The Cliff Richard Movies
Sorry if Sir Cliff isn’t to well known in America, but he’s a national institution in the UK. He’s the only solo performer in the world to have number one UK hit records in 5 different decades.
He has also made some good movies, and to be fair some not so good. His first Serious Charge was just a small role, but he sang his first No1 Living Doll. In Expresso Bongo he supported leads Laurence Harvey, Sylvia Syms and sang A Voice In The Wilderness.
However, his first lead role was in The Young Ones with Robert Morley. Here he sang The Young Ones and When The Girl In Your Arms. IMO though his best film was Summer Holiday. In his biopic Cliff said Barbra Striesand was considered for his leading lady, but the role went to Lauri Peters instead (maybe if Babs had made the film SH would also be rated the classic in the U.S as it is in the UK. Like Elvis in Loving You, the film boasts many of the stars songs, Summer Holiday, Put On Your Dancing Shoes, A Swinging Affair (a great duet with Lauri) Bachelor Boy and The Next Time. Wonderful Life with Susan Hampshire was maybe one film to many at this time, but Cliff with Susan dancing still did the blistering song On The Beach.
The mid 60s film Finders Keepers wasn’t very good, but Cliff and his famous backing group The Shadows did a great little number called Time Drags By Real Slow. He played Cliff Richard Jnr (or in this case voiced a puppet) in a dream sequence of Thunderbirds Are Go. Not long after he converted to Christianity Cliff played the part of an East-End gangster who finds Jesus in the Billy Graham film Two A Penny with Anne Holloway and Dora Bryan. In the 70s he also made Take Me High.
He also in the 70s was a big help to Olivia Newton John. She was known as the girl who sang with Cliff. They still today team up for duets.
A long haired bearded 50 something Cliff following in the footsteps of Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights, did the stage musical Heathcliff. This was later put on video and is more or less a classic film, as he shows his skills as an actor as well as a singer.
The classic, but only UK known movies of Sir Cliff Richard
Thanks again for the video
i don't think it was a lack of talent that prevented Cliff from hitting it big in America. it's been said that in the late 50s it was difficult for a British performer to get exposure in the States unlike later with The Beatles. also i don't think Cliff wanted to leave home for long, so he contented himself with being a huge star in the UK
i don't think it was a lack of talent that prevented Cliff from hitting it big in America. it's been said that in the late 50s it was difficult for a British performer to get exposure in the States unlike later with The Beatles. also i don't think Cliff wanted to leave home for long, so he contented himself with being a huge star in the UK
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Moraldo Rubini
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Sir Cliff Richard was in the news today, regarding a recently shown Spanish documentary.
in 1968 Cliff finished second in The Eurovision Song Contest with Congratulations, one of the best songs ever performed in the long running competition. it was a massive hit in many countries whereas the winning Spanish song was quickly forgotten about. a recent doc has stated that General Franco's facist Spain rigged the voting.
mind you the competion was fairer back in the cold war yrs. now the Baltic Countries all vote for each other, regardless of the quality of the song. in the past Britain and Ireland would be among the favourites, now it would be something of a miracle in either Country got in the top ten. it's not a proper song contest, because some really dreadful acts will finish higher than some of the good stuff.
in 1968 Cliff finished second in The Eurovision Song Contest with Congratulations, one of the best songs ever performed in the long running competition. it was a massive hit in many countries whereas the winning Spanish song was quickly forgotten about. a recent doc has stated that General Franco's facist Spain rigged the voting.
mind you the competion was fairer back in the cold war yrs. now the Baltic Countries all vote for each other, regardless of the quality of the song. in the past Britain and Ireland would be among the favourites, now it would be something of a miracle in either Country got in the top ten. it's not a proper song contest, because some really dreadful acts will finish higher than some of the good stuff.
Has anyone ever found out what Cliff did or who he did it to? I mean, surely he committed some heinous act to be about the top UK Star and still never got much American attention.
Whose children did he bake in an oven? Did he shoot Rin Tin Tin? Did he try to marry Trigger? Surely the Secret Service could have hidden HIS trysts with Jackie - I mean, 'fair's fair'.
I can't believe he "only" might have slept with one or two or ten American Exec's wives, daughters or ??
I've always presumed there was some Hate List with only his name on it. Good grief - a lot of others with lesser talents received attention. Cliff would make American appearances but never sustained them or received sustainable attention.
Or is his American status all his own doing? His own desire? Kudos, if that.
Whose children did he bake in an oven? Did he shoot Rin Tin Tin? Did he try to marry Trigger? Surely the Secret Service could have hidden HIS trysts with Jackie - I mean, 'fair's fair'.
I can't believe he "only" might have slept with one or two or ten American Exec's wives, daughters or ??
I've always presumed there was some Hate List with only his name on it. Good grief - a lot of others with lesser talents received attention. Cliff would make American appearances but never sustained them or received sustainable attention.
Or is his American status all his own doing? His own desire? Kudos, if that.
it's said that in the 50s when he and his then backing group The Shadows hit it big in the UK that music didn't travel the pond very well. i remember the young Cliff saying you could have a hit record in one city without the rest of the U.S knowing who you are.
Then came The Beatles. The Fab Four made what turned out to be a wise move. they didn't tour the U.S until they had a number-one hit. composer Tim Rice was quoted as saying that if Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch of The Shadows had started writing songs in the 60s, rather than the late 50s they might be higher thought of than they actually were, because songs like Please Don't Tease might have reached America.
Cliff did have success in the U.S in the 70s, but he couldn't give up his main working life in the UK and give America his full attention
The Shadows, imo visually better than The Beatles, were even better in the 70s than in the 50s, mixing classical music with rock an roll. they had hits from The Dear Hunter and Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Then came The Beatles. The Fab Four made what turned out to be a wise move. they didn't tour the U.S until they had a number-one hit. composer Tim Rice was quoted as saying that if Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch of The Shadows had started writing songs in the 60s, rather than the late 50s they might be higher thought of than they actually were, because songs like Please Don't Tease might have reached America.
Cliff did have success in the U.S in the 70s, but he couldn't give up his main working life in the UK and give America his full attention
The Shadows, imo visually better than The Beatles, were even better in the 70s than in the 50s, mixing classical music with rock an roll. they had hits from The Dear Hunter and Don't Cry For Me Argentina
For the record (preferably a 45rpm):
Cliff Richard & the Drifters (which had Marvin and Welch) hit #30 in the U.S. with Living Doll in 1959. Cliff Richard & the Shadows toured North America in 1960 as part of "The Biggest Show of Stars" (including Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell and Freddy Cannon -- sounds like a Dick Clark production) and appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on April 14. In 1963, Lucky Lips went to #62 and It's All in the Game to #25. With the British Invasion in full swing in 1964, they had two records spend a total of three weeks on the U.S. charts, plus one (without The Shadows) that spent three weeks on the charts.
Between 1976 and 1983, starting with Devil Woman, Richard had 13 records chart in the U.S., with 5 of them in the Top 20 (including the duet with Olivia Newton-John).
My guess: He did have U.S. exposure and reasonable success, but it was too early. He was identified with the U.S. teen-dream/teen-idol singers (that's how I thought of him) and the British Invasion groups made them (and him) passe. Then when he returned, he was MOR -- nice success, but usually not the type to generate wild enthusiasm.
Cliff Richard & the Drifters (which had Marvin and Welch) hit #30 in the U.S. with Living Doll in 1959. Cliff Richard & the Shadows toured North America in 1960 as part of "The Biggest Show of Stars" (including Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell and Freddy Cannon -- sounds like a Dick Clark production) and appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on April 14. In 1963, Lucky Lips went to #62 and It's All in the Game to #25. With the British Invasion in full swing in 1964, they had two records spend a total of three weeks on the U.S. charts, plus one (without The Shadows) that spent three weeks on the charts.
Between 1976 and 1983, starting with Devil Woman, Richard had 13 records chart in the U.S., with 5 of them in the Top 20 (including the duet with Olivia Newton-John).
My guess: He did have U.S. exposure and reasonable success, but it was too early. He was identified with the U.S. teen-dream/teen-idol singers (that's how I thought of him) and the British Invasion groups made them (and him) passe. Then when he returned, he was MOR -- nice success, but usually not the type to generate wild enthusiasm.
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
Ah yes, I should have considered that: "...made passé". I forgot that one of the marketing pushes for groups vs. solo names was the possibility of having Paul Fans, John Fans, Ringo Fans uniting against the Bobby Vee, Ricky Nelson or (presumably) the Cliff fans.
I've wondered why the Brit Invasion was so successful, and often thought it was a New York-based conspiracy, as retaliation against the West Coast music scene (or more correctly, all Non-NYC music).
The NYC music industry had taken definite backseats to the California beach & Telstar sounds, the hot rod music and even Motown and Memphis were gobbling up markets in the late '50s and early '60s while New York's brass & orchestras stayed mired in decades' old sounds. The rest of the country had spent perhaps 40-50 years hearing New York Music dominate (if not dictate) the American tastes with little variety except for different nightclub appearances. Then, when good inexpensive broadcasting equipment came home after WWII, allowing more radio stations to be built on-the-cheap, and all of those stations wanted different music without paying NYC royalties, I've thought this started the downward spiral of NYC's music czars.
And when the Brit Invasion looked promising, all NYC had to do was back them to the hilt and shove them back down the rest of the country's throat. "You did it to us - we're doin' it right back at ya."
Except NYC didn't count on Los Angeles' Capitol Records getting the biggest act of all. It's no wonder that East Coast Atlantic was busy signing 10 and 15 acts to compensate, as was NYC's Columbia Records and all of their others. Poor Motown and Memphis didn't stand much of a chance for those next 2-3 years.
Heck, even Brian Wilson had to learn what "ugly stepchild" and "go away little kid, ya bother me" meant when he walked into his own Capitol Records offices.
If NYC wanted to use the Brit Invasion to put California "in its place", it failed. But was the wide-open spaces for music growth of the '60s really born from some marketing campaign gone awry, or had the huge growth of new radio stations after WWII sewn the seeds already, always demanding distinction in their markets, wanting to pay less royalties and backing newbie bands to help ensure station profits?
If Brian Wilson saw his fortunes plummet, I can only guess what Cliff's American agents considered his to be.
I've wondered why the Brit Invasion was so successful, and often thought it was a New York-based conspiracy, as retaliation against the West Coast music scene (or more correctly, all Non-NYC music).
The NYC music industry had taken definite backseats to the California beach & Telstar sounds, the hot rod music and even Motown and Memphis were gobbling up markets in the late '50s and early '60s while New York's brass & orchestras stayed mired in decades' old sounds. The rest of the country had spent perhaps 40-50 years hearing New York Music dominate (if not dictate) the American tastes with little variety except for different nightclub appearances. Then, when good inexpensive broadcasting equipment came home after WWII, allowing more radio stations to be built on-the-cheap, and all of those stations wanted different music without paying NYC royalties, I've thought this started the downward spiral of NYC's music czars.
And when the Brit Invasion looked promising, all NYC had to do was back them to the hilt and shove them back down the rest of the country's throat. "You did it to us - we're doin' it right back at ya."
Except NYC didn't count on Los Angeles' Capitol Records getting the biggest act of all. It's no wonder that East Coast Atlantic was busy signing 10 and 15 acts to compensate, as was NYC's Columbia Records and all of their others. Poor Motown and Memphis didn't stand much of a chance for those next 2-3 years.
Heck, even Brian Wilson had to learn what "ugly stepchild" and "go away little kid, ya bother me" meant when he walked into his own Capitol Records offices.
If NYC wanted to use the Brit Invasion to put California "in its place", it failed. But was the wide-open spaces for music growth of the '60s really born from some marketing campaign gone awry, or had the huge growth of new radio stations after WWII sewn the seeds already, always demanding distinction in their markets, wanting to pay less royalties and backing newbie bands to help ensure station profits?
If Brian Wilson saw his fortunes plummet, I can only guess what Cliff's American agents considered his to be.
Ollie said:
The demise of Vee-Jay Records, which originally had the Four Seasons and the Beatles, on the other hand....
Except...(1) Brian Wilson's fortunes were tied to Capitol Records, as were the Beatles; and, (2) although I'm not aware of Brian Wilson's net income (adjusted for inflation) during the pre-Beatles vs. the post-Beatles eras, his output during the latter is generally considered to be better than his output during the former, e.g., All Summer Long, The Beach Boys Today, Pet Sounds, Smiley Smile, and I imagine sales (though perhaps not market share) were better. If his fortunes did "plummet", I would tend to attribute that more to his father's involvment in his record contracts and his mental state than to a NYC conspiracy.Except NYC didn't count on Los Angeles' Capitol Records getting the biggest act of all. .... If Brian Wilson saw his fortunes plummet, I can only guess what Cliff's American agents considered his to be.
The demise of Vee-Jay Records, which originally had the Four Seasons and the Beatles, on the other hand....
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I shouldn't have put "IF Brian's fortunes did plummet..." They did. Tremendously. But that was because direct competitors (the Jan & Dean wave) had been increasing since 1959 and 1960, and some correctly say that Brian's "beach sound" was theft of several others' existing stylings. I tend to use "absorbing" instead of "thievery", though. I mean, who really can claim ownership of falsetto harmonies? (Shhh, Frankie Valli and your 4 Seasons New York doo-wop sound...)
I've thought that Capitol's poor treatment of Brian in their offices was ultimately a good thing because that 1964-1966 time frame saw Brian's home recording studio grow into a professional-quality operation.
I also wonder if Cliff's inability to break into the US market as a top headliner in the Pre-Brit Invasion years wasn't finalized after the Invasion - "We've got enough Brits here, thank you, now we've got ten thousand new bands to support. One more Brit won't make a ripple across this pond..."
So, was it all timing? I like to think he was happy enough with his career choices. The '60s were a tough decade for the solo singer.
I've thought that Capitol's poor treatment of Brian in their offices was ultimately a good thing because that 1964-1966 time frame saw Brian's home recording studio grow into a professional-quality operation.
I also wonder if Cliff's inability to break into the US market as a top headliner in the Pre-Brit Invasion years wasn't finalized after the Invasion - "We've got enough Brits here, thank you, now we've got ten thousand new bands to support. One more Brit won't make a ripple across this pond..."
So, was it all timing? I like to think he was happy enough with his career choices. The '60s were a tough decade for the solo singer.