For the next few years his work moved freely between television and theatre until he made his first film, a starring role in the comedy Secrets of a Door-to-Door Salesman (1973), which was due to be directed by a young Jonathan Demme, but, unfortunately, he was dismissed from the project.
At this time, he starred in yet another film comedy that featured the cream of British comedy talent, The Amorous Milkman (1975).