Film / Please Turn Over

Please turn over, but please take care not to injure yourselves laughing.

Jo: No, Mrs. Waring, you've got it all wrong. My book was a made-up story from start to finish.

Mrs. Waring: Oh, come now, darling. You couldn't make up all that up at your age.

— Jo Halliday trying to explain that her book is a work of fiction to Mrs. Waring, to no avail.

Please Turn Over is a 1959 film starring Ted Ray, Jean Kent, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Julia Lockwood, Tim Seely, and Guest Star Charles Hawtrey. Despite being produced and directed by Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas, and having a few of the films' stars, this film was not part of the Carry On... Series.

Young Jo Halliday (Lockwood) feels unfulfilled living at home with her officious father Edward (Ray), ditzy mother Janet (Kent), and fitness-obsessed aunt Gladys Worth (June Jago), and their home is frequently visited by their maid, Beryl (Sims).

Due to this, Jo writes a book, Naked Revolt, about Blanche Gaunt (also Lockwood) who discovers the truth about everyone in her life. Her father, Roger (also Ray), is having an affair with his secretary, Stella Hopkins (Dilys Laye), and takes her to an expensive jeweller (Hawtrey); her mother, Rita (also Kent) is having an affair with "Uncle" Willie (Lionel Jeffries); and her Aunt Una (also Jago) is pining over Dr. Adam Gay (Phillips).

Jo leaves town for London with a playwright, Robert Hughes (Seely), who wants to turn Naked Revolt into a play, Decay, just as people who read the book mistake the fiction within for reality. Hilarity Ensues as Edward is found under suspicion of embezzlement, Janet is accused of having an affair with driving instructor Ian Howard (also Jeffries), and Dr. Henry Manners (also Phillips) is now seen as a womanizing playboy.

---

Naked Tropes:

• Accidental Misnaming: After reading Naked Revolt, Edward accidentally calls Ian and Dr. Manners by their Naked counterparts, "Uncle Willie" and "Dr. Gay", respectively.
• Affectionate Nickname: Two from Naked Revolt:
  • Stella calls Roger "Rogey-Podgy".
  • Aunt Una calls Blanche "Blanchey".
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Two from Naked Revolt:
  • Aunt Una gets drunk in Dr. Gay's office and makes a spectacle of herself in front of Blanche, eventually passing out on the floor.
  • After Stella leaves Roger, he drinks scotch until he can hardly walk straight and mistakes a mirror for a coatrack.
• All There in the Script: The script reveals that uncle Willie's full name is "Major Willoughby Harcourt-Bottomley".
• Always Someone Better: Edward is forever comparing Jo to his secretary, Miss Jones, who is far less klutzy and much more professional.
• Amicable Exes: Janet used to go out with Ian before she married Edward. Despite this, the two are still friends and he even teaches her how to drive.
• Ask a Stupid Question...: When Gladys asks Edward and Janet if they've read Naked Revolt:
  Gladys: Have you read it?
  Edward: No, we've been playing Happy Families!
• Author Avatar: In-Universe, the heroine of Naked Revolt is Blanche Gaunt, who Jo based on herself.
• Blatant Lies: When Janet catches Jo awake early and reading the paper, she asks what she's doing. Jo very obviously hides the newspaper and claims to be laying the table, before dashing out of the hall.
• Chatty Hairdresser: After Naked Revolt is published, several women such as Mrs. Brent and Mrs. Waring try to get hair appointments with Jo in the hopes she will give them more gossip about her family.
• Cigarette of Anxiety: When Uncle Willie tells Rita that he can't keep seeing her until she divorces Roger and marries him in Naked Revolt, her first instinct is to ask for a cigarette.
• Comically Missing the Point:
  • Janet doesn't see why she can't stop in the middle of her driving lesson for a quick chat:
    Janet: Oh, by the way, did y-
    Ian: No, Janet, we're in the middle of the road.
    Janet: Oh, well, that doesn't matter. It's a very quiet street.
  • Also from Janet's driving lesson:
    Ian: Get off the pavement. Get off the-
    Janet: There's nobody on it.
    Ian: That's not the point, get off the flippin' pavement!
  • When Robert talks about royalties for Decay, the play he intends to produce based on Naked Revolt, Jo believes he means that Elizabeth II will be coming to see it.
  • In Naked Revolt, when the barman asks Roger, "Bitter?", meaning if he'd like to drink some, Roger replies that he is bitter.
  • Also, in Naked Revolt, when Madeline tells a drunken Roger that Blanche is running away, he wonders if she has enough money to.
• Companion Cube: In Naked Revolt, Aunt Una's only friend is the skeleton in Dr. Gay's office, who she calls "Boney".
• Curse Cut Short: Two times in Naked Revolt:
  • Stella stops herself short of calling Blanche a "little bitch" after she pulls her hair.
  • Blanche can't bring herself to call herself a "bastard" after she learns that her father isn't Roger, but actually "Uncle" Willie.
• Dogged Nice Girl: Gladys works with Dr. Manners and is just mad about him and is deeply hurt when she believes he is having an affair with Mrs. Moore. Her Naked Revolt counterpart, Aunt Una, takes it a step further and turns to gin to hide her pain over how she longs for him.
• Dope Slap: When Dr. Gay tries to flirt with Blanche in Naked Revolt, he tells her to be back in his office in thirty minutes. Blanche is offended and slaps him, so he changes his answer to twenty minutes.
• Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Mrs. Moore wrestles Dr. Manners to the ground and kisses him while he tells her to stop, which is all Played for Laughs.
• Driven to Suicide: In Naked Revolt, Blanche briefly considers drowning herself in the lake after learning of Roger's affair with Stella.
• Drives Like Crazy: Janet is still learning to drive, and leaves her instructor, Ian, a bundle of nerves at the end of each lesson:
  Ian: You must always get into neutral when the car's stationary.
  Janet: Ah, I see.
  Ian: Yeah. I have told you that before, Janet. Should be instinctive by now.
  Janet: Well, Ian, I've only had fifteen lessons. You can't expect me to have learnt everything yet.
• Driving Test:
  • Janet takes driving lessons with Ian with the hope that she'll pass her test on her first try.
  • In Naked Revolt, Rita uses driving tests as an excuse to leave the house and have relations with "Uncle" Willie.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Two from Naked Revolt:
  • Aunt Una knocks back bottles of gin to get over the pain of Dr. Gay sleeping around with other women.
  • Roger has to drink after Stella leaves him to go off with Rod:
    Roger: Keep them coming 'til that's all used up.
    Barman: Bitter?
    Roger: Yeah, what do you think? (Beat) No, no, scotch, make it scotch. Large ones, the largest you've got.
• Embarrassing Nickname: Roger in Naked Revolt has "Rogey-Podgy":
  Stella: I know, poor Rogey-Podgy.
  Roger: Don't say that. Rogey, not podgy. I'm fit!
• Erotic Dream: Mrs. Moore is so crazy for Dr. Manners that she has dreams about him:
  Mrs. Moore: I dream about you, Doctor.
• Faint in Shock:
  • When Ian reveals to her that the author of Naked Revolt is actually her Jo Halliday and not someone with the same name, Janet faints and has to be caught to avoid going face-first into the pavement.
  • She also faints when she learns that Jo's left home for London with Robert.
• Fauxreigner: Pierre in Naked Revolt uses a fake French accent in front of customers.
• Fictional Document:
  • Naked Revolt, the book Jo writes using people she knows as the basis for her characters that drives the plot of the film.
  • Gladys reads Diet & Exercise for the Growing Girl when relaxing on the couch.
  • L for Lust, the book Jo plans to write after Naked Revolt.
• The Film of the Play: The film was based on Basil Thomas' play Book of the Month.
• First-Name Basis: Robert hopes to get on one with Jo to get closer to her:
  Robert: Well, it's certainly contemporary, Miss, er... may I call you "Josephine"?
  Jo: Oh, "Jo" would be better.
• French Maid: Beryl's Naked Revolt counterpart is one, the glamorous Madeline.
• Gold Digger: Stella from Naked Revolt only seems to be sleeping with Roger because of all the wonderful things he gets for her:
  Blanche: My Daddy... sugar daddy!
• Gossipy Hens: The local women all become them after Naked Revolt is published and become fascinated with the Hallidays' private lives:
  Janet: It's not what we think that matters, it's what they think.
• Gratuitous French: Madeline in Naked Revolt often speaks in French. As Rita mentions her family has French blood, presumably the Gaunts can understand her when she does so:
  Madeline: I do not understand. I know not if I am on my derrière or my elbow.
• Handsome Lech: Dr. Gay in Naked Revolt, who makes love to all his female patients and tries to put the moves on Blanche when she calls him out for this:
  Blanche: You rotten devil, you. Call yourself a doctor?
  Dr. Gay: "Doctor", "layman". What difference does it make as long as the treatment's right? An' I can give you that, pretty one...
• Hangover Sensitivity: When Gladys complains that the sound of Edward and Janet's row is making her head feel as if it was splitting, Edward assumes she's been drinking too much and without water.
• Here We Go Again!: Once all the drama from Naked Revolt blows over, Jo reveals her plans for a new book:
  Jo: I might be able... Yes, I can see it now: "L for Lust, by Josephine Halliday, author of Naked Revolt".
  Gladys: Enough is enough!
  Dr. Manners: Have a heart!
• Hidden Depths: Despite Gladys' outgoing personality, she is actually quite shy underneath it all and considers herself a "jolly good fraud".
• Hospital Hottie: After Naked Revolt is published, Dr. Manners' practice is swarmed with female patients who want to get with him. His Naked counterpart, Dr. Gay, plays the trope straight and makes love to several beautiful women in his office.
• Hypocritical Humour: Gladys tells Edward that television is very bad for the eyes, right before holding her copy of Diet & Exercise for the Growing Girl right up to her face to read it.
• I Have No Son!: Edward declares this about Jo after he and his family are made a mockery in her book, Naked Revolt:
  Gladys: I have some digestive biscuits in my room, Edward. They will suffice until I finish reading your daughter's book.
  Edward: What's all this "your daughter's" stuff, may I ask? She's your niece, you know! And there aren't any writers in my family!
• Ironic Name: The womanizing, playboy doctor from Naked Revolt is Dr. Adam Gay.
• I Will Show You X!: After Beryl gets a phone call meant for Jo concerning Naked Revolt:
  Beryl: "Naked"! I'll give 'im "naked"!
• The Klutz: Jo often acts without concentrating, which leads to trouble:
  Edward: Girl!
  Jo: What?
  Edward: "What"? Look! Look what you've done!
  Jo: Well, I'm sorry, I wasn't concentrating.
  Edward: Exactly. Exactly. That's your trouble, your entire trouble. You never concentrate and look what happens. Nasty soggy paper! An' I haven't even read it.
• Lady Drunk: In Naked Revolt, Aunt Una gets terribly drunk in Dr. Gay's office and spills gin on herself.
• Last-Name Basis: In Naked Revolt, Stella refuses to be on first-name terms with Blanche:
  Blanche: Hello, Stella.
  Stella: "Miss Hopkins", if you don't mind.
• Lingerie Scene: Mrs. Moore is stripped down to her black lingerie when Dr. Manners gives her a checkup.
• Love Hurts: Aunt Una in Naked Revolt is madly in love with Dr. Gay, and drinks to soften the pain it brings her.
  Aunt Una: Of course, I'm sick. Sick with... sick with love! I love him.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: While Blanche eavesdrops on Rita and Uncle Willie in Naked Revolt, she learns about more than just their affair:
  Rita: Who are you to tell me how to bring up my own daughter? You're not her mother.
  Uncle Willie: No... but I am her father.
• Meaningful Name: In Naked Revolt, Aunt Una nicknames the skeleton in Dr. Gay's office "Boney", as he is made of bones.
• Mondegreen Gag: When News of the World calls the Halliday household and Beryl answers the phone:
  Beryl: "Sterilization"? I am list'nin'! Oh, "serialization".
• Musical Chores: Beryl hums to herself whilst tidying Edward and Janet's bedroom.
• Newhart Phone Call:
  • Whenever Beryl picks up the phone calls intended for Jo from Pinewood Studios and News of the World, the audience only sees her half of the conversation, which involves her being thoroughly confused, annoyed, and disgusted.
  • Maurice's phone calls trying to book appointments to see Jo are also only shown from his end.
• No Full Name Given:
  • We don't get to know Beryl, Maurice, Aunt Una, Uncle Willie, Madeline, Rod, or Eve's last names.
  • The same can be said for Mr. Appleton, Mrs. Brent, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Waring, Mr. Jones, and Mrs. Tomlinson's first names.
• Not Distracted by the Sexy: Mrs. Moore tries to seduce Dr. Manners while wearing her lingerie, but to her dismay, he doesn't seem interested in her.
• Not What It Looks Like: Gladys walks in on Dr. Manners on the floor with Mrs. Moore, however, Dr. Manners wasn't trying anything with her, she had forced him to the ground against his wishes.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: Edward doesn't mind Janet's sister, Gladys, too much, but she does frustrate him when he isn't able to get to the bathroom before her.
• The Oldest Profession: When Blanche runs away from home in Naked Revolt, she has to turn to prostitution to earn money.
• Old Shame: Robert sees his plays as this, as he isn't writing what he wants to, but rather what the public wants to see.
• One-Steve Limit: When Janet learns that Naked Revolt was written by a "Josephine Halliday", her first thought is that it is simply someone with the same name as her daughter, seeing as Jo normally hardly ever likes to write.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Jo's first name is actually "Josephine", but only Maurice, her boss at the hair salon, calls her such, and she only uses it herself on the cover of Naked Revolt.
• Papa Wolf: After Mr. Jones reads Naked Revolt, he believes that Miss Jones (his daughter and Edward's secretary) has been taken advantage of by Edward, leading for him to track down Edward and punch him in the face.
• Plot Hole:
  • Jo wouldn't have been able to publish her book without her parents knowing as she is under 21 and wouldn't be allowed to sign a contract.
  • When Jo learns in at the end of the film that people had mistaken the events of Naked Revolt for reality, she acts as if it is new information, despite Mrs. Waring telling her that she believed it was all true much earlier in the hair salon.
• Plot-Triggering Book: The main conflict is caused when Jo publishes Naked Revolt and her readers believe what she has written using real people as inspiration for her characters is all true.
• Pretty in Mink: Roger buys mink coats for Stella, his bit on the side, in Naked Revolt.
• Relationship Upgrade: After Gladys confesses her love to Dr. Manners, he reveals to her that the feeling is mutual and the two embrace, leading to a kiss.
• Relatively Flimsy Excuse: Two examples both from Naked Revolt:
  • Rita's lover, Willie, is passed off as an uncle to hide the truth from Blanche.
  • Stella tells a saleswoman that Roger is her uncle, so she won't be suspicious of the mink coats he's buying for her.
• Rhymes on a Dime: Gladys when trying to get Dr. Manners enthusiastic at the prospect of seeing more patients than usual:
  Dr. Manners: Come, come, Miss Worth. You can't be sure.
  Gladys: Ours not to be quite sure, ours but to... to... kill or cure!
• Sarcasm Mode: After being asked by Gladys if he'd read Naked Revolt, Edward snarkily responds that he and Janet hadn't and had been playing Happy Families instead.
• Shout-Out:
  • Dr. Gay in Naked Revolt treats a patient called "Eve", making them Adam and Eve.
  • When accusing Edward of sleeping with Miss Jones, Janet remarks she's been married to him for nineteen years, which is, as she puts it, "nearly three times The Seven Year Itch".
  • When Gladys asks Edward and Janet if they've read Naked Revolt, Edward sarcastically responds that they've been playing Happy Families instead.
  • When Dr. Manners demands a national apology in the national press for the depiction of his counterpart, Dr. Adam Gay, in Naked Revolt, Edward asks if he'd prefer four minutes on ITV of him licking his boots.
  • In London, theatres show Flora Robson and Beatrix Lehmann starring in The Aspern Papers and Elizabeth Seal and Keith Mitchell starring in Irma la Douce.
• Sleeping Single: When Edward is trying to accuse Janet of not loving him anymore, he brings up how she made him buy single beds a year ago, although Janet meant nothing of the sort by the beds and only got them for her insomnia.
• Sleeping with the Boss:
  • After reading Naked Revolt, Mr. Jones and Janet are convinced that Edward is having an affair with Miss Jones.
  • Stella from Naked Revolt sleeps with Roger so he'll buy all sorts of expensive things for her:
    Blanche: You dare to suggest that... my father... and you, his secretary-?
    Stella: Confidential secretary, cookie. Hmm, very confidential.
• Special Guest: Charles Hawtrey as the jeweller.
• Stealth Insult: On the topic of the progress of Janet's driving lessons:
  Janet: And I do think I'm doing awfully well, don't you?
  Ian: Oh, awfully.
• Suddenly Shouting: During Janet's driving lesson, Ian switches back and forth between terrified orders and sudden bursts of warnings.
• Tagline: "Psssst!... it's so saucy it SIZZLES!".
• Talk to the Fist: Mr. Jones decks Edward in the face when he believes he's been having an affair with Miss Jones.
• Teen Pregnancy: When Beryl first meets Robert, she doesn't trust him and believes that he only wants to get Jo pregnant.
• Title Drop: Not in the film itself, but in Jo's book, Naked Revolt:
  Blanche's Voiceover: I hated them all for their hypocrisy and swore there and then that I would not be a hypocrite. I too would revolt against convention, but openly. Mine would be a naked revolt.
• Twerp Sweating: When Edward meets Robert, he sends Jo, Janet, and Gladys off to bed to learn of his prospects. When he learns that Robert earnt £20,000 last year, Edward doesn't know what to say.
• Verbal Backspace: Ian when he has to cover up how he feels about Janet's chances of passing her Driving Test:
  Janet: Won't Edward be surprised when I pass the test first time?
  Ian: He won't be the only one.
  Janet: Hmm?
  Ian: Jo, Gladys, lovely surprise for everybody.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: All Jo really wants is for Edward to think highly of her the same way he does of Miss Jones:
  Jo: I don't know if I can ever match up to Millicent Jones, Daddy, but I think you might be proud of me just the same, and quite soon, but... be... be patient with me.
• Who Would Be Stupid Enough?: When Jo doesn't believe that people could mistake the events of Naked Revolt for the truth:
  Jo: Nobody with any common sense could possibly-
  Edward: People don't have sense! They have nasty minds!
• Write Who You Know: In-Universe, the characters in Naked Revolt are based on people Jo knows - Roger Gaunt is based on Edward, Rita Gaunt is based on Janet, Aunt Una is based on Gladys, Uncle Willie is based on Ian, Stella Hopkins is based on Miss Jones, Dr. Adam Gay is based on Dr. Manners, Madeline is based on Beryl, and Pierre is based on Maurice:
  Dr. Manners: Mr. Halliday, it's painfully obvious to me, and to the whole population of this district, that the character of Dr. Adam Gay is intended to represent me.
  Edward: That hadn't occurred to me.

---