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By chance I noticed 'Summer Holiday' on one of the free-to-air TV stations this afternoon (Australian time) so watched it for the first time since I was probably still at school and really enjoyed it.

Naturally I knew all the Shadows numbers and the best known Cliff songs from the movie but one thing that really struck me was that some of the orchestral numbers seemed to be based on Shadows tunes. 'The Savage', 'Apache' - I think even the opening bars of 'Wonderful Land' made it in there (at the end of the scene where they were escaping from the 'bride' and family. In fact one of the other Cliff songs I didn't know seemed to have a ring of Apache in it too.

It was great to see The Shads when they were young in nice clear images on the big screen TV too instead of in pixelated YouTube videos (although I enjoy those too).

Also I thought Melvyn Hayes looked a little like Gareth from 'The Office'.

Anyway it was a great way to spend an hour or so on a Sunday afternoon despite the TV ads. I've never seen it on DVD here or I'd have bought it.

Best wishes
Rosemary

Glad you enjoyed it Rosemary, there is something magical about those movies as they I believe take many people back to their youth.
Melvyn Hayes, until recently, was a neighbour of mine and he has matured somewhat but one really nice guy.
Ron

Hi Ron and Jim
Thanks for your replies.
That's interesting about Melvyn Hayes. I often look up people in old movies & TV shows to see what they did afterwards and noticed he also has a website at http://www.melvynhayes.com/

I would have liked to have seen more of The Shadows in 'Summer Holiday' but think as far as that type of movie goes, it was very typical of that era and on a par with other similar movies featuring e.g. Tommy Steele or Elvis.

Best wishes
Rosemary

The Bachelor Boy scene was an afterthought and was filmed in a London Studio after they'd returned from the continent. Melvyn Hayes's dyed blond hair had grown back to its normal colour and he had to wear a blond wig in the BB scene!

Martin.

Old Fart wrote:Sorry, but I think this one of the most awful films ever produced... Pointless, childish, banal.... It made me cringe the first time I ever saw it and one viewing was certainly more than enough

Jimbo

Let's be honest, Cliffs films are all cringeworthy really, but the worst one has to be "Wonderful Life". I am always amused by the comment that one of the first things John Rostill did with the Shadows when he joined, was fly to the Canaries to film "Wonderful Life". I wonder if he read the script and then tried to find a way out of the gig?

As for "Wonderful Life" it was the biggest waste of fifteen bob for my cousin and I in 1964. Only 2 mins of watching On The Beach the rest pure rubbish!!! The previous week we had been much impressed with The Beatles Hard Days Night in glorious black and white and some decent songs too!!
Mike

anniv 63 wrote:As for "Wonderful Life" it was the biggest waste of fifteen bob for my cousin and I in 1964. Only 2 mins of watching On The Beach the rest pure rubbish!!! The previous week we had been much impressed with The Beatles Hard Days Night in glorious black and white and some decent songs too!!
Mike

Bang on !
If I Fell still fetches a tear to my eye.

So does the Dambusters March! Those Lancasters flying home over the coast in the film is a real tear jerker - I always seem to have something in my eye!

neil2726 wrote:So does the Dambusters March! Those Lancasters flying home over the coast in the film is a real tear jerker - I always seem to have something in my eye!

Don't mention the war!

Horst Schroder's alright about it though...

JN

I only really like the parts in all the films that the Shadows are in... maybe I'm biased though?