THE ROLY POLY MAN

Australia, 1986, 84 minutes, Colour.
Paul Chubb, Les Foxcroft, Susan Lyons, Peter Braunstein, Zoe Bertram, Frank Whitten, Jane Harders, John Batchelor, Rowan Woods, Valerie Bader, Sarah Lambert, Deborah Kennedy, Roy Billing.
Directed by Bill Young,

The Roly Poly Man is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the private eye genre, written by Kym Goldsworthy. It was directed by veteran actor Bill Young.

The film is a star vehicle for Paul Chubb, a big roly poly man. He makes the part his own, the private eye Dirk Trent, a bit slow on the uptake, helped by his ageing friend, Mickey, played well by Les Foxcroft. They are doing small surveillance work and come across a mysterious case which the police want to ignore. As they investigate further, they go to the morgue and find an ally in Sandra Burnett (Susan Lyons as a femme fatale). While she doesn’t want to date Dirk Trent, she goes along to help the investigation. This leads to a sinister doctor, played in a sinister way by Frank Whitten, and expeditions into the Amazon to bring back leeches which can be inserted into the brain to stop clots. However, the treatment ends in the brains exploding – hence the mystery.

The film has quite a number of veteran Australian actors in supporting roles, Deborah Kennedy as the very masculine Chantal, John Batchelor as the odd assistant in the morgue, Roy Billing – who is killed of very quickly in Dirk Trent’s office. Dirk is also married, to another femme fatale, played by Zoe Bertram, and has a number of children who he is supposed to look after.

The film is witty in its parody of the private eye one-liners. It also has the touch of the vulgar – and some subplots which have come in from B-budget science fiction.

The film was an interesting attempt to poke fun at a popular genre – and, with the presence of Paul Chubb, it works quite well.

1. The popularity of the private eye genre? Its conventions? How well used here? Parody?

2. The title, Dirk and his appearance? Expectations of him? Paul Chubb’s presence, performance? The tone of the voice-over? His experience, a slob, his clothes, the rumpled suit, the hat, the office in a mess? His relying on Mickey and his range of equipment? Slow, failures, hopes? The encounters with his wife and children, her power of seduction? His infatuation with Sandra, victim of a femme fatale? The mystery of the deaths, the clues, the villains? Ultimate success?

3. The Sydney settings, the harbour bridge – made of used cigarette butts? Offices, homes, the morgue, the streets? The dingier aspects of the city? The musical score?

4. The dialogue, smart, parody, witty, crass? The blend?

5. Dirk and his work, the credits, the video and the surveillance, the situation with the man dressed as an Indian? His death? Informing the police? The search of the motel, the police not believing, the room clean? The motel manager has a harridan? His wife turning up, her come-on? The further deaths? The interview with Lewis’s secretary?

6. The rocker, his bashing his head against the wall? The second man and his accident? Dirk and his taking the brain tissue from the morgue? In his pocket during the dinner? Washing up afterwards?

7. Sandra, her work at the morgue, pleasant, diligent, Axel as her odd assistant, his behaviour, attitudes with the corpses? Her agreeing to go to a date with Dirk? The brain? Her wanting to help, the discussions with Mickey? The team?

8. The visit to the doctor, mad, the intense interview, the background of the Amazon, the leeches, the patients?

9. The leeches, the professor at the university, his explanation? His being murdered?

10. Dirk’s wife, her being killed? His having to look after the kids – putting them on the Sydney tourist bus and their going round and round? The dead policeman?

11. Mickey, his character, equipment, IT, the microscope, the printer?

12. Getting the list of patients, printing it out, the range of visits, the nun, the various houses, being too late? Finding Sandra’s name on the list?

13. Going to the laboratory, the professor dead, Axel, the story of the voyage, Sandra revealing that she was the villain? The deaths at the lab? The pursuit through the tunnels, the giant leech, Mickey to the rescue, Dirk and his helplessness? The leech devouring Sandra?

14. The touches of B-budget science fiction combined with private eye, Australian style?