nessie to appear asap. A few years later, it was reshown,
and again I watched it avidly, despite knowing the plot this time. But after
that – nothing.
Years and years went by, and never once
did What a Whopper make an appearance
in the TV schedules here in the UK, despite my scrutinizing them closely,
especially when I eventually acquired my first video recorder, meaning that I
could then tape it off the TV for my own personal rewatching as often as I
liked thereafter. I think that its absence was due to the fact that it was a
b/w movie – since the turn of this current century, b/w productions, even ones
as cinematically significant as the classic Laurel and Hardy features and
shorts, and the countless silent comedies starring the likes of Buster Keaton,
Harry Langdon, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd, are shown on British TV far
less frequently than in the past. Happily, however, during the early 2000s, What a Whopper finally made a much-belated
but very welcome return to the small screen here, and I was ready, armed with
my newest VCR and a top-quality videocassette. Moreover, last year I treated
myself to this movie's official DVD, released in 2011, adding it to my sizeable
collection of cryptozoology-themed films.
Speaking of which: it may come as a
surprise to learn that in spite of the longstanding, global interest in Nessie,
particularly since the first major flourish of modern-day sightings occurring in
1933, only a single LNM-themed movie had been produced – Secret of the Loch, directed by Milton Rosmer and released in 1934
– prior to the release in 1961 of What a
Whopper, directed by Gilbert Gunn. Moreover, even What a Whopper is less concerned with Nessie directly than with
utilizing her celebrity to make some money by decidedly nefarious but hilarious
means. Although its leading star is none other than 1960s British heart-throb
singer Adam Faith (but who did become a well-respected full-time actor in his
own right in later years), for the most part the cast list of What a Whopper reads like a who's who of
classic British comedy stars – including Sid James, Spike Milligan, Wilfrid
Brambell, Amanda Barrie, Charles Hawtrey, Clive Dunn, Lance Percival, Terry
Scott, Molly Weir, Frank Forsyth, and Freddie Frinton, plus an appearance by
famous Scottish journalist and broadcaster Fyfe Robertson playing himself.
Another
publicity poster for What a Whopper
(© Gilbert Gunn/Regal Films International/Viscount Films - reproduced here on a strictly non-commercial Fair Use basis for educational/review purposes only)
Written by screenwriter Terry Nation (who
also created the Daleks for Doctor Who),
reworking it from an original story by Jeremy Lloyd and Trevor Peacock, the
plot saw Faith as perennially-unsuccessful would-be writer Tony Blake. After
receiving yet another rejection from a publisher for his latest book,
concerning the Loch Ness monster, but in dire need of some cash to avoid being
evicted from his rented one-room flat in Chelsea, London, Tony hits upon the
idea of faking a photograph of the selfsame monster and selling it to the media
for a tidy little sum of money.
Travelling to Loch Ness with his friend
Vernon, Vernon's girlfriend Charlotte, and pretty French hitch-hiker Marie whom
they pick up along the way, Tony uses a hidden speaker to create a monstrous
roaring sound that he convinces the locals living near the loch is none other
than the cry of Nessie herself. He also attempts to create his planned phony
photo using a fake monster – only to discover to his alarm and chagrin that
several locals have come up with exactly the same idea, using their own equally
faux LNM lookalikes. And when one of the locals finds his hidden speaker, Tony
realizes that the game is not so much afoot as up – well and truly up, in fact.
Fleeing from a posse of enraged locals, Tony
and Marie jump upon a rowing boat and row rapidly from shore out across the
loch, but still facing the shore, and becoming increasingly puzzled as to why
the locals standing there suddenly stop shouting angrily at them and instead begin
gesticulating frantically to them. So when Tony and Marie then hear a loud roar
behind them, they immediately look over their shoulder – and yes, you've
guessed it, there is Nessie herself, all scaly vertical neck and grinning face,
who turns to the camera and gives an extremely louche wink before rumbling:
"What a whopper!" Wonderful! (Click here if you'd like to view
this fantastic closing scene on YouTube.)
Nessie's
long-awaited appearance in What a Whopper
(© Gilbert
Gunn/Regal Films International/Viscount Films - reproduced here on a strictly non-commercial Fair Use basis for educational/review purposes only)
Having said that, my other favourite
scene from this movie sees Adam Faith's character Tony listening to the radio
with Marie when who should come on but – yes indeed – Adam Faith! Under the name Eden Charity, he is performing his new
song, 'The Time Has Come', much to the disgust of Tony, who calls him a nit
and loudly bemoans to Marie that he can't stand him! It is of course noticeable that
despite Tony's complaints, the radio just so happens to stay on long enough for Adam/Eden to sing the
whole of his song, and Tony even croons along to it, barely suppressing a smile as he does so! Indeed, in real life Adam Faith did release this song as a
single, which went on to achieve a very respectable #4 position in the UK
Singles chart during 1961, while the movie was on general release in cinemas. Click here to view on YouTube the above-described scene from What a Whopper and hear this song.
Far superior in my opinion, however, was the
eponymous theme song to What a Whopper
– which can currently be heard here on
YouTube – playing through this movie's opening scene, which depicts the beginning
of the Swinging Sixties scene in London in a somewhat saucy manner.
Incidentally, both songs were written by Laurie Johnson, a celebrated British
bandleader and prolific writer of scores for countless films and TV shows.
As I noted earlier, What a Whopper is now available on DVD, so I heartily recommend all
dedicated fans not only of vintage British comedy films but also of cryptozoological
monster movies to add this very funny 86-minute rarity to their collection.
Moreover, as it’s in Region 0 DVD format, it can be played on any DVD player
anywhere in the world.
Finally: to view a complete listing of all of my
Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly
accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE!
The
official DVD of What a Whopper, which
I'm delighted to own after having sought out this movie on TV for such a long
time (© Gilbert
Gunn/Regal Films International/Viscount Films/Renown Pictures Ltd - reproduced here on a strictly non-commercial Fair Use basis for educational/review purposes only)
