Your Past Is Showing, 1957


If you’ve enjoyed Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther movies, you’ll like this funny movie about hiding from your past.

Dennis Price plays a blackmailer who works for a gossip rag. He finds people who don't want their dirty laundry aired, and he threatens to air it unless he’s paid off.

Terry-Thomas, who plays wealthy Lord Henry, is trying to hide his bad moments from his wife. He is told by a young woman about the others who are being blackmailed. Each of the parties being blackmailed tries a special secret revenge plot. All of the parties are unaware, at first, that each revenge plot affects someone else's revenge plot. A famous writer asks her daughter to drug the unsuspecting blackmailer and dump his body in a trunk. Peter Sellers is Sonny MacGregor, a talk show host and master of disguise, who tries to make a bomb to do away with Dennis. Lord Henry’s revenge scheme affects the girl's boyfriend. The author’s scheme affects Lord Henry. And so on.

In addition to the wild plot and humorous writing, there were other delightful parts of this movie. Lord Henry’s wife, Lady Lucy wears fabulous clothes. Very well-dressed woman. I enjoyed her clothes along with the British humor. Somehow, it seemed to help balance it.

In case you need it spelled out for you, here’s the warning. This very funny British movie is not for intellectuals. It’s just silly.

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