George and Rosemary (1987)

The elderly “George” lives across the street from the apple of his eye, “Rosemary” - only he hasn’t quite got the nerve to ask her out. She seems a rather eccentric lady who puts her goldfish on the veranda when she goes shopping and I have to say that the arrival of her car-load of screeching grandchildren would probably have put me off forever, but “George” is determined to don his finest spotted bow-tie and his smartest shirt, pluck up some courage and take her a bunch of flowers. What might she say, though? It’s quite a telling little short, this, that illustrates quite amiably that shyness is not just confined to the young and neither is ineptness. The colourful facial expressions of “George” - especially when he is on the telephone, raises a smile and it’s simple artistry works well enough for a ten minutes that treads a fine line between fun and cringe.