Cucumber Castle (film)

Last updated

Cucumber Castle
Written by Barry Gibb
Maurice Gibb
Directed byHugh Gladwish
StarringBarry Gibb
Maurice Gibb
Eleanor Bron
Frankie Howerd
Theme music composer Bee Gees
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerMike Mansfield
CinematographyBen Knoll
Running time60 minutes
Original release
Release
  • 26 December 1970 (1970-12-26)

Cucumber Castle is a British comedy film made for television starring the Bee Gees that aired on BBC2 on 26 December 1970. [1] [2]

Contents

History

By the time filming began in 1969, the Bee Gees were down to a trio consisting of Barry and Maurice Gibb and the drummer Colin Petersen. Robin Gibb had quit the group earlier in the year following the release of the group's sixth album Odessa . Songs for the film were recorded during the summer of 1969 with Petersen on drums, but when filming began, he was fired from the group. His scenes from the film were cut and he is not credited on the accompanying album, though he does play on some songs.

Plot

The plot revolves around two heirs, Prince Frederick (Barry Gibb) and his brother Prince Marmaduke (Maurice Gibb), and their dying father (Frankie Howerd). On his death bed, The King orders his kingdom divided into two halves, the Kingdom of Jelly and the Kingdom of Cucumbers. Before the king dies, Prince Frederick declares himself the "King of Cucumber" and Prince Marmaduke becomes the "King of Jelly". The film intersperses comedy sketches with Bee Gees songs plus performances by Lulu and Blind Faith with several cameo appearances. At the end, the king changes his mind and comes back, "I think those pills are working".

Cast

Soundtrack

  1. "Don't Forget to Remember" by Bee Gees
  2. "Then You Left Me" by Bee Gees
  3. "I Was the Child" by Bee Gees
  4. "The Lord" by Bee Gees
  5. "My Thing" by Bee Gees
  6. "Morning of my Life" by Lulu
  7. "Mrs. Robinson" by Lulu
  8. "Well All Right" by Blind Faith

Home media

The title was briefly released in the U.S. in the early days of home video by the tiny label Video Tape Network, but quickly disappeared from sale. The tape was once cited by Video Review magazine as the rarest commercial release ever, and copies have fetched three figures on the collector's market. It has never since been officially released on home video in any form, though bootlegs have circulated for years.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee Gees</span> British-Australian music group (1958–2012)

The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid- to late 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice Gibb</span> British musician (1949–2003)

Maurice Ernest Gibb was a British musician. He achieved worldwide fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lead singers, most of their albums included at least one or two songs featuring Maurice's lead vocals, including "Lay It on Me", "Country Woman" and "On Time". The Bee Gees are one of the most successful pop-rock groups of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Gibb</span> British/ Australian musician (born 1946)

Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, with his younger brothers, Robin and Maurice, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years.

<i>Cucumber Castle</i> 1970 studio album by the Bee Gees

Cucumber Castle is the seventh studio album by the Bee Gees, released in April 1970. It was produced by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and Robert Stigwood. It consists of songs from their television special of the same name, which was named after a song on their 1967 album Bee Gees' 1st. Cucumber Castle is the only Bee Gees album not to feature any recorded contributions from Robin Gibb, as he had left the group before the album was recorded.

<i>2 Years On</i> 1970 studio album by the Bee Gees

2 Years On is the eighth studio album by the Bee Gees, which reached No. 32 on the US charts. Released in 1970, the album saw the return of Robin Gibb to the group after an earlier disagreement and subsequent split following Odessa. 2 Years On was the first album with drummer Geoff Bridgford, who remained a full-time member of the group until 1972 although he was not pictured on the sleeve. The best-known track is "Lonely Days". Released as the first single by the reunited brothers, it charted high in the US, but peaked at No. 33 in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonely Days</span> 1970 single by Bee Gees

"Lonely Days" is a ballad written and performed by the Bee Gees. It appeared on their album 2 Years On, and was released as a single, becoming their first Top Five hit in the US, peaking at number three in the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number one in the Cashbox and Record World charts. Barry Gibb later re-recorded the song with country quartet Little Big Town for his 2021 album Greenfields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holiday (Bee Gees song)</span> 1967 single by the Bee Gees

"Holiday" is a song released by the Bee Gees in the United States in September 1967. It appeared on the album Bee Gees' 1st. The song was not released as a single in their native United Kingdom because Polydor UK released the single "World" from their next album Horizontal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Forget to Remember</span> 1969 single by Bee Gees

"Don't Forget to Remember" also called "Don't Forget to Remember Me" is a country ballad recorded by the Bee Gees, from the album Cucumber Castle. The song was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. It was produced by the band with Robert Stigwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Mining Disaster 1941</span> 1967 single by the Bee Gees

"New York Mining Disaster 1941" is the debut American single by the Bee Gees, released on 14 April 1967. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb. Aside from a moderately successful reissue of their Australian single "Spicks and Specks," it was the first single release of the group's international career and their first song to hit the charts in both the UK and the US. It was produced by Ossie Byrne with their manager Robert Stigwood as executive producer. The song was the first track of side two on the group's international debut album, Bee Gees' 1st. This was the first single with Australian drummer Colin Petersen as an official member of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomorrow Tomorrow (Bee Gees song)</span> 1969 single by Bee Gees

"Tomorrow Tomorrow" is a song by the Bee Gees written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. The song was originally intended to be recorded by Joe Cocker. It was the first Bee Gees single released after Robin Gibb had quit the group which was now down to a trio featuring Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and drummer Colin Petersen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I.O.I.O.</span> 1970 single by Bee Gees

"I.O.I.O." is a song by the Bee Gees, released on the album Cucumber Castle. It was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. The song was released as a single in March 1970, and was also one of the highlights of the album. The single was a relative success mainly on European charts. Its music video is taken from the film Cucumber Castle.

"Melody Fair" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb in 1968 and released in 1969 on their album Odessa. It was not released as a single, but this song was played on many radio stations, and was a hit in Japan. Andy Gibb's 1974 group, named Melody Fayre was named after this song. It also featured as the theme to Melody, a British film featuring a number of Bee Gees songs in its soundtrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Petersen</span> Australian drummer, record producer and actor

Frederick Colin Petersen is an Australian drummer, record producer and former child actor. He played as a member of the bands Steve and the Board, the Bee Gees and Humpy Bong. In August 1969, he left the Bee Gees and he was replaced by Pentangle drummer Terry Cox to record the songs for their 1970 album Cucumber Castle. His scenes from the film of the same name were cut, and he is not credited on the accompanying album soundtrack, even though he does play on some songs.

<i>Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2</i> 1973 compilation album by Bee Gees

Best of Bee Gees Vol. 2 is a compilation album of hits by the Bee Gees released in 1973. The album, briefly revived on CD in the late 1980s, went out of print, but was reissued by Rhino in November 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else</span> 1970 single by Bee Gees

"If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else" is a pop ballad recorded by the Bee Gees. It was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. It was the first track on the album Cucumber Castle. A remastered version was released in 1990 on Tales from the Brothers Gibb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want Home</span> 1966 single by the Bee Gees

"I Want Home" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry Gibb and released as a single in Australia in early 1966, backed with "Cherry Red". Their last single on Leedon had not been a hit, so the credit "Barry Gibb and the Bee Gees" used on the last several discs now reverted to simply "Bee Gees". Neither song appeared on any Bee Gees album until the 1967 compilation album, Turn Around, Look At Us, but both were featured on Brilliant From Birth the 1998 anthology of the group's Australian recordings.

"Bury Me Down By the River" is a song written by Barry and Maurice Gibb and recorded separately by the Bee Gees and P.P. Arnold. The Bee Gees' version was recorded in May 1969 at IBC Studios and released in April 1970 on the album Cucumber Castle.

"Kitty Can" is a song by the Bee Gees, composed by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. It was released as the B-side of "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" in July 1968, and as the second track on the album Idea in September 1968. In 1973, RSO Records released a compilation called Kitty Can only in Argentina and Uruguay, and this song appeared as the first track on that album.

"Sweetheart" is a song released by the Bee Gees, released as the B-side of "I.O.I.O." in March 1970. and released on the album Cucumber Castle in April 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lord (song)</span> 1969 single by Bee Gees

"The Lord" is a song by the Bee Gees. It was released as the B-side of "Don't Forget to Remember" in August 1969 and later included on Cucumber Castle in early 1970.

References

  1. "Cucumber Castle". The Radio Times. No. 2458. 17 December 1970. p. 57. ISSN   0033-8060 . Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  2. "Cucumber Castle". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 5 February 2024.