Touchables, The (1968)

Sadie (Judy Huxtable), Melanie (Esther Anderson), Busbee (Marilyn Rickard) and Samson (Kathy Simmonds) are a quartet of beautiful Pop-Art princesses who chloroform and kidnap rock-star Christian (David Anthony) and imprison him in their plastic, see-through Bubble House in the countryside.

Inside the bubble dome, Christian is bound and informed of his unusual fate. The girls have no specific agenda other than making sure that they all sleep with him and Christian, being a star from 1968 is ultimately all too happy to oblige.

Gay wrestler Ricki Starr gets jealous and tries to muscle his way into the action, aided by a posh gangster called Twyning (James Villiers).

Christian slips into an easy routine as the girls play games to win their turn with him. Meanwhile, in the outside world, his manager (John Ronane) is under pressure from Ricki and Twyning to find their missing asset.

Things turn serious when Christian tries to escape and is chased by the girls on horseback and shot in the head as he tries to escape by motorboat (fortunately he emerges unscathed).

Directed by The Beatles’ favourite photographer Robert Freeman and featuring music by Pink Floyd and long-lost British flower-pop band Nirvana (the original 60s band of that name, not Mr Cobain’s effort), The Touchables has little point other than to reinforce the benefits of being young, lovely and free in the 1960s.

The screenplay was written by legendary British comedy writer Ian La Frenais based on a book by David and Donald Cammell.

Sadie
Judy Huxtable
Melanie
Esther Anderson
Busbee
Marilyn Rickard
Samson
Kathy Simmonds
Christian
David Anthony
Ricki
Ricky Starr
Twyning
James Villiers
Lillywhite
Harry Baird
Kasher
John Ronane
Denzil
Michael Chow
Glubb
Roy Davies
Quayle
William Dexter
Bruno
Bruno Elrington
Jimmy
Peter Gordeno
March
Danny Lynch
Danny
Steve Viedor
Terry
Bryan Walsh
Nigel Bent
Simon Williams
Interviewer
Joan Bakewell

Director
Robert Freeman

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