cutterccbaxter Review of Hello Down There

Hello Down There (1969)

There'd Be More Room In The Sub If Roddy's Hair Weren't So Long

[10/10 · 27 April 2005]

There's an optimism in the visual style of this film -- along with hundreds of other Sixties comedies -- that will never be seen again. The colors are bright and heavily saturated. There isn't much narrative, but does it really matter when you've got dolphins, seals, sharks and Tony Randall swimming around under the sea? And seeing Richard Dreyfuss lip- syncing to groovy aquatic themed tunes in purple pants is really far out. It's nice to see (and hear) Janet Leigh scream without worrying about her getting hacked to bits like in "Psycho" or be tormented by hoodlums like in "Touch Of Evil." I always enjoy Jim Backus too.