Second Time Lucky

God (Robert Morley) may be the almighty but when his old enemy the Devil (Robert Helpmann) makes a collect call from down below his curiosity gets the better of him.

The Devil is proposing a second round of the contest for mans immortal soul. God accepts in the hope that this time the Devil and all he stands for may be eliminated forever. He briefs the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Gadsby) to pick a suitable young lad to start things off in the Garden of Eden.

Adam Smith (Roger Wilson) wrestles with his graduation speech over the noise of the fraternity party downstairs. Shy and bespectacled, he needs encouragement from Chuck to risk the strip poker and beer drinking contest. When Adam trips on the stairs and falls, literally, head over heals into the arms of Eve (Diane Franklin), an equally reluctant English Major.

Adam, all fingers and thumbs spills a drink over Eve and she has to rush to his room to change. The police raid the house and Adam finds himself being arrested by State Trooper Gabriel. He thinks he is being taken in but instead arrives in the Garden of Eden.

Of course he is innocent, naked and has no awareness of his previous life. The stunningly beautiful Eve emerges from a limpid pool and together examine the mysteries of the Garden and the differences in their anatomies. Gabriel keeps watch from a nearby hill. All is serene until a friendly neighborhood snake – The Devil in disguise – seduces Eve into eating apple.

Adam has, of course, been warned by Gabriel and at first refuses to join her. In addition the ‘danger signal’ pointed out by Gabriel seems to be about to come up. Adam is about to bite when God stops the action and declares that the next round take place in Ancient Rome.

Caesar (the Devil) is to marry the lovely Devia of Destruction (Eve). Adam the conquering hero refuses to acknowledge Caesar as God and is about to be dragged off when he successfully placates Caesar with the title “Universe”. As a reward for this and his victories he attends the wedding feast where Devia has another sort of reward in mind. Gabriel keeps a watchful eye in various disguises.

Devia engineers Adam to her bedchamber to the disappointment of Caesar’s gay friend, Columbia (John-Michael Howson), but Caesar realizes he has been duped. Prompted by Gabriel Adam remains true to his God and is once again dragged off, this time to face death in the arena.

Devia’s last minute plea succeeds, Adam declares Caesar God but meets with an untimely wound. The Devil is delighted. God loses again. The angry deity flicks his cigar earthward, where it becomes a bomb in World War One.

Adam, a British soldier, is one of the injured; Eve a Florence Nightingale like nurse. Gabriel keeps an eye on things as a doctor. The hospital is overrun by Germans and Eve reveals herself as a spy. When it is recaptured by the British, she is sentenced to face the firing squad but is saved when peace is declared and promptly disappears.

The Devil is furious. God has shortened the war by six months. The Devil loses but gets to choose the venue for the next round.

Eve bursts from a birthday cake as a gift for Big Nick in the middle of a celebration at his house. The boys in the mob are delivering a number of dead rivals gift wrapped when Adam, the untouchable, bursts in. Eve is smitten and the untouchable Adam is unable to deflect her advances. In the confusion Big Nick makes his escape. Adam gives chase only to be foiled inadvertently by Eve. On a jetty at dawn they reflect on how it might have been.

God has one last shot.

Back in the modern era, Lou Seffer is a big shot in rock n roll. Eve is his lead singer and completely in his power. Lou Seffer scours the world for kids to ensnare and attracts them with ugly, hate filled rock n roll. At one concert Adam a guitarist in the band persuades Eve to turn against Lou and together they destroy his vile Empire.

Back at the frat house where it all began Adam Smith and Eve the English major are getting to know each other well.

So well that they retire behind closed doors in Adams room. The door opens a crack and out rolls a shiny red apple – with two bites taken out of it.