John Smith: The Girl Chewing Gum

Date
15 April 2011

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I was shown this years ago and have been trying to remember the name ever since. So, with continued googling for “film where a man calls stage orders to a street in London, his voice sounds like a cross between Russel Brand and Michael Palin”, my patience has been rewarded! In 1976 John Smith made this 12 minute short, the girl chewing gum does make an appearance but I won’t say when, orchestrated in what was once described as a piss-take of auteurist ego… It’s a beautiful fiction and utterly brilliant. “The man with the walking stick is going home”. “This young man has just robbed the local postoffice and is attempting to appear inconspicuous.”

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About the Author

Bryony Quinn

Bryony was It’s Nice That’s first ever intern and worked her way up to assistant online editor before moving on to pursue other interests in the summer of 2012.

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