There sure were some unusual movies released in 1966. The rebellious nature of many people during that time was reflected in movies, books and music.
Lord Love a Duck, The Loved One, and Morgan! were all released in 1966. They’re all comedies in black and white and the first two have Roddy McDowall in the cast.
I haven’t seen Morgan in years but I watched the other two for the first time last week.
Lord Love a Duck stars Roddy McDowall (age 36 at the time playing a high school student) and Tuesday Weld. Weld is underappreciated and also was great in Pretty Poison and Who’ll Stop the Rain. She’s much more than the teenage girl in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis on TV. McDowall and Weld play students who do increasingly outrageous stunts which ultimately result in tragedy. The film mocks the film industry as well as teenagers and rich society. It’s still funny today.
The Loved One is hit and miss but great when it hits. It’s primarily a satire of the funeral industry and the humor is frequently tasteless. (but still hilarious). The lead is Robert Morse, miscast as an Englishman. Anjanette Comer does an excellent job of portraying naivete and innocence. Rod Steiger is outstanding as the chief embalmer. He usually played serious roles but does well with broad comedy here. Like Lord Love a Duck, the plot becomes increasingly outrageous and ends in a rocket flight.
I haven’t seen Morgan! in many years but remember David Warner’s charming but bizarre performance trying to keep his wife played by Vanessa Redgrave. It fits in with this group of films.
All of these films are available on Blu-ray disc.
Sad! 