Professor Popper's Problem

Last updated

Professor Popper's Problem
ProfessorPopper'sProblems(1975).jpg
Post-1989 title frame
Directed by Gerry O'Hara
Screenplay byLeo Maguire
Story by Richard Loncraine
Produced byRoy Simpson
Starring Charlie Drake
Adam Richens
Debra Collins
Philip da Costa
Cinematography Ken Hodges
Edited by James Needs
Music by Kenneth V. Jones
Production
companies
Distributed by BBC (1984)
Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1989)
MCA Home Video (1989)
Release date
  • 1 January 1975 (1975-January-01) [1]
Running time
91 minutes [2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget £250,000 [3]

Professor Popper's Problem [lower-alpha 1] is a 1975 [lower-alpha 2] British children's science fiction comedy [15] [7] film directed by Gerry O'Hara, starring Charlie Drake in the title role. Featuring a number of child actors, Todd Carty, Milo O'Shea, and Sydney Bromley also appear. The serial picture was produced for the Children's Film Foundation (CFF) by Roy Simpson of Mersey Film Productions, presenting a screenplay by Leo Maguire and soundtrack by Kenneth V. Jones. The story concerns an eccentric science teacher named Professor P. Popper, miniaturised with a group of pupils after accidentally consuming shrinking pills. A student apart from the group volunteers her help, as, separately, does a colleague of Popper's. As they search for an antidote, Popper and his entourage must see off multiple dangers, including criminals determined to steal his shrinking formula.

Contents

Filmed at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, Professor Popper's Problem was serialised into six 14 to 16 minute episodes for television viewing. Akin to other CFF features of the 1970s, the film broke with the Foundation's earlier releases by accurately representing aspects of working-class Britain, albeit through a science fiction narrative. Though restricted by a small budget, props and special effects defined the film; in this respect, O'Hara praised Tom Howard for his work on the picture. Reviews have been few and mixed from its release on 1 January 1975. [1] Upon immediate showings, the film was characterised as unpretentious entertainment. Conversely, the picture has since been appraised as a low-point in Drake's career, simply by his agreeing to act in something perceived as so small. These criticisms have nevertheless been matched by retrospective assessments approving of the film's realistic depictions of 1970s Britain, in addition to Drake's subsequent theatrical roles.

Plot

In a British suburban community, groundskeeper Crickle prepares for a school's re-opening after the holidays. One of its staff, Professor P. Popper, is a diminutive and bespectacled science teacher who is extremely eccentric. [16] [14] Amid brewing potions and a crowded chalkboard, he is accompanied in his jumbled workspace by a talking bird and an affectionate dog. Popper exhibits forgetful and repetitive behaviours, misremembering names and intermittently singing a ditty about Napoleon. In an elaborate bid to eradicate world hunger, he invents a shrinking powder, which when sprayed on vast food stocks facilitates a size reduction that allows for transportation by a single airplane. [3] An antidote would also be provided, restoring the aid to its original dimensions once deployed. [3] Popper and his pupil protégé, Simon, accidentally consume the powder in pill-form after it finds its way into their mugs of tea. [6] [17] A wider group of Popper's student assistants—Terry, Angus, Carol, and Peter—mistakenly join the pair in their predicament after searching for them. [18] However, Liz, another of the Professor's tutees, avoids the fate of her classmates and is consequently tasked with helping them in their plight. [19] Initially confined to Popper's chaotic laboratory, [20] the affected group are now two inches tall, each the size of an insect. [13] [2] Their environment is greatly altered as a result; a book is now like a cliff edge, the rotary dial resembles a carousel, pennies are the size of hula hoops and a cat's paw is as large as a Ford Transit. [21] [3]

Unconcerned, the Professor is happy to sing to his students about the benefits of their newfound scale. [22] Popper's colleague, Professor Crabbit (dressed in the attire of Sherlock Holmes), meanwhile sets about investigating what has happened to the cohort, arousing the suspicion of local man Rollins. [23] Having misplaced the antidote to his formula, Popper's shrinking powder further becomes a prime target of theft. [3] Covert Russian operatives bent on industrial espionage and a London gang, the latter sporting two crooks sent to miniaturise the Bank of England and sell it to the United States in a suitcase, initiate their pursuits. [3] [9] The danger is eventually supplemented by the Professor's group being chased by an enlarged tarantula, as well as a perilous roller skate ride through the capital. [3] Still, the formula is protected by Popper through this trepidation, and all the villains' plans are ultimately thwarted. Having finally discovered an antidote, normality resumes for the schoolchildren and their teacher.

Cast

Charlie drake 1986.jpg
Todd Carty.jpg
Milo O'Shea 1967.jpg
Among others, the film features Charlie Drake (left, 1986), Todd Carty (centre, 2009), and Milo O'Shea (right, 1967)

The film's cast comprises: [1] [15]

Production

Development and direction

Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire (pictured in 2011) Elstree Studios, Borehamwood-6230643248.jpg
Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire (pictured in 2011)

Filmed in 1974 at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, [3] [16] Professor Popper's Problem was serialised into six colour episodes suitable for television. [2] Eventually bought by the BBC in 1984, [9] each run between 14 and 16 minutes for a total viewing time of 91 minutes. [2] [1] [lower-alpha 3] The picture was made by Mersey Film Productions for the Children's Film Foundation (CFF), [1] [6] with Roy Simpson as producer, Roy Parkinson as associate producer, and Peter Woodley as production executive. [15] Assisted by David Bracknell, Gerry O'Hara directed, [1] [15] likely re-hired by the CFF owing to his success on their earlier project Paganini Strikes Again (1973). [16] One of O'Hara's chief responsibilities was to oversee Charlie Drake's well-being throughout production, recalling a daily routine that involved driving to Elstree and back from Drake's flat near Leicester Square and lunching with him. [24] The picture turned out to be the entertainer's last, as well as the only one which he did not write or co-write while holding a major role. [11] [25] Released on 1 January 1975, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) deemed the film "Universal" (U) and thus suitable for all viewers. [6] [1] The Motion Picture Association's (MPA) film rating system, however, has not yet classified the film, and it is therefore listed as Not Rated (NR). [14] [13]

Screenplay and visuals

The screenplay was written by Leo Maguire, based on an original story by Richard Loncraine. [1] [15] Maguire previously worked with producer Simpson on CFF film Kadoyng (1972), "demonstrating the Foundation's preference for familiar faces". [26] Ian Millsted of Infinity magazine notes that CFF screenplays of the 1970s—including Professor Popper's Problem—remedied critiques of its features of the 1950s and 60s, which suggested "that they seemed to be set on an alien world where all the children spoke the Queen’s English [...], behaved with impeccable morals and were routinely smarter than any adult". [27] According to Millsted, this was achieved by deploying "noticeably more regional accents and working class characters", relegating science-fiction elements to jovial plot points rather than intrinsic storylines. Notwithstanding, "gadgets and gimmicks became the order of the day". [28] In this Professor Popper's Problem was typical, using special effects by Tom Howard and deliberately oversized props on a "very small budget" of £250,000. [3] [15] [lower-alpha 4] O'Hara remarked that many props were borrowed since "nobody minded really as it was a CFF film", also praising Howard, "who was really talented at making the money go a long way". [24] Edited by James Needs, Ken Hodges was responsible for the picture's photography, joined by George Provis as art director and Tony Hart on title design. [15] [1]

Music

The film's music was organised by Kenneth V. Jones, providing audio alongside sound recorder Laurie Clarkson. [15] [1] Drake sang the film's theme, "I'm Big Enough for Me", opined by writers Ian Jones and Graham Kibble-White to be a quintessential "celebrity sing-a-long [...] the blessing of a star-led knees up". [22] [30] The lead "affected his best nasal upper-class vibrato", they observe, "cementing an otherwise unremarkable theme in the heads of a generation of viewers". [22] The song was also significant insofar as it became the B-side to Drake's track "You Never Know", released on 21 November 1975, notably featuring backing vocals by Peter Gabriel. [30] Sandy Denny also sang a section in this latter tune, with instrumentals by Robert Fripp, Keith Tippett, Phil Collins, and Percy Jones. [31]

Response

Leading up to release, Associated Television's Clapperboard , a children's cinema program, covered the film in November 1974. [7] This was followed in 1975 by two appearances on BBC quiz show Screen Test . [32] [33] Most journalistic assessments in the 1970s and 80s presented it as an amiable comedy without profundity. Sidney Williams, Show Business Reporter for the Daily Mirror in May 1974, wrote that "[Drake] expresses the modest hope that audiences will be reduced only to laughter. In short, it's fun". [3] Come February 1980, the pseudonymous "Professor Bullseye" had a similar view in the Acton Gazette & Post, simply recommending the film as "good entertainment". [8] In a balanced retrospective review, AllMovie's Sandra Brennan awarded Professor Popper's Problem 2.5/5 stars without extra comment. [14]

More modern reviews have been somewhat sceptical. TV Cream affords a cynical synopsis: "[Drake] notes a worrying hole in his pension plan and promptly accedes to star in this tatty affair". [21] Indeed, most commentary on the picture has focused on the seemingly waning career of Drake as a result of his participation. A popular entertainer in Britain throughout the 1960s, he was perhaps best known for starring in the original run of ITV series The Worker (1965–70). [34] Williams noted accordingly that Professor Popper's Problem was, while a "minor peak" for Drake, "without question the smallest thing he ha[d] ever done". [3] Media historians Brian McFarlane and Anthony Slide, listing the feature, disapprove of Drake's venture into films more generally: "short of stature, outrageous of demeanour and bizarre of accent, he is clearly an acquired taste; cinema audiences never acquired it in great numbers". [35]

Conversely, in an interview piece with Drake issued in April 1984, the Liverpool Echo opined the supposed triviality of the film to be a "red herring", the actor having targeted more theatrical roles. [36] [lower-alpha 5] Drake nonetheless defended the movie's sincerity: "Popper is a serious character, not really a comedy man. It is a serious subject, although in a comedy setting". [36] In this vein, film scholar Robert Shail favours Professor Popper's Problem for compensating unsubtle humour with "settings around council estates and comprehensive schools [that] were often realistically observed and facilitated audience identification", also commending the inclusion of "authentic working-class accents". [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four-minute mile</span> Completion of a mile race in under 4 minutes

A four-minute mile is the completion of a mile run (1.6 km) in four minutes or less. It translates to a speed of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). It is a standard of professional middle distance runners in several cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Bannister</span> English athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile (1929–2018)

Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile.

<i>Mastermind</i> (British game show) British quiz show

Mastermind is a British television quiz show for the BBC, currently presented by Clive Myrie. Its creator, Bill Wright, drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo during World War II. The show features an intimidating setting and challenging questions. Four contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the contestant's choice, the other a general knowledge round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Puttnam</span> British film producer (born 1941)

David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, HonFRSA, HonFRPS, MRIA is a British-Irish film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include Chariots of Fire, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, The Mission, The Killing Fields, Local Hero, Midnight Express and Memphis Belle. In 1982, he received the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, and in 2006 he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine O'Hara</span> Canadian and American actress (born 1954)

Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She is known for her comedy work on Second City Television (1976–1984) and Schitt's Creek (2015–2020) and in films such as After Hours (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Home Alone (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024). Her other film appearances include the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest: Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006).

<i>Play for Today</i> British television anthology series

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration. A handful of these plays, including Rumpole of the Bailey, subsequently became television series in their own right.

<i>The Lady from Shanghai</i> 1947 film by Orson Welles

The Lady from Shanghai is a 1947 American film noir produced and directed by Orson Welles and starring Rita Hayworth, Welles, Everett Sloane, and Glenn Anders. Welles's screenplay is based on the novel If I Die Before I Wake by Sherwood King.

The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organisation which makes films and other media for children in the United Kingdom. Originally it made films to be shown as part of children's Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 minutes long. Over time the organisation's role broadened and its name changed, first to the Children's Film and Television Foundation in the mid-80s and to the Children's Media Foundation in 2012.

Gerald O'Hara was a British film and television writer and director.

Barlow at Large, later Barlow, is a British police procedural television programme broadcast in the 1970s, starring Stratford Johns in the title role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Simpson (actor)</span> Scottish film and television actor (1931-1986)

William Nicholson Simpson was a Scottish actor, best remembered for his portrayal of the title role in the long-running BBC TV series Dr. Finlay's Casebook.

This is a list of British television related events from 1984.

This is a list of British television related events from 1960.

This is a list of British television related events from 1958.

<i>Chronicle</i> (British TV programme) British archaeology television series

Chronicle is a British television programme that was shown monthly and then fortnightly on BBC Two from 18 June 1966 until its last broadcast on 29 May 1991. Chronicle focused on popular archaeology and related subjects, and was considered an influential programme and a landmark in early television presentation of archaeology. The programme was commissioned by David Attenborough in 1966, and was produced by the Archaeological and Historical Unit headed by Paul Johnstone and later edited by Bruce Norman. Among the presenters of the programme were Magnus Magnusson, Colin Renfrew, David Drew, and John Julius Norwich.

A Band Called O was a band from Jersey, Channel Islands. Originally known as The Parlour Band, playing progressive rock, they renamed to A Band Called O for two albums on CBS/Epic and later to The O Band for further albums with UA. Despite issuing five albums, on three major labels, and being championed by John Peel, for whom they recorded four Peel Sessions, they had no chart success; but were a popular live act, who toured Britain and Europe. Derek Ballard is now retired and lives with his wife in Bremen Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Shail</span> English actor

Gary Shail is an English actor, director, producer and musician.

<i>The Adventures of Hal 5</i> 1958 British film by Don Sharp

The Adventures of Hal 5 is a 1958 British children's adventure film directed by Don Sharp and starring William Russell and John Glyn-Jones. It was produced for the Children's Film Foundation (CCF) and was written by Sharp based on the 1955 novel Hal 5 and the Haywards by Henry Donald.

<i>Hijack!</i> (1975 film) 1975 British childrens film by Michael Forlong

Hijack! is a 1975 children's drama film directed, written and produced by Michael Forlong and starring Richard Morant, James Forlong and Tracy Peel.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ In 1989, the film was distributed in Canada on VHS by Cineplex-Odeon Home Video and MCA Home Video as Professor Popper's Problems. [4] The same title was adopted in the United States, where it was broadcast on The Disney Channel. [5] [6] These North American versions followed confusion over the film's title in British references; Problems was routinely cited even prior to the picture's export, [7] [8] [9] while other misnomers have included Professor Popper's Pills and Professor Popper's Potions. [10] [3]
  2. ↑ Denis Gifford offers a specific release date of 1 January 1975, [1] while John Bannister erroneously gives January 1974, [6] the film being far from completed at this time. [3] Sources are divided on which of the two years is correct. Gifford reasserts 1975 in Drake's obituary, [11] joined by film writer Howard Maxford and The Daily Mirror reporter Kenneth Hughes; [9] [12] 1974 is given by most other sources, although reruns have had the picture wrongly dated to both 1984 and 1988. [13] [14]
  3. ↑ Stored on Eastman film, these shorts are, in narrative order: Into the Unknown (15 minutes), Descent to Danger (16 minutes), The Monster (16 minutes), Pursued (15 minutes), Follow that Skate (15 minutes) and The Magic Powder (14 minutes). [1] Sandra Brennan of AllMovie incorrectly notes a collective running time of 90 minutes. [14]
  4. ↑ £250,000 in 1974 equated approximately to £2,625,000 in 2019; this figure accounts for the increase in Retail Price Index (RPI) percentage between the two years. [29]
  5. ↑ 1983 saw Drake earn critical acclaim for playing Davies in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. [36] [37] This prompted the BBC to cast him as Smallweed in their 1985 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House . [36] With this, Bannister opines Drake "was well on the way to successfully reinventing himself as a dramatic actor". [38]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Gifford, Denis, ed. (2016). The British Film Catalogue: Fiction Film, 1895–1994. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). London: Routledge. p. 851. ISBN   978-1-31-774063-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Willis, Donald C. (1982). Horror and Science Fiction Films. Vol. 2. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. p. 314. ISBN   978-0-81-081517-9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Williams, Sidney (29 May 1974). "Big-Time Charlie Hits the Small-Time" . Daily Mirror . p. 17. Retrieved 9 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "Professor Popper's Problems". Amazon. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Professor Popper's Problems". The Disney Channel Magazine . No. 57. 9 October 1988. p. 56 – via Internet Archive.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Bannister, John (2012). "The Little Man Comedies of Charlie Drake and their Relation to the Unconscious" (PDF) (unpublished PhD thesis). Salford: University of Salford. p. 191. doi:10.1016/j.apunsm.2024.100450. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 "TV and Radio" . Birmingham Daily Post . 4 November 1974. p. 16. Retrieved 9 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. 1 2 Professor Bullseye (14 February 1980). "Children's films" . Acton Gazette & Post. p. 24. Retrieved 9 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Hughes, Kenneth (3 April 1984). "Tiny problem for Charlie" . Daily Mirror . p. 19. Retrieved 9 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ Noble, Peter, ed. (1982). 1982–83 Screen International Film and TV Yearbook. London: Screen International. p. 350. ISBN   978-0-90-092514-6.
  11. 1 2 Gifford, Denis (26 December 2006). "Charlie Drake". The Independent . Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  12. ↑ Maxford, Howard (2018). Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. p. 240. ISBN   978-1-47-662914-8.
  13. 1 2 3 "Focus/TV, Comics & Puzzles" (PDF). Manchester Herald. Manchester, CT. 24 September 1988. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Brennan, Sandra. "Professor Popper's Problems (1984)". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Professor Popper's Problems (1974)". British Film Institute (BFI). Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 Shail, Robert (2016). The Children's Film Foundation: History and Legacy (1st ed.). London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 113. ISBN   978-1-83-871866-4.
  17. ↑ "Professor Popper's Problems". BBC Genome Project. 10 April 1984. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Professor Popper's Problems". BBC Genome Project. 10 June 1986. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "Professor Popper's Problems". BBC Genome Project. 24 April 1984. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  20. ↑ "Professor Popper's Problem (1974)". MUBI. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Professor Popper's Problems". TV Cream. 13 May 2009. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  22. 1 2 3 Jones, Ian; Kibble-White, Graham (June 2001). "What's that Noise?". Off the Telly. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  23. ↑ "Echo 24-hour TV guide" . Liverpool Echo . 10 April 1984. p. 14. Retrieved 11 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. 1 2 Shail 2016, p. 114.
  25. ↑ Bannister 2012, p. 1.
  26. ↑ Shail 2016, p. 77.
  27. ↑ Millsted, Ian (2017). "When Children Ruled the World" (PDF). Infinity. No. 6. p. 64. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  28. ↑ Millsted 2017, p. 65.
  29. ↑ "Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present". MeasuringWorth. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  30. 1 2 Easlea, Daryl (19 July 2018). "Another Me: Peter Gabriel's Gap Year 1975–1976" . Prog . No. 89. p. 45. Retrieved 12 January 2021– via PressReader.
  31. ↑ Easlea 2018, p. 44.
  32. ↑ "Screen Test". BBC Genome Project. 14 July 1975. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  33. ↑ "Screen Test". BBC Genome Project. 1 September 1975. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  34. ↑ Bannister 2012, pp. 80–81.
  35. ↑ McFarlane, Brian; Slide, Anthony, eds. (2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film (4th ed.). Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 2007. ISBN   978-1-52-611196-8.
  36. 1 2 3 4 "Charlie–happy at playing it straight" . Liverpool Echo . 14 April 1984. p. 6. Retrieved 12 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  37. ↑ Bannister 2012, p. 23.
  38. ↑ Bannister 2012, p. 236.
  39. ↑ Shail 2016, p. 28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.