A Piece of Cake (1948) ⭐ 5.2 | Comedy, Fantasy

Cyril Fletcher, in this period, held a minor celebrity for the nonsense poems he wrote and recited on the BBC. Here, he pretty much plays himself. It's his birthday and he composes a poem about a Merlin Mound, who appears at Fletcher's birthday party in the person of Laurence Naismith, and provides a lavish spread and clothes for the female guests to model.

Unfortunately, rationing is still in force, so the next morning, John Pertwee -- in his first credited screen appearance -- shows up demanding records of Fletcher and his wife (played by Fletcher's actual wife, Betty Astell. Things get even worse when some spivs show up to demand the return of their goods, ration cards and cash, while Fletcher's attempts to fix the problem by composing more nonsense rhymes go awry.

This short (44 minutes) feature has not aged particularly well. Fletcher aside (who late in his career played Lewis Carroll), no one seems to have much of a sense for the logic of nonsense, replacing silliness with frenzy. Even so, it has its moments.

• boblipton
• Mar 24, 2017
• Permalink