Why not a movie?

[Paul Childs]

As there have been movies made of different rock stars & bands over the years why haven't they done one of The Shadows?
After reading the books like 'The Shadows by Themselves' and 'The Shadows Story by Mike Reid' plus other things it would make a good film starting simultaniously with Hank & Bruce in Newcastle and Jet & Tony in London and then eventually getting together in the 2 Is and going on to being discovered.
One scene could be the time Hank nearly got electrocuted when his guitar touched the mike.
Don't know if this will ever happen?

[Fenderman]

It's a good idea but won't happen, a lot of things happened in the past they don't want dragged up again.
Anyway film companies tend to get some facts wrong, 'The Birth of the Beatles' (which i watched recently) is littered with inaccuracies which is surprising because Pete Best was 'Consultant' for the film.

[JimN]

...One scene could be the time Hank nearly got electrocuted when his guitar touched the mike.
Don't know if this will ever happen?

Probably not. he's got a better earth connection nowadays (and he mainly plays acoustic anyway).

[Paul Childs]

Jim N, When I said ''don't know if this will ever happen?'' I meant a film being made about them and not about being electrocuted on stage.

[Moderne]

Hi Paul,
I may be wrong but I think Jim probably had tongue in cheek! There's definitely enough material in the Shadows' story for several films (Hank and the monkey is another scene which springs to mind)...but it would need someone incredibly driven and 'well connected' to get the project going (as happened with Telstar - the Joe Meek story) and that's not going to happen. The inaccuracies would drive us all mad!!

[martcaster]

A few years ago i saw a brilliant stage play called 'Telstar'. I went with Ray Randall, former Bassist with The Tornadoes. He was blown away with how accurate they'd staged Joe Meek's studio/flat and with Con O' Neil's portrayal of Joe. Ray was mesmerised by 'Joe' . "It was him to the life!" he said. We were both convinced it would make a marvelous film; and sure enough, money was found and the film made, featuring Kevin Spacey, James Corden etc. It got great publicity and we couldn't wait to go to the flicks to see it. We sat with 6 other people that afternoon and I heard from another friend that he'd been on his own at another cinema on opening week. That didn't stop the film being wonderful; but the simple truth is, it bombed. Plain and simple. Just failed. Couldn't understand it. But there it is. And I strongly suspect that any similar venture re. The Shads would share the same fate. Sure, WE love 'em, but, guys, we're in the minority,big time. Yep! the majority of Joe Public are missing out on some great music; but that's how it is. Sorry to rain on your parade, I'd love to see it, but it ain't gonna happen.
Love to all,
Mart.

[Paul Childs]

There is a movie just out about The Beach Boys Brian Wilson called Love and Mercy. This is what made me think of this thread and as for inaccuracies, the white precision bass even has the tone knob missing like the real one did in the early 60s.
A lot of Shadows fans pick up on things like this so if a film was made then 34346 would need bits of paper in the nut or it would be picked up on straight away.

I think it was the movie American Graffitti based in 1962 that had a scene in a club with a 70s large headstock Strat.

[JimN]

I think it was the movie American Graffitti based in 1962 that had a scene in a club with a 70s large headstock Strat.

Nothing could ever be worse than the 1978 film "The Buddy Holly Story", wherein the character was seen playing (sequentially):

(a) a Fiesta Red Fender Bronco ( a model which didn't even exist until the late sixties)

(b) a blonde rosewood-necked Telecaster, and

(c) a 1970s large-headstock Stratocaster (rosewood neck).

Buddy Holly could never even have seen any of those models, let alone played them.

Oh... and a square-shoulder Gibson SJ... Buddy actually had a Gibson J-45 and the Gibson SJ had the J-45 round-shouldered shape until... 1962!

[drakula63]

I know this has been discussed on the forum more than once over the years.

My view remains totally unchanged.

An incredible film could be made about the Shadows, especially if they concentrate on the years 1958 - 1963. Having read all the books that have been published over the years, both old and relatively new, there is no doubt in my mind that it would be as interesting and engaging and, dare I say it, 'important', as any of the other films mentioned. Obviously accuracy is important and I think that, with websites such as this (and the WWW in general) the facts will not be as difficult to establish as they may have been in the '70s, when, by and large, the history books hadn't yet been written and film makers were reliant upon the (possibly unreliable and biased) memories of those involved. If that makes sense?

Strangely enough, the further away we have come, the clearer it all seems. As I say, thanks to the plethora of information now available from a multitude of sources.

I don't think it will ever happen - a film about the Shadows, that is... - but it should.

[Gary Allen]

Maybe its time for a new book....memoirs...blah...blah