Idol on Parade | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Gilling |
Screenplay by | John Antrobus |
Based on | novel Idle on Parade by William Camp |
Produced by | Irving Allen Albert R. Broccoli |
Starring | Anthony Newley |
Cinematography | Ted Moore |
Edited by | Bert Rule |
Music by | Bill Shepherd |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 min. |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Idol on Parade (also known as Idle on Parade) is a 1959 British comedy film directed by John Gilling and starring William Bendix, Anthony Newley, Sid James and Lionel Jeffries. [1] The screenplay was by John Antrobus, based on the 1958 William Camp novel Idle on Parade [2] [3] which was inspired by Elvis Presley's conscription into the US Army[ citation needed ]. It was produced by Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli for Warwick Films. Jeep Jackson serves his two years of compulsory National Service in the British military.
Pop star Jeep Jackson is conscripted into the British army. He tries to continue his recording career while still undergoing training on camp. When a different J. Jackson materialises the paltoon takes the opportunity to post Jeep to the Outer Hebrides to remove his disruptive impact from the camp.
When a group of soldiers go to the cinema in the film, they go to see The Cockleshell Heroes (1955), in which Newley was an actor.
The original novel, described by The Observer as "very funny", [4] concerned an intellectual in the army, rather than a pop singer. [5]
Filming began on 10 November 1958. [6] It was the first time William Bendix had worked in England. [7]
It was the first time Newley sang in a film. Four of the five songs from the soundtrack made the top 20, [8] with "I've Waited So Long", reaching No. 3 in the UK chart. [9] [10] "I got a bigger kick out of being on the hit parade than anything I've ever done," said Newley. [11]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The theme of a popular performer drafted into the Army strikes a topical note, but it is worked out here along the broadest and most predictable lines. Anthony Newley works hard against trite material, and apart from isolated bright moments the film is simply a waste of good comedy talent." [12]
Variety called it "a straightforward army farce ... pure corn". [13]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Makeshift comedy has good pop songs (notably two by Gerry Laudan and Len Preverman) that helped make Newley a star." [14]
William Henry Kerr was a British and Australian actor, comedian, and vaudevillian.
Anthony Newley was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leading men", from 1959 to 1962 he scored a dozen entries on the UK Top 40 chart, including two number one hits. Newley won the 1963 Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "What Kind of Fool Am I?", sung by Sammy Davis Jr., and wrote "Feeling Good", which became a signature hit for Nina Simone. His songs have been sung by a wide variety of singers including Fiona Apple, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey.
The Life of Riley is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, as well as two different television series, and a comic book.
Lionel Charles Jeffries was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and received a Golden Globe Award nomination during his acting career.
The Wrong Arm of the Law is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries, John Le Mesurier and Bill Kerr. It was written by John Antrobus, John Warren, Len Heath, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and made by Romulus Films.
Carry On Sergeant is a 1958 British comedy film about National Service starring William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Barker; it is the first in the series of Carry On films, with 31 entries released from 1958 to 1992. The film was based on a play The Bull Boys by R. F. Delderfield and was adapted into a script by Norman Hudis with John Antrobus contributing additional material and replacing the conscripted ballet dancers of the novel into a married couple. It was directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers, a partnership which would last until 1978. Actors in this film, who went on to be part of the regular team in the series, were Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Connor and Terry Scott. The film was followed by Carry On Nurse 1959.
The Army Game is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the very first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional group of soldiers and their National Service conscription into the British Army during the post war years.
John Arthur Antrobus is an English playwright and screenwriter. He has written extensively for stage, screen, TV and radio, including the epic World War II play, Crete and Sergeant Pepper at the Royal Court. He authored the children's book series Ronnie, which includes Help! I am a Prisoner in a Toothpaste Factory.
Warwick Films was a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick Hotel in New York where Broccoli and his wife were staying at the time of the final negotiations for the company's creation. Their films were released by Columbia Pictures.
Vote for Huggett is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Susan Shaw and Petula Clark. Warner reprises his role as the head of a London family, in the post-war years.
Make Mine a Million is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Lance Comfort, starring Arthur Askey, Sid James, and Bernard Cribbins. It was distributed by British Lion. The film parodies the perceived stuffiness of the 1950s BBC and the effect of television advertising in the era.
Up the Creek is a 1958 British comedy film written and directed by Val Guest and starring David Tomlinson, Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, David Lodge and Lionel Jeffries.
Hour of Decision is a 1957 British mystery film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards and starring Jeff Morrow, Hazel Court and Anthony Dawson. It is based on the novel Murder in Mayfair by Frederic Goldsmith.
Killers of Kilimanjaro is a 1959 British CinemaScope adventure film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor, Anthony Newley, Anne Aubrey and Donald Pleasence for Warwick Films.
Let's Get Married is a 1960 British comedy drama film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Anthony Newley, Anne Aubrey and Hermione Baddeley. The film features Newley singing the song "Do You Mind", which reached #1 in the British Hit Singles chart the same year.
The Heart of a Man is a 1959 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Frankie Vaughan, Anne Heywood and Tony Britton. A millionaire in disguise gives a young man money to help him pursue his singing career.
Those People Next Door is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Harlow and starring Jack Warner, Charles Victor and Marjorie Rhodes. It was based on the play Wearing the Pants by Zelda Davees.
Jazz Boat is a 1960 British black-and-white musical comedy film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Anthony Newley, Anne Aubrey, Lionel Jeffries and big band leader Ted Heath and his orchestra. It was based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Rex Rienits.
The Small World of Sammy Lee is a 1963 British black-and-white comedy-drama crime film written and directed by Ken Hughes and starring Anthony Newley, Julia Foster and Robert Stephens. The film was based on the 1958 BBC TV one-character television play Sammy, also directed by Hughes and starring Newley, described by Variety as "a masterful piece of work."
No Time to Die is a 1958 British war film directed by Terence Young and starring Victor Mature, Leo Genn, Anthony Newley and Bonar Colleano. It is about an American sergeant in the British Army during the Second World War.