Ooh… You Are Awful
Encyclopedia
Ooh... You Are Awful is a 1972
British
comedy film
starring Dick Emery
and directed by Cliff Owen
.
Before his death, Reggie Campbell Peek deposited a stolen £500,000 into a Swiss bank account. But Peek left a record of the account number: the digits are tattooed on the bottoms of four young women, none of whom know the value of their asset. His erstwhile friend and partner-in-crime Charlie Tully - talented conman
and "master of disguise" - sets out to locate those women, and gain sight of the digits. Meanwhile, Tully is being watched by other - more dangerous - men...
crime lord Sid Sabbath, with whose sister Peek has been having an affair.
Peek has left a record of the bank account number, but in an unusual way. Befitting his reputation as a womaniser, the digits are tattooed on the bottoms of four young women. Tully adopts a range of disguises, to track down each woman in turn and see her bottom. Meanwhile, Tully's antics are being followed by other - more dangerous - criminals: one group from London, and another from Rome
...
The first woman he finds is a British Rail
announcer, who disrobes inside a photo booth at Waterloo Station
.
The second is a bride on her wedding day, who is exposed before all her guests.
Number three is the daughter of a peer, who Tully peeks at through her bedroom window.
Last in the list is a policewoman at a police training school, so Tully enters the school, disguised as a trainee WPC. After a scene in which he spies on a multitude of nubile young recruits, he discovers the digits during a physical training session.
Both men have talents that lead them into trouble. Tully's addiction to con tricks leads to his imprisonment. Peek's womanizing leads to his murder.
On various occasions, Tully is confronted by members of Sid Sabbath's gang, with orders to do to him as they did to Peek - only for them to mysteriously die themselves. Tully thinks he is "lucky", Sabbath thinks Tully is a one-man army, and neither realise Tully is actually being guarded by Italian gangsters lurking in the background. The two Italian men conned at the start of the movie had Mafia
connections - a "Godfather" has ordered Tully be kept safe until he can be brought to Rome...
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Dick Emery
Dick Emery
Richard Gilbert "Dick" Emery was an English comedian and actor. Beginning on radio in the 1950s, an eponymous television series ran from 1963 to 1981. He was the brother of Ann Emery.-Life and career:...
and directed by Cliff Owen
Cliff Owen
Cliff Owen, was a British film and TV director best known for his comedy The Wrong Arm of the Law which starred Peter Sellers; he also directed two of the three films celebrated double act Morecambe and Wise made in the mid 1960s, and the big screen version of the classic BBC sitcom Steptoe and...
.
Before his death, Reggie Campbell Peek deposited a stolen £500,000 into a Swiss bank account. But Peek left a record of the account number: the digits are tattooed on the bottoms of four young women, none of whom know the value of their asset. His erstwhile friend and partner-in-crime Charlie Tully - talented conman
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
and "master of disguise" - sets out to locate those women, and gain sight of the digits. Meanwhile, Tully is being watched by other - more dangerous - men...
Plot summary
Near the start of the film, conmen Charlie Tully and Peek have successfully conned two Italian men, and are making an easy escape with £500,000. Flushed with success, Tully is unable to resist running a "quick and easy" minor con on a passing American tourist. But the "quick and easy" con unexpectedly goes awry, and Tully is arrested. Peek escapes and deposits the £500,000 in a bank in Switzerland, while Tully is sent to prison. Time passes, and when Tully is released, he is met by Peek, who intends to tell him the bank account number. But their reunion is cut short when Peek is murdered, on the orders of LondonLondon
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...
crime lord Sid Sabbath, with whose sister Peek has been having an affair.
Peek has left a record of the bank account number, but in an unusual way. Befitting his reputation as a womaniser, the digits are tattooed on the bottoms of four young women. Tully adopts a range of disguises, to track down each woman in turn and see her bottom. Meanwhile, Tully's antics are being followed by other - more dangerous - criminals: one group from London, and another from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
...
The first woman he finds is a British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
announcer, who disrobes inside a photo booth at Waterloo Station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
.
The second is a bride on her wedding day, who is exposed before all her guests.
Number three is the daughter of a peer, who Tully peeks at through her bedroom window.
Last in the list is a policewoman at a police training school, so Tully enters the school, disguised as a trainee WPC. After a scene in which he spies on a multitude of nubile young recruits, he discovers the digits during a physical training session.
Both men have talents that lead them into trouble. Tully's addiction to con tricks leads to his imprisonment. Peek's womanizing leads to his murder.
On various occasions, Tully is confronted by members of Sid Sabbath's gang, with orders to do to him as they did to Peek - only for them to mysteriously die themselves. Tully thinks he is "lucky", Sabbath thinks Tully is a one-man army, and neither realise Tully is actually being guarded by Italian gangsters lurking in the background. The two Italian men conned at the start of the movie had Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
connections - a "Godfather" has ordered Tully be kept safe until he can be brought to Rome...
Cast
- Dick EmeryDick EmeryRichard Gilbert "Dick" Emery was an English comedian and actor. Beginning on radio in the 1950s, an eponymous television series ran from 1963 to 1981. He was the brother of Ann Emery.-Life and career:...
.... Charlie Tully - Derren NesbittDerren NesbittDerren Nesbitt is an English actor. Possibly his best known role was as SS Major von Hapen in Where Eagles Dare.In 2008 he was writing a book on "biblical myths and falsehoods".-Acting career:...
.... Sid Sabbath - Ronald FraserRonald FraserRonald Fraser was an English character actor, who appeared in numerous British films of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s whilst also appearing in many popular TV shows.-Background:...
.... Reggie Campbell Peek - Pat CoombsPat CoombsPat Coombs was an English actress. Coombs was considered one of Britain's great character actresses, specialising in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female — comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, film and television sitcoms...
.... Libby Niven - William FranklynWilliam FranklynWilliam Leo Franklyn was a British actor, perhaps best known for voicing the "Schhh... You Know Who" adverts for Schweppes from 1965 to 1973...
.... Arnold Van Cleef - Cheryl KennedyCheryl KennedyCheryl Kennedy is an English actress.She was born in Enfield, Middlesex, educated at a convent, and first appeared at the age of 15 at Stratford East Theatre Workshop in What a Crazy World. She enjoyed success as a stage actress, notably in West End musicals such as the 1967 revival of The Boy...
.... Jo Mason - Norman BirdNorman BirdNorman Bird was a British character actor. Often sporting a moustache and an air of worried resignation, he seemed to specialise in downtrodden roles...
.... Warder Burke - Roland CurramRoland CurramRoland Curram is a successful English actor.Curram was educated at Brighton College and has led a long film, television and theatre career. His appearances include Julie Christie's gay travelling companion in her Oscar-winning movie Darling and the expatriate Freddie in the BBC's short-lived soap...
.... Vivian - Liza GoddardLiza GoddardLiza Goddard is an English television and stage actress best known for her work in the 1970s and 1980s.-Early life:Goddard was born in Smethwick, West Midlands, England...
.... Liza Missenden Green - Ambrosine PhillpottsAmbrosine Phillpotts-Selected filmography:* This Man Is Mine * The Chiltern Hundreds * The Franchise Affair * Happy Go Lovely * Mr...
.... Lady Missenden Green - Brian OultonBrian OultonBrian Oulton was an English character actor.Born in Liverpool, he made his acting debut in 1939 as a lead actor...
.... Funeral Director