Leo McKern plays Professor Bowles-Ottery, a scientist who has developed a serum that makes lab rats go wild with euphoria...then drop dead. He begins to wonder how that wonder drug might be put to use on larger subjects, such as the town gossip and the professor who stands in the way of his promotion at St. Simeon's University.The result is a black comedy that isn't completely satisfying, but does provide some good laughs along the way, especially for McKern fans.Written by the man who did the script for KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS, and directed by film and TV veteran Don Chaffey (who directed McKern in one of his memorable appearances on THE PRISONER), the film is loaded with great British character actors: Mervyn Johns, John Sharp, Leonard Rossiter, Miles Malleson, Dennis Price, and the slinky Janet Munro, who you might remember from SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON or THE CRAWLING EYE. A breezy score by John Barry adds the right touch, with organ solos by Alan Haven and guitar by Vic (007 Theme) Flick.Not as cute and innocent as the 1950s Ealing comedies, and with some serious scenes involving the love triangle between McKern, his wife (Maxine Audley) and Munro, A JOLLY BAD FELLOW is hard to categorize, but easy to enjoy. Working against the enjoyment factor is the horrible, damaged print used to make the DVD, with portions of the credits missing (as well as bits of shots here and there) and loads of scratches and blemishes.

A JOLLY BAD FELLOW is a seldom-seen British comedy that stars Leo McKern. He plays a very misanthropic professor who has disdain for most of the human race. In particular, he's a strong advocate of eugenics--the notion that "inferior" people should not be allowed to breed. He also dislikes people that annoy him--gossips, nosy people and fools. When he accidentally stumbles upon a drug that can kill AND leave no traces, he decides that the world is better off without several people and kills them--without the least hint of conscience!From the above plot, it's pretty obvious that this comedy is very, very dark indeed. While not as brilliant or funny as I had hoped, the film gets high marks for being original and clever--in particular, how the film ends. In particular, it was nice seeing McKern--he was a good actor and was believable in this sort of role.My only reservation in recommending it is not the fault of the original production but on the quality of the print I saw. Wham!USA produced the DVD that I got through Netflix and there are a few places where bits and pieces of the film seem to be missing and some of the print is scratchy. If possible, perhaps if another company makes this DVD as well their copy might be better, though because it is such an uncommon film, this may just be the only DVD out there.

Based on 'Don Among The Dead Men' by C.E. Vulliamy, this little-seen British film stars Leo McKern as Professor Bowles-Ottery, a misanthrope who dreams of becoming a 'benevolent' dictator. During a live television interview, he rants: "We must eliminate the mad, sterilise the incompetent. We must clean up the Human Race or else we will all perish!".He gets his chance to put his theories into effect when he accidentally invents a gas capable of inducing a drunken state of euphoria, leading to death. Soon he begins using it on people he regards as serious threats to society.Anyone who thinks of British film comedy of the '60's purely in terms of 'Carry On', 'Doctor In The House' and Norman Wisdom should be made to watch this. It is so blackly comic as to defy description. McKern is wonderful as the mad Professor, and the supporting cast includes Dennis Price and Leonard Rossiter. Don Chaffey finished the film when original director Robert 'Kind Hearts & Coronets' Hamer died suddenly. Chaffey would later work with McKern on the T.V. series 'The Prisoner' ( 1967 ).

"A Jolly Bad Fellow" follows the exploits of a cynical middle-aged don (Leo McKern) at an Oxbridge-like university. A scientist, with a cold-bloodedly rationalist outlook, he is at odds with his other dons, a collection of fusty classicists who view him as an interloper. An accidental discovery by his dim-witted lab assistant (Dinsdale Landen) provides him with the means to neutralise those who stand in the way of the academic preferment he seeks. His long-suffering but loving wife (Maxine Audley) tries to overlook his philanderings, not least his liaison with a pretty young female research assistant (Janet Munro).The film is a curious hybrid. Made at the very start of the swinging 60s, it is nevertheless reminiscent of the earlier Ealing films, of which it is a late example, not least "Kind Hearts and Coronets". There are, however, fleeting contemporary references (to Cliff Richard - a few months later it would have been The Beatles), and Janet Munro, in an adulterous seaside assignation, looks every inch the proto-dolly bird as she strolls along the sea-front, arm-in-arm with her ageing lover.With a distinguished supporting cast that includes Dennis Price (as an especially pompous fellow academic), "A Jolly Bad Fellow" is at once an amusing and disturbing black comedy. Fans of John Barry will enjoy the superb soundtrack, featuring Alan Haven on organ, which stylistically prefigures that of "The Knack".