But comedy was not the only genre which O'Toole had dared to venture into, as in 1969, he appeared in Goodbye, Mr. Chips, a musical adapted from a successful novella. This time, the character was a stern, cold and lonely Latin teacher, who is eventually melted by the charms of his total opposite, a star of the stage. Now I'm not saying that the musical numbers aren't cheesy, because they most definitely are. And I mean seriously French cheesy. But O'Toole managed to adapt this to his benefit, as the somewhat dodgy songwriting seemed to help convey the image of his character being an awkward and socially difficult man unsure of how to cope with feelings of joy and happiness. Think of Dr. Alan Statham in Green Wing and you're more or less there for Mr. Chips. What was truly remarkable at the time was that O'Toole entirely dropped his near trademark flamboyance and instead conjured up a character who was deeply subdued. Instead of the mad ranting and outbursts common of his Richard II, quiet, nervous mutterings of a stuffy school head master were put on display, and only the moments of unmitigated joy were allowed to be given a raised voice. A brilliant transformation from the characters he had become known for playing.
