A comic vehicle for pop star Adam Faith who plays Tony Blake, an aspiring writer and photographer desperate to sell his new book on the subject of the Loch Ness Monster.
Unfortunately, his publishing company returns his manuscript because the subject is not selling these days. Nobody has seen the Loch Ness Monster in years and interest has waned.
At the same time, Mr Slate (Clive Dunn) arrives at Tony’s pad with an eviction notice for non-payment of his rent. Tony is crushed, but then his housemates give him a brainwave: if there have been no sightings, how about he manufacture one? And so Tony heads to Loch Ness (in a hearse!) with some friends, to fake a sighting of Nessie in order to drum up some much-needed publicity.
Along the way, they pick up a hitchhiker (Marie France – yet another would-be Brigitte Bardot) and wind up in a hotel by the water owned by Sid James, getting mixed up with his salmon poaching scheme.
Terence Longdon puts a lot of effort in as Tony’s best buddy, Vernon, and Carole Lesley – a briefly popular starlet who just had one more movie in her career before she was dropped and sank quickly into obscurity, depression and eventual suicide – is a delight as his beautiful blonde friend, Charlie.
The pals go to great lengths to create the illusion of a monster, with a sizeable model, a loudspeaker and tape player for roaring sound effects, and some clawed feet that they use on the shore to make it look as if Nessie has been plodding about.
Even though the screenplay was written by Doctor Who stalwart and Daleks creator Terry Nation (from an original story by Jeremy Lloyd), the script is terrible, and the acting is wooden, save for some great cameos from Sid James, Clive Dunn, Terry Scott, Wilfrid Brambell, Charles Hawtrey (as a Jackson Pollock-style artist) and Spike Milligan (as a tramp).
Tony Blake
Adam Faith Harry
Sidney James Charlie
Carole Lesley Vernon
Terence Longdon Mr Slate
Clive Dunn Gilbert Pinner
Freddie Frinton Marie
Marie France Arnold
Charles Hawtrey Tramp
Spike Milligan Postie
Wilfrid Brambell Mrs Pinner
Fabia Drake Sammy
Harold Berens Jimmy
Ewan Roberts MacDonald
Archie Duncan Sergeant
Terry Scott Grace
Anna Gilchrist Doone
Gordon Rollings Legree
Bernard Hunter Jojo
Lloyd Reckord Policeman
Lance Percival Teacher
Molly Weir Commentator
Fyfe Robertson Crofter
John Stevenson Lang
Director
Gilbert Gunn
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Unfortunately, his publishing company returns his manuscript because the subject is not selling these days. Nobody has seen the Loch Ness Monster in years and interest has waned.
Tony Blake
