Funny Money
Encyclopedia
Funny Money is a farce
written by Ray Cooney
. It premièred at The Churchill Theatre
, Bromley
, London
, England, in 1994, followed by a successful two-year run in the West End
. Cooney directed his own play and also played the part of Henry Perkins. In 2006 the play was adapted into a movie starring Chevy Chase
.
on the underground
, looking forward to his birthday dinner, for which he and his wife Jean have invited their old friends, Vic and Betty Johnson. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened so far, but on the tube train he by mistake picks up a wrong suitcase without noticing it. He gets off at Fulham Broadway
, wants to get out his gloves and scarf and realises that he is actually carrying someone else's briefcase. In it, he finds £735,000 in used £50 notes. He goes to a pub and counts the money several times in one of the booths of the gents. "Bent copper" Davenport—in plain clothes—watches the excited man and believes he has come to the pub to solicit men.
When Henry Perkins reaches his home, Vic and Betty are just arriving. He is planning to just grab a few things and hurry off to Barcelona with his wife and the money, leaving his old life behind. As it is Friday night, and he knows that it will take whoever has his own briefcase only till Monday morning to phone his office and get his address—and he wants to be long gone by then. He knows very well that all the money in the briefcase must be part of some criminal transaction, so from a moral point of view he has no bad conscience whatsoever.
Foreseeably, unforeseeable events intervene. While he is still explaining to his reluctant wife that they have to leave in a hurry, Davenport—whom Henry does not recognise from the pub—arrives and wants to have a talk with him. Of course Henry thinks this is about the money, and a whole series of (deliberately) mistaken identities ensues, which also includes Vic and Betty, who are introduced to Davenport as relatives of the Perkinses on their way home to Australia. Bill, the taxi driver Henry has called to drive his wife and himself to Heathrow
, adds to the confusion.
At the same time, "Mr Nasty" -- the man whose briefcase Henry accidentally took on the underground—is killed by "Mr Big" -- the man he had criminal dealings with—and thrown into the Thames near Putney Bridge -- which is quite close to Fulham --, together with Henry's briefcase (which contains, among other things, a cheese and chutney sandwich). "Mr Big", a Dutchman who does not speak English, keeps phoning the Perkinses but remains monosyllabic throughout his calls ("Brerfcurse"). When Bill answers the phone, he gives the caller the exact address—not knowing what a big mistake he is making. Immediately after the call, "Mr Big" starts walking towards the Perkinses' Fulham house.
In the meantime, another policeman arrives at the Perkinses': It is Slater (who does not know Davenport, neither personally nor by name), who has come to inform Jean Perkins that her husband's body has been fished out of the river (really Mr. Nasty, who happened to have Henry's briefcase with him when Mr. Big shot him). He wants to take her with him to the mortuary to identify her husband. This leads to yet another series of mistaken identities on top of the first one, with Henry Perkins—who is supposed to be dead, waiting to be identified—posing as his brother Freddy, also from Australia.
Slater is kept waiting endlessly—both inside and outside the house. Jean, who used to be a teetotaller, is completely drunk by now since she has been hitting the brandy. In the course of events, Davenport turns out to be a bent copper who demands ten percent of the money for keeping his mouth shut. He is introduced to Slater as yet another brother of "Percy's" called Archie. There is continuous coming and going and also one or two mix-ups as far as the briefcases are concerned. As Jean still does not want to go to "Barlecona", Betty offers herself as Henry's travelling companion (and more). It looks like wife-swapping to all of them, with Vic staying behind with Jean and her cat. Eventually, however, they all decide to go to Barcelona, with Davenport joining the two couples as their bodyguard and Bill joining them as their gardener.
When they finally want to get away, "Mr Brerfcurse" arrives with a gun. He has been slightly injured in a car accident caused by Bill in his taxi
and Slater in his police car, both waiting round the corner. Some shooting goes on in the house, but eventually the Dutchman can be overwhelmed. An ambulance is called. Henry Perkins confesses everything, including all the assumed identities, to Slater. After Slater has arrested the Dutchman and led him away, Henry willy-nilly readjusts to the old status quo and wants to have his birthday dinner after all. This is when Bill, the taxi driver, informs the two couples that he has secretly put the money into one of the suitcases. The chicken is burned, but in the end they do have the money.
. It stars Penelope Ann Miller
and Chevy Chase
. Chevy Chase played Henry Perkins. The picture went on to gross $19.50 million worldwide.
Funny Money was released on DVD March 27, 2007
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
written by Ray Cooney
Ray Cooney
Raymond George Alfred Cooney, OBE is an English playwright and actor. His biggest success, Run for Your Wife, lasted nine years in London's West End and is its longest-running comedy. He has had 17 of his plays performed there....
. It premièred at The Churchill Theatre
Churchill Theatre
The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, south east London was built by the London Borough of Bromley to designs by its borough architect's department.It is carefully integrated into the central library complex overlooking Church House Gardens and Library Gardens...
, Bromley
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England, in 1994, followed by a successful two-year run in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
. Cooney directed his own play and also played the part of Henry Perkins. In 2006 the play was adapted into a movie starring Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
.
Characters
- Henry Perkins, an insignificant middle-aged middle-class accountant
- Jean Perkins, his pretty wife
- Vic Johnson, a friend of the Perkinses'
- Betty Johnson, Vic's wife, also pretty
- Bill, a London taxi driver
- Davenport, a bent copper
- Slater, a straight copper
- Mr. Big aka Mr Brerfcurse
- A passer-by
Plot summary
On his birthday, middle-aged Henry Perkins is going home to FulhamLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
on the underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
, looking forward to his birthday dinner, for which he and his wife Jean have invited their old friends, Vic and Betty Johnson. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened so far, but on the tube train he by mistake picks up a wrong suitcase without noticing it. He gets off at Fulham Broadway
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
, wants to get out his gloves and scarf and realises that he is actually carrying someone else's briefcase. In it, he finds £735,000 in used £50 notes. He goes to a pub and counts the money several times in one of the booths of the gents. "Bent copper" Davenport—in plain clothes—watches the excited man and believes he has come to the pub to solicit men.
When Henry Perkins reaches his home, Vic and Betty are just arriving. He is planning to just grab a few things and hurry off to Barcelona with his wife and the money, leaving his old life behind. As it is Friday night, and he knows that it will take whoever has his own briefcase only till Monday morning to phone his office and get his address—and he wants to be long gone by then. He knows very well that all the money in the briefcase must be part of some criminal transaction, so from a moral point of view he has no bad conscience whatsoever.
Foreseeably, unforeseeable events intervene. While he is still explaining to his reluctant wife that they have to leave in a hurry, Davenport—whom Henry does not recognise from the pub—arrives and wants to have a talk with him. Of course Henry thinks this is about the money, and a whole series of (deliberately) mistaken identities ensues, which also includes Vic and Betty, who are introduced to Davenport as relatives of the Perkinses on their way home to Australia. Bill, the taxi driver Henry has called to drive his wife and himself to Heathrow
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, adds to the confusion.
At the same time, "Mr Nasty" -- the man whose briefcase Henry accidentally took on the underground—is killed by "Mr Big" -- the man he had criminal dealings with—and thrown into the Thames near Putney Bridge -- which is quite close to Fulham --, together with Henry's briefcase (which contains, among other things, a cheese and chutney sandwich). "Mr Big", a Dutchman who does not speak English, keeps phoning the Perkinses but remains monosyllabic throughout his calls ("Brerfcurse"). When Bill answers the phone, he gives the caller the exact address—not knowing what a big mistake he is making. Immediately after the call, "Mr Big" starts walking towards the Perkinses' Fulham house.
In the meantime, another policeman arrives at the Perkinses': It is Slater (who does not know Davenport, neither personally nor by name), who has come to inform Jean Perkins that her husband's body has been fished out of the river (really Mr. Nasty, who happened to have Henry's briefcase with him when Mr. Big shot him). He wants to take her with him to the mortuary to identify her husband. This leads to yet another series of mistaken identities on top of the first one, with Henry Perkins—who is supposed to be dead, waiting to be identified—posing as his brother Freddy, also from Australia.
Slater is kept waiting endlessly—both inside and outside the house. Jean, who used to be a teetotaller, is completely drunk by now since she has been hitting the brandy. In the course of events, Davenport turns out to be a bent copper who demands ten percent of the money for keeping his mouth shut. He is introduced to Slater as yet another brother of "Percy's" called Archie. There is continuous coming and going and also one or two mix-ups as far as the briefcases are concerned. As Jean still does not want to go to "Barlecona", Betty offers herself as Henry's travelling companion (and more). It looks like wife-swapping to all of them, with Vic staying behind with Jean and her cat. Eventually, however, they all decide to go to Barcelona, with Davenport joining the two couples as their bodyguard and Bill joining them as their gardener.
When they finally want to get away, "Mr Brerfcurse" arrives with a gun. He has been slightly injured in a car accident caused by Bill in his taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
and Slater in his police car, both waiting round the corner. Some shooting goes on in the house, but eventually the Dutchman can be overwhelmed. An ambulance is called. Henry Perkins confesses everything, including all the assumed identities, to Slater. After Slater has arrested the Dutchman and led him away, Henry willy-nilly readjusts to the old status quo and wants to have his birthday dinner after all. This is when Bill, the taxi driver, informs the two couples that he has secretly put the money into one of the suitcases. The chicken is burned, but in the end they do have the money.
The Movie
In 2006 the play was made into a movie which was the top film in popularity at the Sarasota Film FestivalSarasota Film Festival
The Sarasota Film Festival has been held annually since 1999 in Sarasota, Florida. The festival is held in April and has become one of the top ten independent festivals in North America...
. It stars Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
and Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
. Chevy Chase played Henry Perkins. The picture went on to gross $19.50 million worldwide.
Funny Money was released on DVD March 27, 2007
Playscript
- Ray Cooney: Funny Money, Samuel FrenchSamuel FrenchSamuel French was a U.S. entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing of plays....
(U.S.A.) acting edition, 151 pp. (New York, 1995), ISBN 0-573-69560-1.