SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES 001 - SUMMER HOLIDAY (1963)

  

Summer Holiday was the film that Cliff Richard didn't really want to make. Though looking back, I bet he's glad he took the plunge. For it not only bequeathed a feelgood anthem for holidaymakers, it helped Cliff cast off his tight-trousered R&R image and become a mainstream star ala Elvis. 

Cliff played a bus mechanic called Don who borrows a double-decker from London Transport, converts it into a travelling hotel and drives it to Greece - stopping only for lavish song and dance routines. 

Far from feeling flattered to be offered a big British musical movie, Cliff - barely 22 at the time - worried he might be taking a reckless gamble. In his previous films he was never the star. He had been put alongside established actors who were box office attractions in their own right. Now, with Summer Holiday he was to take sole responsibility. 

The songs in the film had been written to cash in on two early-Sixties phenomena: Cliff's success as the UK's #1 pop star and the burgeoning demand for cheap foreign travel. And because Summer Holiday was planned to widen Cliff's appeal to U.S. audiences, where he had only limited success, they would hire an American actress, to play his love interest: Lauri Peters (who was cast on the strength of her Broadway performance in The Sound Of Music). 

Summer Holiday was the second most successful film at the British box office in 1963, after The Guns Of Navarone and a movie industry survey showed him to be more popular than Elvis Presley, Sean Connery and Peter Sellers. 

But before we get to the main feature let's enjoy... 

The Pre-Show: 

   

First up, a couple of cartoons with Betty Boop plus the added attraction of Cab Calloway's singing! 

I'm sure you'll agree with me that cartoons, back in the day were "works of art" (just check the background - spooky indeed!!). Watch out for the end there's a wonderful comparison with the drawings and Mr Calloway himself!! 

Now, we're in for a treat!! The chance to enjoy the song "America" in the 1961 and 2021 versions. And a bonus attraction at the end of both videos. 

Next up, is an episode of The Nelsons, in the Ozzie And Harriet TV Show. No singing, but a great opportunity to watch Ricky Nelson practising Karate, practising the forms and breaking boards (still a long way before Bruce Lee would state: "Boards don't hit back!"). 

Last but not least, a little advertising from back in the day (the fifties) where sellers were proud to sell products that would last a lifetime (a far away cry from today's "use and dispose of" philosophy). 

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The Main Feature: 

Title: Summer Holiday 

Director: Peter Yates 

Cast: Cliff Richard / The Shadows / Lauri Peters and Una Stubbs 

Release Date: 10 January 1963

Country: United Kingdom 

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On Your Way Out: 

Before you leave, make sure you take some gifts so you can remember the experience. I hope you had fun and see y'all next week at "Saturday Night At The Movies", right here in Shade's Vintage Radio. 

SHOYWO  

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