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IMDbPro

Not Now Darling

  • 19731973
  • RR
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
227
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
44,676
5,982
Not Now Darling (1973)
Comedy
A mad cap British farce about mistresses and minks in the London fur salon of Bodley, Bodley, and Crouch. Gilbert Bodley plans to sell an expensive mink to a mobster dirt cheap for his wife,... Read allA mad cap British farce about mistresses and minks in the London fur salon of Bodley, Bodley, and Crouch. Gilbert Bodley plans to sell an expensive mink to a mobster dirt cheap for his wife, because the wife is Gilbert's mistress and he wants to "Close the deal." However, instead... Read allA mad cap British farce about mistresses and minks in the London fur salon of Bodley, Bodley, and Crouch. Gilbert Bodley plans to sell an expensive mink to a mobster dirt cheap for his wife, because the wife is Gilbert's mistress and he wants to "Close the deal." However, instead of doing his own dirty work, he gets his reluctant partner, Arnold Crouch, to do it for h... Read all
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
227
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
44,676
5,982
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Ray Cooney
      • David Croft
    • Writers
      • Ray Cooney(based on the stageplay by)
      • John T. Chapman(based on the stageplay by)
    • Stars
      • Geraldine Gardner
      • Leslie Phillips
      • Julie Ege
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Ray Cooney
      • David Croft
    • Writers
      • Ray Cooney(based on the stageplay by)
      • John T. Chapman(based on the stageplay by)
    • Stars
      • Geraldine Gardner
      • Leslie Phillips
      • Julie Ege
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:28
    Trailer

    Photos26

    1 sheet
    Not Now Darling (1973)
    Not Now Darling (1973)
    Not Now Darling (1973)
    Barbara Windsor in Not Now Darling (1973)
    Geraldine Gardner in Not Now Darling (1973)
    Joan Sims in Not Now Darling (1973)
    Bill Fraser and Barbara Windsor in Not Now Darling (1973)
    Ray Cooney and Derren Nesbitt in Not Now Darling (1973)
    Moira Lister in Not Now Darling (1973)
    Julie Ege in Not Now Darling (1973)
    Bill Fraser and Geraldine Gardner in Not Now Darling (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Geraldine Gardner
    Geraldine Gardner
    • Miss Whittington
    • (as Trudi Van Doorn/Trudie van Doorn)
    Leslie Phillips
    Leslie Phillips
    • 'Bodley'…
    Julie Ege
    Julie Ege
    • Janie McMichael
    Joan Sims
    Joan Sims
    • Miss Tipdale
    Ray Cooney
    • 'Crouch'…
    Bill Fraser
    • Commissionaire Frank
    Jack Hulbert
    Jack Hulbert
    • Commander George Frencham
    Cicely Courtneidge
    Cicely Courtneidge
    • Mrs. Harriet Frencham
    Derren Nesbitt
    Derren Nesbitt
    • Harry McMichael
    Barbara Windsor
    Barbara Windsor
    • Sue Lawson
    Moira Lister
    Moira Lister
    • Maude Bodley
    Jackie Pallo
    • Mr. Lawson
    Peter Butterworth
    Peter Butterworth
    • Painter
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Sharvell-Martin
    • Painter
    • (uncredited)
    Graham Stark
    Graham Stark
    • Painter
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Ray Cooney
      • David Croft
    • Writers
      • Ray Cooney(based on the stageplay by)
      • John T. Chapman(based on the stageplay by) (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The role of Arnold Crouch was originally intended for Dudley Moore but he was signed to a film in the U.S. It was then offered to Terry Scott who developed an aneurysm and had to withdraw. Director Ray Cooney then assumed the role himself, having been the original actor in the out-of-town preview, before it opened in the West End.
    • Goofs
      Roughly twenty minutes before the end of the film, the boom mic is clearly visible briefly in the upper left hand corner of the screen.
    • Quotes

      Commissionaire: Morning, Miss Whittington.

      Miss Whittington: Good morning, Frank.

      Commissionaire: You're a bit late.

      Miss Whittington: I'm all behind today.

      Commissionaire: And quite a bit in front, too, eh?

      Miss Whittington: Cheeky!

    • Connections
      Referenced in Le vison voyageur (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Not Now Darling
      Music by Cyril Ornadel

      Lyrics by Norman Newell

      Sung by Vicki Brown

    User reviews7

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Probably the best of the Leslie Phillips bedroom farces...
    Leslie Phillips made a number of bedroom farces in the early to mid-1970s. These were DOCTOR IN TROUBLE, DON'T JUST LIE THERE, SAY SOMETHING, NOT NOW, COMRADE, Spanish FLY and this film. NOT NOW DARLING is probably the best of the five films. Unlike the two of the remaining four films to be based on a stage production, this one doesn't go to great lengths to hide its stage origins.

    The plot is simple as most farces start from a basic idea - a furrier wants to buy his girlfriend an expensive mink coat but is worried about her husband finding out. So he tries to sell the coat at a huge discount, hoping the husband will fall for it. One event after another leads to things spiraling out of the furrier's control, with his assistant noting "what a tangled web we weave" (an often used line in Cooney's farces) about halfway through the film.

    Leslie Phillips is perhaps at his best in this film. He seems to have a ball of a time as the fast-paced film goes on. His caddish screen persona is perfectly suited to the role and I really couldn't imagine anyone else being able to play the part so well, not even the late, great Sid James.

    In many reviews of the film I've read, people have said that Ray Cooney was wrong to take on the role of Crouch himself. I disagree completely. Cooney is brilliant as Crouch and steals every scene he's in with such glee. He livens up the film immensely and it's just as well that he gets such a great deal of screen time with Phillips because they make a great double act.

    Julie Ege is fantastic as Janie, the girlfriend of the furrier. She really fits into the world of this CARRY ON-style humour as though she had been in it throughout her career. She is also shown topless several times and fully nude in the uncut version.

    Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor bring their CARRY ON personas along and it blends perfectly with the humour of the film.

    Derren Nesbitt is brilliant as the bloke who the furrier tries to dupe into buying the mink coat. The expressions on his face as he reacts to the various things happening around him are simply hilarious.

    The rest of the cast - Bill Fraser, Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge and Trudi Van Doorn - are all great too in their supporting roles.

    I think the sheer genius of the film itself, though, arises from the fact that 80 per cent or so of it takes place not only on a single set, but in just one room. It's incredibly difficult to translate stage works of this kind to the big screen at the best of times. So Ray Cooney is to be applauded for making such a phenomenal success of it. In a book about Tony Tenser and the films of Tigon (who distributed NOT NOW DARLING), Cooney planned to make a series of NOT NOW... films, in the same vein as the CARRY ON gang had their series. The NOT NOW... films were obviously intended to be cheekier outings, closer to the UP POMPEII! film with Frankie Howerd. Sadly only two films were made. That is a great shame because I would have loved to have seen at least half a dozen of these films made. I've read many of Cooney's farces and they are all incredibly funny and hold your attention like this film does.

    One other thing I haven't mentioned yet is that I read the play and didn't think it was as good as the film. The faster-pacing, the cheekier dialogue and the perfect choices of casting lead to the film being better than the stage version itself.

    Finally, make sure you see the uncut version of the film, which can only be found on a DVD with a pink cover, distributed by a company called WHAM. All of the other DVD versions and VHS releases are the cut UK cinema version, which cuts out many of the best cheeky lines as well as most of the nudity.

    Overall, NOT NOW DARLING is a masterpiece of farce, one of my all time favourite comedies. For fans of 1970s British comedy (particularly the CARRY ON films and Benny Hill), this is a must-see.
    helpful•4
    0
    • manchester_england2004
    • Aug 24, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1975 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Nicht jetzt, Liebling
    • Filming locations
      • Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • LMG Film Productions Limited
      • Sedgemoor Productions Ltd.
      • Not Now Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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