Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969)

Director:

Anthony Newley

Writers:

Anthony Newley (writer)
Herman Raucher (writer)

Release Date:

3 February 1973 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Heironymus Merkin screens an autobiographical movie of his life, growth and moral decay.

Plot Keywords:

Autobiographical | Sex Addiction | Film Projector | Husband Wife Relationship | Male Nudity

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Anthony Newley	...	Hieronymous Merkin
Joan Collins	...	Polyester Poontang
Alexander Newley	...	Thaxted
Tara Newley	...	Thumbelina
Milton Berle	...	Goodtime Eddie Filth
Connie Kreski	...	Mercy Humppe
George Jessel	...	The Presence
Bruce Forsyth	...	Uncle Limelight
Patricia Hayes	...	Grandma
Stubby Kaye	...	Fat Writer
Ronald Rubin	...	Skinny Writer
Louis Negin	...	Producer Peter
Tom Stern	...	Producer Ron
Ronald Radd	...	Bentley
Rosalind Knight	...	Penelope

Also Known As:

...Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

USA:107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:R (re-rating) | USA:X

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Taralex

Trivia:

When the film was originally released in 1969, some newspapers refused to advertise it, compelling cinephiles to call up their local theaters to learn the title. A few theaters even temporarily expanded their marquees to fit the entire title. Other theaters truncated the title to "Heironymous Merkin".

Goofs:

Continuity: The color of Thumbelina's ice-cream cone changes between brown and white and pink.

Quotes:

Hieronymous Merkin: Why couldn't we get Ingmar Bergman to direct this thing? His films never have an end. As a matter of fact, most of them don't even have a beginning!

Movie Connections:

References Lust for Life (1956)

Soundtrack:

Once Upon a Time

A wonderfully zany and felliniesque yet sadly neglected cult classic.

Anthony Newly stars in this musical comedy about the life of Hieronymus Merkin, a sex obsessed writer/singer/director/actor/ and a truly perverse character. It seems like a drug induced dream filled with bizarre sequences, crazy songs, erie cinematography and racy exploitations which seem shocking considering it was made it 1969. The whole picture is shot on an island as it cuts between the actual film and Hieronymus screening the film while in production along with the crew, producers, and the critics. The basic plot is that Hieronymus a fatherless boy meets up with a manager (Milton Berie) who turns him into a superstar. Thousands of women line up in front of his bed waiting to make love to him. He marries a former lover of his and she gives birth to a child defected with a huge hole in its back. The baby soon after dies in hospital and Mrs. Merkin leaves Hieronymus. Hieronymus despite the objections of the writers, critics and everyone else insists on telling about the raciest most shocking part of his life. His immoral affair with the child beauty Mercy Humppe. He remarries to Polly (Joan Crawford) and switches off between Polly and Mercy and finally leaves Mercy.

The film is an absurd X rated romp though a land of sexual excess and unconventional perversion that portray women as only a 1960's film can. Although this film is not for all tastes, exceedingly fine performances, unpredictable twists, and uproarious humor make this film a true cult classic that reminds one of A Clockwork Orange at times. An R rated version also exists.