Shirley MacLaine stars in this otherwise all-British comedy, written by Alec Coppel and Denis Norden and directed by Joseph McGrath.
She plays Harriet, the wife of brassiere manufacturer Robert Blossom (Richard Attenborough), who manages to conceal her lover, Ambrose Tuttle (James Booth) – a sewing machine repairman who works for her husband – in the attic for three years before her husband tumbles to the situation.
Fantasy sequences take the clandestine lovers to the romantic derring-do eras of Napoleon and Charles I.
Freddie Jones and William Rushton play two idiotic Scotland Yard detectives who are searching for the missing sewing machine man. As they bumble through their investigation, foul play seems most likely and, of course, Mrs Blossom is the prime suspect.
This film is loosely based on a real incident. In the early 1920s, Dolly Oesterreich kept her lover, Otto Sanhuber in her attic for many years.
Her husband Fred ran a company that made aprons. Otto even moved with the couple from Milwaukee to Los Angeles to stay above his lover. Unfortunately, the real story didn’t have the happy ending of the movie.
The dialogue is a step above Benny Hill, but the performances lift it to the level of Noel Coward.
The cast features Patricia Routledge and Bob Monkhouse and even – albeit briefly – John Cleese, who, defying the total absurdity of the situation, manage to elicit some laughs
Harriet Blossom Shirley MacLaine
Robert Blossom
Richard Attenborough
Ambrose Tuttle
James Booth
Det. Sgt. Dylan
Freddie Jones
Dylan’s Assistant
William Rushton
Dr Taylor
Bob Monkhouse
Miss Reece
Patricia Routledge
Judge
John Bluthal
Doctor
Harry Towb
Dr Zimmerman
Clive Dunn
Dr Krunhauser
Geraldine Sherman
Pet Shop assistant
Sandra Caron
Pet Shop saleslady
Sheila Steafel
Factory Manager
Frank Thornton
Factory Tea Lady
Marianne Stone
Art Dealer
Barry Humphries
Post Office Clerk
John Cleese
Musketeers
Bruce Lacey
Tony Grey
Douglas Grey
Bookshop Assistant
Leslie Dwyer
Security Guard
Ronnie Brody
Bra Model
Carol Cleveland
