Newley's Folly

After the success of his stage hit, Stop the World, I Want to Get Off, some studio executives had the bright idea to greenlight an entire movie devoted to the personality of tunesmith Anthony Newley. Of course, with the relaxing censorship standards of the time, it was only natural to let him run wild in... an X-rated sex comedy? Sure, why not? After Dr. Strangelove, long, self-indulgent titles were all the rage, so poor theater marquee owners were thus stuck trying to spell Can Hieronymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? above theaters around the world. This 1969 commercial flop from Universal stars Newley as Hieronymous in a Fellini-inspired tale about a young man who pines for his true love while being led by "Goodtime Eddie Filth" (Milton Berle) through a string of women including Polyester Poontang, played by Joan Collins, of course. Very difficult to see now for obvious reasons; keep an eye out for late night cable screenings.