This film is part of Free

Don’t Worry, I'll Manage

A cautionary tale of what happens when a husband is left by his wife to fend for himself; forgetting to put tea in the tea pot for one thing.

Amateur film 1964 5 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for Yorkshire Film Archive

Overview

An amateur comedy in the fine tradition of hapless husbands, incapable of carrying out even the most elementary domestic tasks, or fending for themselves, when their wife is away. It is filmed in a slapstick style typical of the time, with the husband walking out without his trousers on. It reflects the reality of male attitudes to housework of the time. Would the “new man” of today be sufficiently different to significantly diminish the comic effect?

This is a comical film made by Doug and Norah Brear of Wakefield Cine Club, and presumably starring either themselves or other members of the Club. The film was highly commended in the Amateur Movie Maker Top 8 Competition of the year. The film reflects the fact that it was the woman who did most of the domestic work and looked after the home, and men’s attitudes were often portrayed as seeing women’s place as being “in the kitchen”: a reality that did much to inspire the second wave of feminism. It is a moot question as to how far attitudes have changed in the meantime. It is doubtful that, in reality, Monkhill Railway Station was closed on a Sunday in 1964.