Girl Stroke Boy (1971, Joan Greenwood, Michael Hordern, Clive Francis, Peter Straker) – Classic Movie Review 9340

Director Bob Kellett’s 1971 comedy Girl Stroke Boy is an excruciatingly unfunny, ultra-tacky and tasteless ‘adult’ comedy written by the normally tasteful Ned Sherrin and Caryl Brahms, both of whom should have known better.

It is based on David Percival’s stage play Girlfriend about elderly, posh, conservative parents Lettice and George Mason (played by Joan Greenwood and Michael Hordern) who are not sure of the sex of their grown-up son Laurie (Clive Francis)’s ‘girlfriend’ from the West Indies, Jo Delaney (Peter Straker).

Girl Stroke Boy is probably meant to be liberating as an LGBT film with a gay kiss, running along the lines of a Joe Orton black comedy like Loot or Entertaining Mr Sloane. But, with its lack of wit and good judgement, its good intentions go wrong and backfire on it, and it is a misfire as an offensive film that is a shocking waste of such esteemed comedy performers.

Also in the cast are Patricia Routledge, Peter Bull, Rudolph Walker, Elizabeth Welch, Diana Hoddinott, Arthur Blake, Roberta Gibbs and Jonathon Kramer.

Peter Straker was born in Jamaica and also appeared in Kellett’s Up the Chastity Belt (1972).

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9340

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