If I got any message for the theme or purpose of this frequently distasteful black comedy, it's that the ridiculousness of society is always ripe for ridicule, especially the pretentiousness of certain elements that deserve more than just ridicule in a forgotten 60's movie. The film initially focuses on the newly arrived Englishman Robert Morse, visiting his uncle in Los Angeles and dealing with the estate and final resting place when the poor aging uncle (John Gielgud) kills himself after being fired from his job. A trip to the Loved One house of eternal rest introduces him to Anjanette Comer who shows him all of the fancy locations of what remains of their clients. Liberace tries to sell him the deluxe eternal rest package, while Mr. Joyboy (Rod Steiger) works on making Gielgud presentable for wherever his dead body will end up.
A series of very amusing cameos helps make this stinging satire on human pretension quite funny although the laughs are more on the inside than on the outside. Everybody plays their roles extremely seriously. Roddy McDowell represents the new power of Hollywood, firing feel good without really even telling him he's been fired. Robert Morley plays an associate of Gielgud's who turns against Morse almost immediately after his friend's death. Unforgettably, Alleyne Gibbons as Steiger's mortally obese mother cackles along with a macaw, and is in sexual ecstasy as she consumes a loin of pork. Fans of "My Fair Lady" will recognize her as the heavyset woman who dances with Stanley Holloway during "Get Me to the Church on Time". In a dual role, Jonathan Winters is completely serious, and Milton Berle and Margaret Leighton are snooty clients of the Loved One resting place dealing with the burial of an exotic pet. There's also Barbara Nichols and James Coburn in other walk-ons.
The direction of Tony Richardson keep this movie which is rather lengthy for a comedy moving at a steady pace, but it is a film that will not be for everybody's taste. But it is definitely worthy of cult status with individual scenes standing out more than others. Gibbons was obviously the source of influence for John Waters in casting Edith Massey in many of his early comedies, and even though she's only on screen for a few minutes, she becomes unforgettable. This is just one of several odd black comedies that Robert Morse did in the 1960's, and you could have a lengthy conversation of which one is otter, between this or "Oh Dad, Poor Dad" which also co-starred Winters. Definitely very dated, this is the type of film that you have to be in the right mood for. But once you get through it, you'll certainly never forget it although it's unlikely that most people will watch this more than once.
A series of very amusing cameos helps make this stinging satire on human pretension quite funny although the laughs are more on the inside than on the outside. Everybody plays their roles extremely seriously. Roddy McDowell represents the new power of Hollywood, firing feel good without really even telling him he's been fired. Robert Morley plays an associate of Gielgud's who turns against Morse almost immediately after his friend's death. Unforgettably, Alleyne Gibbons as Steiger's mortally obese mother cackles along with a macaw, and is in sexual ecstasy as she consumes a loin of pork. Fans of "My Fair Lady" will recognize her as the heavyset woman who dances with Stanley Holloway during "Get Me to the Church on Time". In a dual role, Jonathan Winters is completely serious, and Milton Berle and Margaret Leighton are snooty clients of the Loved One resting place dealing with the burial of an exotic pet. There's also Barbara Nichols and James Coburn in other walk-ons.
The direction of Tony Richardson keep this movie which is rather lengthy for a comedy moving at a steady pace, but it is a film that will not be for everybody's taste. But it is definitely worthy of cult status with individual scenes standing out more than others. Gibbons was obviously the source of influence for John Waters in casting Edith Massey in many of his early comedies, and even though she's only on screen for a few minutes, she becomes unforgettable. This is just one of several odd black comedies that Robert Morse did in the 1960's, and you could have a lengthy conversation of which one is otter, between this or "Oh Dad, Poor Dad" which also co-starred Winters. Definitely very dated, this is the type of film that you have to be in the right mood for. But once you get through it, you'll certainly never forget it although it's unlikely that most people will watch this more than once.