Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1969)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1969
Running Times: 102 mins
Length: 9159 ft / 2792 metres
Format: Eastmancolor     35mm
Ratio:
Sound:

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Fitzroy Films / Francis Films / Brigitte Films / Ronald J. Kahn Productions
Producer: Ronald J. Kahn
Associate Producer: Peter J. Thompson
Production Manager: Jilda Smith

SCRIPT
Script: Brian Comport
Play: Happy Family by Maisie Mosco

DIRECTION
Director: Freddie Francis
Assistant Director: John Stoneman

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: David Muir

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Tristam Cones

MUSIC
Music: Bernard Ebbinghouse

SOUND
Sound: John Brommage

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Phil Leakey

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Maggie Pinhorn
Set Decorator: Dimity Collins
Title Designer: Michael Bastow

CAST
Michael Bryant (New Friend)
Ursula Howells (Mumsy)
Pat Heywood (Nanny)
Howard Trevor (Sonny)
Vanessa Howard (Girly)
Robert Swann (Soldier)
Imogen Hassall (Girl-Friend)
Michael Ripper (zoo attendant
Hugh Armstrong (Friend no. 5)

PLOT SUMMARY

Teenaged siblings Girly and Sonny lure young men back to their home to meet the eccentric Mumsy and Nanny. There, the men are forced to take part in strange games, the rules of which are never defined - and if they refuse, or transgress the unwritten rules, they're killed. But they may have met their match in New Friend, their latest victim, who starts to manipulate the foursome, setting one against the other.

CAPSULE REVIEW

Bizarre combination of late sixties avant garde and sleaze. Director Freddie Francis had made horrors for both Hammer and Amicus but this is nothing like any of them. Shot on location with an atmosphere mixing playground horror and conservatory theatre that is downright weird and unsettling. The great lost girl of sixties British horror, Vanessa Howard, shines as she does in those other rarely seen gems Corruption (1967) and What Became of Jack and Jill (1972). If Harold Pinter had made The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) for the BBC this could have resulted. Excellent and unique.

Netherlands
Video Distributor: EVC

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Cinerama

UK
Rating: X

USA
Rating: R

TIMELINE

1969
May
16: UK - production ends

POSTER TAGS

Everyone is dying to meet girly...

She takes up where Baby Jane leaves off!

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Girly

LINKS

SEE ALSO
Mum and Dad (2007)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Films and Filming vol.16 no.19 (June 1970) p.82 (UK)
credits, review

Hollywood Reporter vol.209 no.47 (18 February 1970) p.12 (USA)
credits, review

Is It Uncut? no.5 pp.17-19 (UK)
review

Kine Weekly no.3259 (28 March 1970) p.10 (UK)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.37 no.434 (March 1970) p.17 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Motion Picture Herald vol.240 no.8 (25 February 1970) p.380 (USA)
credits, review

Shivers no.51 pp.24-27 (UK)
illustrated article

Today's Cinema no.9792 (3 April 1970) p.14 (UK)
review

Today's Cinema no.9674 (19 May 1969) p.14 (UK)
credits

Variety 18 February 1970 p.15 (USA)
credits, review

BOOKS

British National Film Catalogue vol.16 (1978)
credits

English Gothic pp.157-159
illustrated credits, review (by Jonathan Rigby)

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.165
credits

KEYWORDS

play into film; families; axes; axe murders; decapitation