On the Game

1974 British comedy film by Stanley Long

On the Game

Directed by| Stanley Long
Written by| Suzanne Mercer
Produced by| Stanley Long
Barry Jacobs
Starring| Lloyd Lamble
Gloria Walker
Olive McFarland
Carmen Silvera
David Brierly
Fiona Victory
Peter Duncan
Narrated by| Charles Gray

Production
company

Salon Productions

Release date

* 1974 (1974)

Running time

| 88 mins
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English

On the Game is a 1974 British comedy drama film directed by Stanley Long and starring Charles Gray.[1] It was written by Suzanne Mercer,[2] who spent two years researching it.[3] [4] The film is a dramatised comedy documentary about prostitution through the ages. 23 minutes of hardcore footage, shot for the film was discovered in 2024. https://under-the-counter.com/2024/12/09/lost-continental-footage-found/

## Cast

[edit]

* Charles Gray as narrator
* Lloyd Lamble as Gladstone
* Gloria Walker as Jenny
* Olive McFarland as Mrs. Dubery
* Carmen Silvera as Mrs. Berkley
* Paddy Ryan as Accomplice
* David Brierly as Prince of Wales
* Fiona Victory as Giulia Barucci
* Heather Chasen as Madame
* Peter Duncan as Francois
* Louise Pajo as Shirley
* Jeremy Nicholas as Policeman
* Flanagan as Lil
* Nicola Austin as Messalina
* Val Penny as Prostitute
* Lucienne Camille as Therapist

## Production

[edit]

Mercer said, "Had I lived in 16th century Italy, or in the 1860's in France I probably would have been a courtesan ... I don’t think On the Game is anti-feminist ... In my view, no woman need be oppressed or repressed. I’m a chick, married for seven years, and I lead an independent life. I work in a very tough business.”[5]

## Critical reception

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Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Tawdry in the extreme, On the Game is a shoe-string production that almost becomes a high camp exercise in minimal film-making: a garden somewhere in Greater London – in early spring, with a small flight of goosepimpled dolly-birds – stands in for the temple meads of Babylon, and elsewhere a quarry and various London town houses do service for various periods, The film bids, from time to time, to be taken seriously for its historical stance, but such efforts are briskly guyed by its fun-poking notion of bawdy humour."[6]

The East Kent Times and Mail called it "an informative and entertaining film."[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "On the Game". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
2. ^ Pratt, Vic. "Bread (1971)". BFI Screenonline.
3. ^ "Stanley A Long Side 5". British Entertainment History Project. 24 November 1999.
4. ^ Sheridan, Simon (16 September 2012). "Stanley Long: Film director who was described by 'The Sun' as 'The King of Sexploitation'". The Independent.
5. ^ Ruben, William S. (August 1977). "The X Rated Business Woman". Together. p. 53.
6. ^ "On the Game". Monthly Film Bulletin. 41 (480): 32. 1974. ProQuest 1305831369 - via ProQuest.
7. ^ "Not for children". The East Kent Times and Mail. 27 November 1974. p. 6.

## External links

[edit]

* On the Game at IMDb
* On the Game at Letterbox DVD