SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES 008: PLAY IT COOL! (1962)

  

“Play It Cool” (Michael Winner, 1962) was the first film vehicle for Robert Wycherley, a Liverpool rock’n’roller signed up to Larry Parnes’ management stable and renamed Billy Fury. Fury plays singer Billy Universe who, with the Satellites, help heiress-on-the-run Ann Bryant (Anna Palk) to find her banned fiancé – and their hero – rock star Larry Grainger (Maurice Kaufmann). Their search is largely an excuse to visit Soho’s nightclubs and feature the moment’s pop acts – and the latest dance craze, the Twist – but the narrative concludes with the discovery that their idol Larry is a grubby womanizer, chasing Ann only for her money. Cue a Beat Girl-style cry for “Daddy!” and a touching family reconciliation. 

“Play It Cool” was critically slated – or ignored. Andrew Caine, who has discussed why such low-budget revue-format fare was treated with particular disdain by the press and its “elite commentators”, nonetheless has to agree that Winner’s film shows “little idea about how mise-en-scene can enhance the overall theme and mood of a film. For all its emphasis on “cool” London, the film also retains a “safe” mix of musical styles, exploiting current chart hits and dance trends, but still placing them in the commercial cadre of Variety-style performance. Thus the guitar and sax sounds of Shane Fentones’ twist number “Like Magic” are juxtaposed with American crooner Bobby Vee and Lionel Blair’s cabaret floor show. Even Fury is contained within a fictional group of children and gauche adolescents. “Play It Cool” has its artistic faults, but its singular denouement (Ann returns to her father and the airport, and Billy skips off down the runway with the band, reprising the title song), distances the film from the chaste communion of the Cliff Richard musicals and prepares the way for more complicated interpersonal relationships in later phases of the pop music film. “Play It Cool” could be interpreted as a forerunner of the Swinging London films which offer “unprecedented narrative emphasis on female pleasure and sexual identity”.

“Play It Cool” was notable for placing Fury, the most successful British chart act never to have enjoyed a number one hit, as the lead: he didn’t make many appearances in the movies, with “That’ll Be The Day” (featured in our 4^th instalment of Saturday Night At The Movies) made after his heyday being the most respected of those, and once his ill health began to take hold he didn’t appear in any capacity very often, dying in the early eighties when only forty-two.

“Play It Cool” did not have a soundtrack as such, but most of the songs from the film were relegated to the B-side. Billy Fury released “Once Upon A Dream” as an A side of a single and put the other four on an EP. Helen Shapiro, on EMI’s Columbia label, released “I Don’t Care” as the B-side of “Little Miss Lonely”. Shane Fenton (Alvin Stardust a decade later) & The Fentones put both songs from the film on B-sides of EMI Parlophone releases, “Why Little Girl” was the B-side of “It’s All Over Now” in April 1962, before the film was released. “It’s Gonna Take Magic” was the B-side of his cover of “Cindy’s Birthday” in July 1962. Danny Williams, on EMI’s HMV label, put “Who Can Say” as the B-side of “My Own True Love” a year later in July 1963. Bobby Vee gets star billing on the film, and sings “At A Time Like This”. A song which was the B-side of the Goffin-King song “Sharing You” released in June 1962 just ahead of the film. Note it was the British B-side, but not the American one. It was on the Liberty label, which EMI had just started distributing. Most of the music in the film was by EMI’s main staff producer, Norrie Paramor, head producer from EMI’s Columbia label (soon to be supplanted in the EMI hierarchy by George Martin of Parlophone). Norman Newell was the main lyricist, though Larry Parnes ventured into composition with Norrie paramour on “Twist Kid”. 

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

The Pre-Show: 

          

Today's main feature has an undisputed star in his first major role: Billy Fury. Though we do have an early interview to enjoy, where he talks about "Play It Cool!" amongst other topics, all our specials today have to do with the British Brenda Lee, a teenager who even eclipsed The Beatles (for a short while though. "Please, Please Me" hit the charts... and the rest is history!). 

Four top mini-documentaries will let you enjoy a Saturday Night at the movies evening before the popcorn is ready for the main feature. "Helen Shapiro - A Hit In The Making"; "Helen Shapiro - In Her Own Words"; "Helen Shapiro - This Is Your Life" and last, but not least: "Helen Shapiro - Musiclogue" - where we'll have the opportunity of enjoying around 17 musical videos which somehow summarize her musical life in the 60s. 

And we continue with our Sun Records series in its fifth chapter ... Elvis & Sam... get to meet! 

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The Main Feature: 

Title: Play It Cool! 

Director: Michael Winner 

Cast: Billy Fury / Anna Palk / Michael Anderson Jr. / Richard Wattis / Helen Shapiro / Shane Fenton & The Fentones / Bobby Vee / Danny Williams / Jim Crawford

Release Date: March 1962 

Country: United Kingdom 

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On Your Way Out: 

This pre-Beatles pop-musical provided British teens with a precious glimpse of that happening new dance craze: The Twist. So, following that lead, I wish you had a great twisting evening with today's "Saturday Night At The Movies" offering and remind you to get those extra goodies that may complete your collection and definitely serve as a reminder of today's evening. 

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