CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : THE BAWDY ADVENTURES OF TOM JONES .. UNIVERSAL .. UK 1976 ..

 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Presents

THE BAWDY ADVENTURES OF TOM JONES

Starring
NICKY HENSON as Tom Jones
JOAN COLLINS as Black Bess
TREVOR HOWARD as Squire Westin
GEORGIA BROWN as Jenny Jones

TERRY THOMAS as MR Square

ARTHUR LOWE as DR Thwackum
WILLIAM MERVYN as Squire Alworthy
MURRAY MELVIN as Blifil
MADELINE SMITH as Sophia
GERALDINE MC EWAN as Lady Bellaston
JEREMY LLOYD as Lord Fellemar

HILDA FENEMORE as MRS Belcher

GLADYS HENSEN as Cook

MICHAEL BATES as Madman

ISABEL DEAN as Bridget

ARNOLD DIAMOND as Noisy Reveller

JAMES HAYTER as Briggs

ARTHUR HOWARD as Old Vicar

FRANK THORNTON as Whitlow

DONALD BISSETT as Gentleman of the Hunt

JUDY BUXTON as Lizzie

Assistant Director - Anthony Waye

Music by Ron Granier

Based on the Stage Play 'Tom Jones' by Don MacPherson

Words and Music by Paul Holden

Adapted from the Novel by Henry Fielding

Screenplay by Jeremy Lloyd

Art Director - Jack Shampan

Costumes by Beatrice Dawson

Edited by Bill Blunden   Produced by Robert Sadoff

                    Directed by Cliff Owen

(c) 1976 Universal  94 Mins  Colour

Follow the exploits of Tom Jones.. as he runs from one bed to another.. in his quest for love! Branded a thief and a scoundrel, Tom must prove his innocence, with the help of an unlikely accomplice, Black Bess! Fun and frolics in The Bawdy Adventures Of Tom Jones!

Back in 1963, 'Tom Jones' starring Albert Finney and Susannah York, won a clutch of Oscar's and Bafta's. This film is based on a stage musical of the novel and was not as successful. Joan has some of the more memorable scenes as she plays the fiesty, scheming highwaywoman Black Bess.

 Joan commented on the film.

" I was delighted when producer Robert Sadoff offered me the role of a gutsy highwaywoman! You could say, I am a kind of female Errol Flynn! It is a light role, with a nice touch of comedy. I have been yearning to do a comedy role. In horror films there is only so many ways you can portray fright! In comedy you have to stretch yourself, to be funny is more difficult!"

Before appearing in this film, Joan made guest appearances in most of the popular TV series of the time including, 'Ellery Queen', 'Switch', 'Space 1999' and 'Baretta'. This film was the last screen appearance of veteran character actress Gladys Hensen, who had appeared in Joan's first film, the 1951 comedy drama 'Lady Godiva Rides Again'. 

Joan with Nicky Henson

Joan's co-star Nicky Henson recalls..
"The movie was so cheap, they decided to do all the bed scenes in one day! So all they did was change the sheets and the bedspread! So in one day I went to bed with Georgia Brown, Geraldine Mc Ewan and Joan Collins!"

Review:  Los Angeles Free Press Oct 1976 ..

Lucie K Scheur..

Any resemblance between soon-to-be-released The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones and Tony Richardson’s witty and boisterously funny 1963 Tom Jones, so faithful to the Henry Fielding classic, appears to be merely accidental. Both period pieces adequately represent the decadence of lifestyles, the carnal desires and the lustiness of the females in pursuit of Tom Jones. The original mixed sophisticated humor with farce, sexual strivings with gourmandizing and fox hunting. It showed the animalistic, emotional and passionate side of human nature. Unfortunately, Bawdy Adventures succumbs to a series of silly innuendos, double entendres and nonsensical sight gags, unimaginative. and trite. Still that’s not to say the film doesn’t have its hilarious moments. From the moment our hero, or rather our reluctant victim Tom, a bastard betrothed to a lady of position, learns he is forbidden to marry her, his antics provide most of the laughter. He spends the remainder of the film trying to reach her via a few bedrooms, a number of trysts, a masked ball, a roll in the hay, of course the old familiar fox hunt and a short stint in a prison cell. Albert Finney’s Tom was a number of characters rolled into one and it was easy to discern the rogue from the well meaning young lad. Nicky Henson, as Tom in the latter version, is able to show us his noble intentions toward his beloved, his surprise in being sought after by a group of sexstarved females and his confusion in dealing with them. For the most part the extent of his acting is either maintaining a reclining position or jumping in and out of bedrooms. Trevor Howard is the marvelously mischievous old codger who has forbidden Tom to marry his daughter. He has a weakness for slapping busty young wenches on the behind and is always in amorous pursuit of virtuous young maids. • Madeline Smith plays Sophia, Tom’s fiancee, a giddy, gay and altogether frivolous female, but arduous in her efforts to marry Tom at any cost. Cliff Owen, director, has captured some clever comic strip scenes; one where Tom finds himself locked in a cell with an ancient prisoner who claims he’s only 26. He leads Tom through a canal he has dug, not to freedom but to a shop with wines and sumptuous foods. Terry-Thomas, who has been a welcome asset to many British comedies is his old spry, incorrigible self as Tom’s teacher who doesn’t believe in sparing the, rod for anything. Although the film is based on the stage musical, the songs are lyrically bland, musically simple. Since they are few and far between they neither add to nor detract from the film. Bawdy Adventures has received its R rating for its occasional flashes of nudity and references to soft-core sex. Those who enjoyed the British Carry On series or the early films of Richard Lester may very well find this film appealing.

Although 'Bawdy Adventures' got a vhs release in the 80's in the USA and europe, it has yet to get a dvd release, so one would hope the film will get a release at some stage.. Watch this space!

UK Video Sleeve 80's