The Ups and Downs of a Handyman (1976)

A young handyman and his wife (Barry Stokes, Penny Meredith) move to a small village and set up business. There, the handyman encounters numerous strange characters, including a local ... See full summary »

Director:

John Sealey

Writers:

Derrick Slater (screenplay), John Sealey (original idea)

Stars:

Barry Stokes, Gay Soper, Sue Lloyd

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barry Stokes	...	Bob
Gay Soper	...	Maisie
Sue Lloyd	...	The Blonde
Bob Todd	...	Squire Bullsworthy
Chic Murray	...	P. C. Knowles
Robert Dorning	...	Newsagent
Valerie Leon	...	Redhead
Penny Meredith	...	Margaretta
Helli Louise	...	Newsagent's Daughter
John Blythe	...	Farmer Elgin
Harold Bennett	...	Gasper
Julia Bond	...	Polly (as Julie Bond)
Jeannie Collings	...	Mrs Wain
Alexandra Dane	...	Mrs Knowles
Ava Cadell	...	Schoolgirl

Storyline

A young handyman and his wife (Barry Stokes, Penny Meredith) move to a small village and set up business. There, the handyman encounters numerous strange characters, including a local constable (Chic Murray) more inept than a squadcar full of Keystone Kops; an elderly magistrate (Bob Todd) whose primary passion is spanking young women; a schoolmistress (Sue Lloyd) with a closetful of kinks; and more predatory housewives than the young man can handle.

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Plot Keywords:

pubic hair | spanking | voyeurism | voyeur | bare breasts | 

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Taglines:

Always Handy - the odd job man whose services are constantly in demand!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sue Lloyd and Bob Todd receive "guest star" credits.

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Goofs

In the last shot of the bathroom sequence a crew member's hand can be briefly seen touching actress Mrs Wain's backside, directing her to move out of the way of the camera.

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Alternate Versions

For the original UK cinema release, cuts were made to the opening sex scene between Bob and Margaretta. The same print was then cut by a further 1 min 17 secs for video with additional edits to a sex scene in a bathtub. The 2009 Odeon DVD features the original cinema version.

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Connections

References The Magic Roundabout (1964)

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Soundtracks

The Ups and Downs of a Handyman
Music and Lyrics by Vic Elms
Theme song sung by Barry Stokes

User Reviews

Quite possibly the worst of the worst...

We enjoy watching British sex comedies - there is great enjoyment to be had watching the comparatively innocent antics of hapless male protagonists trying desperately to get their end away.

The Ups and Downs of a Handyman barely stands up as entertainment even on the undemanding terms of British sex comedies. It is as boring as hell and has production values (and we use the term loosely) that make the Confessions series look like something from the Golden Era of the Hollywood studio system.

Barry Stokes makes for an objectionable protagonist - the arrogant theme song "wouldn't you like to be me" (not, really) gets the viewer off on the wrong foot. Instead of wanting to see Stokes f**k, you just wish he would f**k off. Robin Asquith at least had charm and a likable quality that endeared him to male and female viewers alike, come to think of it, even Jeremy Bulloch as Gil Masters in Can You Keep it up for a Week? was a more sympathetic character than Barry Stokes' Bob.

This was released on video with the cash-in title of Confessions of an Odd-Job Man, but the title fooled few people, as this catchpenny knock-off is quite simply appalling.

Avoid it in the same way that you would avoid and aggressive, hydrophobic dog foaming at the mouth.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Happy Housewives

Filming Locations:

Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

K.F.R. Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color