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Cucumber Castle | |
---|---|
Written by | Barry Gibb Maurice Gibb |
Directed by | Hugh Gladwish |
Starring | Barry Gibb Maurice Gibb Eleanor Bron Frankie Howerd |
Theme music composer | Bee Gees |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Mike Mansfield |
Cinematography | Ben Knoll |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | BBC2 |
Release | 26 December 1970 |
Cucumber Castle is a British comedy film made for television directed by Hugh Gladwish and starring the Bee Gees, Eleanor Bron and Frankie Howerd. [1] It aired on BBC2 on 26 December 1970. [2] [3]
The plot revolves around two heirs, Prince Frederick and his brother Prince Marmaduke, and their dying father. 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, saying "I think those pills are working".
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.[ citation needed ]
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 ]
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.
Maurice Ernest Gibb was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved worldwide fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and 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.
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger twin brothers, Robin and Maurice, he rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. Gibb is well known for his wide vocal range including a far-reaching high-pitched falsetto. Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years.
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.
Best of Bee Gees is a 1969 compilation album by the English-Australian rock band Bee Gees. It was their first international greatest hits album. It featured their singles from 1966–1969 with the exception of the band's 1968 single "Jumbo".
"I Started a Joke" is a song by the Bee Gees from their 1968 album Idea, which was released as a single in December of that year. It was not released as a single in the United Kingdom, where buyers who could not afford the album had to content themselves with a Polydor version by Heath Hampstead. This is the last Bee Gees single to feature Vince Melouney's guitar work, as he left the band in early December after this song was released as a single.
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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
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.
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.
"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.
"I Am the World" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees, written and sung by Robin Gibb. It was released as the B-side of "Spicks and Specks". Later, it was included on the compilation Rare, Precious and Beautiful, Vol. 3 in 1969. It featured trumpet played by Geoff Grant. Its CD version was released in 1998 on the compilation Brilliant from Birth.
"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.
"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.