Rhubarb (1969 film)

Rhubarb
Rhubarb
Directed by	Eric Sykes
Written by	Eric Sykes
Produced by	Jon Penington
Starring	Harry Secombe; Eric Sykes
Cinematography
Edited by	Anthony Sloman (as Anthony B. Sloman)
Music by	Brian Fahey
Production; company	Avalon Productions Ltd
Distributed by	Warner-Pathé (UK)
Release date	1969;
Running time	37 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Rhubarb is a 1969 British short film written and directed by Eric Sykes, starring Sykes and Harry Secombe.^[1] The dialogue consisted entirely of repetitions of the word "rhubarb", all the characters last names were "Rhubarb", and even the number plates on vehicles were "RHU BAR B". A baby "spoke" by holding a sign with the word "Rhubarb" written on it.

"Rhubarb" is a radio idiom for unintelligible background speech. Typically extras would mutter the word over and over to provide ambience for a crowd or party scene. In The Goon Show the cast was usually only the three principals, who would pretend to try to sound like a larger group by repeating "rhubarb" very quickly but clearly, with outbreaks of "Custard!" for good measure. Sykes was a close collaborator and friend of the Goons. He remade the piece in 1980 for Thames Television, as Rhubarb Rhubarb.

Plot[]

A Police Inspector and a vicar play a round of golf. The Police Inspector has a Constable help him to cheat by removing his golf ball from awkward situations, and the vicar ultimately requests divine intervention.