Show Notes
At first glance you may be forgiven for thinking this fairly obscure 1962 British film was one of those forgettable ‘let’s put the show on right here!’ teensploitation flicks full of popular music acts of the day, bland and generic enough to offend nobody other than crusty old colonel-types who objected to young people being seen to have fun.
But this film, the feature directorial debut by Richard Lester, was something a little different, with an eye for visual flair to differentiate it from the formulaic British musical films which had preceded it. Lester pretty much determined that he had to make the absolute most of what he was given to work with and we see in the film the earliest knockings of what would later become known as the music video; and he would use these techniques to greater effect a couple of years later in A Hard Day’s Night.
There was also actual proper comedy, not in abundance but any dads in the audience would have been reassured by the presence of Derek Nimmo, Mario Fabrizi, Frank Thornton and Hugh Lloyd – not to mention the soothing tones of Deryck Guyler as ‘The Narrator’. Lester employed cartoonish, one might almost say Goonish flourishes throughout the film: fast motion, reverse spooling, the aforementioned omnipresent narrator who’s in on the joke and there’s even a custard pie gag.
The pairing of just-about-still-relevant pop stars Helen Shapiro and Craig Douglas as the film’s colourless leads was necessary to draw the target audience but by 1962 how many teenagers were still into Mr Acker Bilk, Chris Barber or even Chubby Checker? The Beatles’ heavy footfall was a creak on the stair and within months this sort of music would be swept away as Merseybeat and beat groups in general bestrode the Hit Parade.
Joining Tyler to discuss “the whole swingy parade [which] goes like a good-humoured bomb” (The Daily Mirror) is Andrew Hickey, host of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs who believes it is a standout film of its genre, but says the credit is largely owed to Richard Lester and his unique directorial style. He discusses the musical and cultural climate in Britain at the time, the origins of Trad Jazz, the early career of Lester and how films like this were usually largely cinematic landfill, plus talks about his show and plans for the future.
(Recorded February 2025 and first heard on Goon Pod Film Club)
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