Wonderful Life (Original title)Cliff 3 (Working title)Swingers' Paradise (Alternative title)
Dates: 1964 (Copyright), 06 September 1964 (Release)Country: United KingdomDirector: Sidney J. Furie
Synopsis: Five young musical entertainers are cast off a luxury liner after disrupting the ship's power system. Using their guitars as paddles they get ashore and are startled to see a girl lashed to a runaway camel. Johnnie rescues her, ruining a film take, to the rage of the director. However, he is hired as the stunt man and the others asked to provide mood music. Realising that the film is going badly they decide to make their own version. Johnnie, pretending to rehearse the girl Jenny, acts as her leading man in a series of musical numbers. When the film is finished both versions are indifferent with good scenes in each. The director discovers from Johnnie what he has done and cuts both films together. The result is a smash hit.
Genre: Musical
Subject: Pop music (the charts)
Releases
Date: 1964Country: United KingdomRelease type: unknownFormat: not specified - Colour - Technicolor - SoundRuntime: 113 mins Length: 10170 FeetDialogue (original): English
Title: Sir Cliff Richard and British Pop MusicalsAuthor: DONNELLY, K J Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Article about Cliff Richard's pop musicals from 1958 to 1964, illustrating the change in the representation of rock and roll from delinquent to establishment. In an issue about "Popular Film, Television and Music".
In: British National Film Catalogue v2 1964
Title: [British National Film Catalogue - v2 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: Variety 8 Jul 1964
Title: [Variety - 8 Jul 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: ABC Film Review v14 n7 July 1964 Page: 5
Title: [ABC Film Review - v14 n7 July 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: Film and TV Technician v30 n233 June 1964 Page: [Supplement]
Title: [Film and TV Technician - v30 n233 June 1964: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
In: Kine Weekly n2961 2 Jul 1964 Page: 9
Title: [Kine Weekly - n2961 2 Jul 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: The Daily Cinema n8935 6 Jul 1964 Page: 9
Title: [The Daily Cinema - n8935 6 Jul 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: Monthly Film Bulletin v31 n367 August 1964 Page: 119
Title: [Monthly Film Bulletin - v31 n367 August 1964: no known title]Language: English
Film, Video or Digital materials held in BFI National Archive(1)
Film materials(1)
Description: 35mm Colour PositiveBase: SafetySound: CombinedLength: 10203 FeetStock date: 1964BFI identifier: C-1125962
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film
Dates: 1964 (Copyright), 06 September 1964 (Release)Country: United KingdomDirector: Sidney J. Furie
Synopsis: Five young musical entertainers are cast off a luxury liner after disrupting the ship's power system. Using their guitars as paddles they get ashore and are startled to see a girl lashed to a runaway camel. Johnnie rescues her, ruining a film take, to the rage of the director. However, he is hired as the stunt man and the others asked to provide mood music. Realising that the film is going badly they decide to make their own version. Johnnie, pretending to rehearse the girl Jenny, acts as her leading man in a series of musical numbers. When the film is finished both versions are indifferent with good scenes in each. The director discovers from Johnnie what he has done and cuts both films together. The result is a smash hit.
Genre: Musical
Subject: Pop music (the charts)
Releases
Date: 1964Country: United KingdomRelease type: unknownFormat: not specified - Colour - Technicolor - SoundRuntime: 113 mins Length: 10170 FeetDialogue (original): English
Credits
(54)
An Ivy production: Ivy, Presents: Elstree Distributors Limited, Produced by: Kenneth Harper, Associate Producer: Andrew Mitchell, Production Manager: John D. Wilcox, Spanish Co-ordinator: Roberto Roberts, Production Secretary: Doris Prince, Assistant Director: Fred Slark, 2nd Assistant Director: Colin Lord, 3rd Assistant Director: Ken Baker, Continuity: Helen Whitson, Casting Director: Robert Lennard, Assistant Casting Director: Judith Jourd, Original Story and Screenplay by: Peter Myers, Ronnie Cass, Director of Photography: Kenneth Higgins, Camera Operator: Chic Waterson, Focus Puller: Robin Vidgeon, Editor: Jack Slade, Assistant Editor: Lois Gray, 2nd Assistant Editor: Roger Wilson, Production Designer: Stanley Dorfman, Art Director: Herbert Smith, Draughtsman: Terence Knight, Scenic Artist: Alan Evans, Costumes Designed by: Cynthia Tingey, Costumes by: Bermans, Wardrobe Mistress: Jackie Jackson, Make-up: Bob Lawrance, Hairdresser: Daphne Martin, Music and Lyrics: Peter Myers, Ronnie Cass, Additional Songs and Music: Bruce Welch, Additional Songs and Music: Hank B. Marvin, Additional Songs and Music: Brian Bennett, Cliff Richard, Background Score, Orchestrations and Musical Director: Stanley Black, Musical Supervision of Cliff Richard and The Shadows: Norrie Paramor, Music Editor: Barrie Vince, The Shadows Recordist: Malcolm Addey, Choreography: Gillian Lynne, Recording Director: A.W. Lumkin, Sound Recordist: Les Hammond, Sound Camera Operator: G. Hooton, Boom Operator: John Salter, Boom Assistant: Peter Holt, Sound Maintenance: Dan Grimmel, Dubbing Mixer: Len Shilton, Assistant [Dubbing Mixer]: Bill Rowe, Dubbing Editor: Charles Crafford, Sound System: RCA Sound Recording, Publicity: Bob Webb, Studio: Associated British Elstree Studios
Cast
(15)
Cliff Richard (Johnnie), Walter Slezak (Lloyd Davis), Susan Hampshire (Jenny), The Shadows, Hank B. Marvin, Bruce Welch, Brian Bennett, John Rostill (The Shadows), Melvyn Hayes (Jerry), Richard O'Sullivan (Edward), Una Stubbs (Barbara), Derek Bond (Douglas Leslie), Gerald Harper (Senior Sheik/Scotsman/Harold), Joseph Cuby (Miguel), Dennis Price
Articles held in BFI Reuben Library
(8)
In: Journal of Popular Film & Television v25 n4 Winter 1998 Pages: 146-154Title: Sir Cliff Richard and British Pop MusicalsAuthor: DONNELLY, K J Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Article about Cliff Richard's pop musicals from 1958 to 1964, illustrating the change in the representation of rock and roll from delinquent to establishment. In an issue about "Popular Film, Television and Music".
In: British National Film Catalogue v2 1964
Title: [British National Film Catalogue - v2 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: Variety 8 Jul 1964
Title: [Variety - 8 Jul 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: ABC Film Review v14 n7 July 1964 Page: 5
Title: [ABC Film Review - v14 n7 July 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: Film and TV Technician v30 n233 June 1964 Page: [Supplement]
Title: [Film and TV Technician - v30 n233 June 1964: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
In: Kine Weekly n2961 2 Jul 1964 Page: 9
Title: [Kine Weekly - n2961 2 Jul 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: The Daily Cinema n8935 6 Jul 1964 Page: 9
Title: [The Daily Cinema - n8935 6 Jul 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: Monthly Film Bulletin v31 n367 August 1964 Page: 119
Title: [Monthly Film Bulletin - v31 n367 August 1964: no known title]Language: English
Film, Video or Digital materials held in BFI National Archive(1)
Film materials(1)
Description: 35mm Colour PositiveBase: SafetySound: CombinedLength: 10203 FeetStock date: 1964BFI identifier: C-1125962
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film