Cliff Richard's leading ladies in the movies, not Striesand

[stuart.uk]

I watched a documenatry about Cliff Richard and thought it brilliant, but was disappointed about the fact they only covered his first film Serious Charge through to Wonderful life in 1964, overlooking the latter Thunderbirds Are Go, Finder's Keepers, Two A Penny, Take Me High and Heathcliff. I got the impression that Cliff's 2nd film with Laurence Harvey and Sylvia Syms had a similiar theme to Elvis' King Creole in the sense it dealt with the sleezy part of show business, where both Cliff and Elvis sang in strip joints.

However, I wanted to write about Cliff's leading ladies. In The Young Ones we had Carole Gray, who did a good job, but never really did much after that. The only other role I saw her in was an early episode of a Roger Moore Saint and that was a small role.

I think the producer of Summer Holiday wanted up and comingBarbra Striesand in the female lead role of American actress Barbara Winter's, but was overruled by the director, who thought she wouldn't be right for the role, so Lauri Peters got the part. Lauri around that time was in Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vocation.

It's funny that Wonderful Life was a weaker film than both TYOs and SH, but it gave him his best leading lady Susan Hampshire. Susan hit it big in the original Forsyte Saga, The Pallisers and did Born Free sequal Living Free with Nigel Davenport. Also in SH and WL was dancer Una Stubbs with whom Cliff had a short term romance, but remained life long friends with. However, she was never leading lady on film. That I think weas a pity, given the special bond between them. Una hit it big as a UK actress in the sit come Till Death Do Us Part as Alf Garnett's married daughter, in a series that inspired All In The Family in the U.S. Una now plays Mrs. Hudson in the 21st Century Sherlock, an updated Sherlock Homles.

In Take Me High, Cliff's leading lady was Deborah Watling. Debbie for a yr was assistant to Patrick Troughton's Doctor Who with Frazer Hines. She was also in Danger UXB with Anthony Andrews and Judy Geeson. Debbie is also part of the Watling acting Dynasty with her late father Jack who used to be the head

Though not officially a movie, the dvd version of the stage show Heatchclif, looks like a film. Helen Hobson plays Cathy to Cliff's Heathcliff in an underrated Tim Rice musical