There’s A Girl In My Soup (1970)

Adapted by Terence Frisby and Peter Kortner from Frisby’s stage play, this is a very tame version of a sex comedy that ran and ran on both sides of the Atlantic.

Nearing the end of an illustrious career, Roy Boulting directs without much enthusiasm, allowing Peter Sellers to cruise through his role as womanising Robert Danvers, a fortyish and conceited television personality who believes himself to be God’s gift to women.

His telly programme about exotic food is directly aimed at an adoring female audience, and Danvers fans the flames with his calculated sexy approach.

His only male friend is Andrew Hunter (Tony Britton), the editor of a magazine to which Danvers contributes.

On his way to a Chelsea party with Andrew and his wife, Danvers comes across a pretty nineteen-year-old American girl named Marion (Goldie Hawn) who has just quarrelled with her boyfriend Jimmy (Nicky Henson), a drummer in a pop group.

Marion asks Danvers where he lives, and he –  immediately scenting an easy victory – whisks her off to his super-luxury flat.

But it does not take him long to realise that in Marion he has caught a tartar. Unbelievably blasé, she is unimpressed by the plushy surroundings, Danver’s position in the television world or – horror upon horror – by Danvers himself.

She even times his approach-work step-by-step on her wristwatch, and deflates his monstrous ego by showing him that he is, after all, just a little old-fashioned and by no means as with-it as he fondly imagined.

This is a totally new experience for Danvers, and he becomes thoroughly intrigued by this beautiful kook who is completely unpredictable.

He takes her to France, first to an important wine festival about which he is to do a magazine story (though he’ll certainly not inform his readers about Marion’s behaviour), and then to the glories of the French Riviera, where Marion proves to be a wonderfully exciting companion – often devastatingly so.

Before they return to London to be confronted by an outraged Jimmy who accuses Danvers of ‘nicking his bird’, there is plenty of marvellous fun to be had in the greatest fun place on earth.

Goldie Hawn, whose debut in films in Cactus Flower (1969) brought her an Oscar, wowed just about everybody when they were on location in Cannes – from the camera crew to the boys of the US Sixth Fleet, who were there on shore leave – with her uninhibited friendliness and good nature.

Despite his meagre helping of wisecracks, the miscast Sellers still teams surprisingly well with Hawn, who also has some funny scenes with her ditched boyfriend Jimmy, but overall this is a missed opportunity.

The long, sleek speedboat in which you see Danvers and Marion frolick in the delightful waters of the Côte d’Azur actually belonged to Peter Sellers. He named it Bluebottle after one of his characters in the original BBC Goon Show.

Robert Danvers
Peter Sellers
Marion
Goldie Hawn
Andrew Hunter
Tony Britton
Jimmy
Nicky Henson
John
John Comer
John’s wife
Diana Dors
Julia Halforde-Smythe
Gabrielle Drake
Caroline
Geraldine Sherman
Lady Heather
Judy Campbell
Clare
Nicola Pagett
Nigel
Christopher Cazenove

Director
Roy Boulting