Summer Holiday
Encyclopedia
Summer Holiday is a British musical released in February 1963, featuring singer Cliff Richard
in his best-known film. The musical was directed by Peter Yates
(his debut) and was produced by Kenneth Harper for the Associated British Studios
at Elstree
. The original screenplay was written by Peter Myers and Ronald Cass
(who also wrote most of the song numbers and lyrics). The cast included Lauri Peters
, Melvyn Hayes
, Teddy Green, Jeremy Bulloch
, Una Stubbs
, Pamela Hart, Jacqueline Daryl, Lionel Murton
, Madge Ryan
, David Kossoff
, Nicholas Phipps
, Ron Moody
and The Shadows
. Herbert Ross
choreographed the musical numbers.
in Aldenham
, Hertfordshire
. During a miserably wet British summer lunch break, Don arrives, having persuaded London Transport to lend him and his friends an AEC Regent "RT" double-decker bus (and not a later Routemaster
as often quoted). This they convert into a holiday caravan, which they drive across continental Europe, intending to reach the South of France. However, their eventual destination is Athens
. On the way, they are joined by a girl trio (Stubbs, Hart and Daryl) and a runaway singer (Lauri Peters), pursued by her mother (Ryan) and agent (Murton). The movie was a huge box-office hit, thus repeating the success of Cliff Richard's earlier film The Young Ones
(1961).
", "Bachelor Boy
", "Dancing Shoes", "Foot Tapper
", "Big News", "The Next Time
", "Les Girls", "Round and Round" and "Orlando's Mime".
The film's producers felt that female lead in the film, Lauri Peters, was not a strong singer after several test recording sessions and all of her parts, both in the film and on the soundtrack album were dubbed by session vocalist Grazina Frame. Frame had overdubbed female singing voices in Cliff Richard's earlier film The Young Ones.
Cliff Richard, Melvyn Hayes and the Shadows were recalled to Elstree some weeks after completion of shooting to record Bachelor Boy. This was because the distributors felt the film was too short.
, 1969, and the dance drama The Turning Point
, 1977).
"Summer Holiday
", "The Next Time
", "Bachelor Boy
" and "Foot Tapper
" all reached Number one in the British charts during the first three months of 1963.
Both the film and the title song captured something of the popular mood as relatively cheap continental holidays became available in Britain around that time. It was voted the 99th greatest family film in a Channel 4
poll.
in the role that Cliff Richard played. It premiered for a summer season at The Opera House
in Blackpool
in 1996, and then later toured nationally, before returning to The Opera House in 1998. The cast for these included Claire Buckfield, Isla Fisher
, Hilary O'Neil, Peter Baldwin and Rene Zagger
. It was also recorded and released on video, entitled "Summer Holiday-The Hits", which was all the musical numbers strung together by clips of Darren Day writing postcards to his friends, and describing what was happening in the story as he wrote.
The stage musical differs in a number of respects from the film version. For example, the route to Athens
is via Italy
in the stage version rather than the original film route via Yugoslavia
. The songs also differ, and include a number of songs from Cliff Richard's other early back catalogue, such as "The Young Ones
".
The first revival of the stage musical was by a children's theatre school, Sands Theatre Arts School. This version included the same Musical Director of the original professional performance.
However, the first stage adaptation of the film was actually presented by Ashmole School
and was adapted and directed by Tony Harries (the author of the Zeegpaw books). It follows the plot of the film very closely, but bookends it with scenes from a youth club.
The stage musical was revived professionally in 2003, starring Stefan Booth
but later starring Darren Day again. This production also included Day's future partner Suzanne Shaw
(from the pop group Hear'say
) as Bobby and, as Shaw's mother, Aimi MacDonald
. The production toured the UK.
A revised version of the stage musical, adapted for smaller stages, is available for amateur performance in the UK and elsewhere.
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
in his best-known film. The musical was directed by Peter Yates
Peter Yates
Peter James Yates was an English director and producer. He was born in Aldershot, Hampshire.The son of an army officer, he attended Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked for some years as an actor, director and stage manager...
(his debut) and was produced by Kenneth Harper for the Associated British Studios
Elstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
at Elstree
Elstree
Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....
. The original screenplay was written by Peter Myers and Ronald Cass
Ronald Cass
Ronald Cass was a screenwriter and a composer. He co-wrote the films Summer Holiday and The Young Ones.-Biography:Cass was born in Llanelli, Wales to Saul and Rachel Cass, the second of five sons...
(who also wrote most of the song numbers and lyrics). The cast included Lauri Peters
Lauri Peters
Lauri Peters is an American actress, dancer, singer, drama teacher and author. Birth name - Patricia Peterson.Peters created the role of Liesl Von Trapp in the original 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting or Featured Actress in...
, Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...
, Teddy Green, Jeremy Bulloch
Jeremy Bulloch
Jeremy Bulloch is an English actor. He is best known for the role inside the costume of the bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy, though he did not voice the character...
, Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs is an English actress and former dancer who has appeared extensively on British television and in the theatre, and less frequently in films. She is particularly known for her roles in the sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and Aunt Sally in the children's series Worzel Gummidge.-Film and...
, Pamela Hart, Jacqueline Daryl, Lionel Murton
Lionel Murton
William Lionel Murton was a British-Canadian character actor. He most often played Americans/Canadians in numerous films and television series, from the late 1940s...
, Madge Ryan
Madge Ryan
Madge Ryan was an Australian film, theatre and television actress.-Career:Already an established theatre actor in Sydney, Australia, she emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1957 and starred in many British stage shows...
, David Kossoff
David Kossoff
David Kossoff was a British actor. Following the death of his son Paul, a rock musician, he became an anti-drug campaigner...
, Nicholas Phipps
Nicholas Phipps
Nicholas Phipps was a British actor and screenwriter who appeared in more than thirty films during a career that lasted between 1938 and 1970. He was born in London in 1913. He made his screen debut in the 1938 television film Hands Across the Sea. He appeared mainly in British comedy films, often...
, Ron Moody
Ron Moody
Ron Moody is an English actor.- Personal life :Moody was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Kate and Bernard Moodnick, a studio executive. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew. He is a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare...
and The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
. Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross was an American film director, producer, choreographer and actor.-Early life and career:Born Herbert David Ross in Brooklyn, New York, he made his stage debut as Third Witch with a touring company of Macbeth in 1942...
choreographed the musical numbers.
Plot
The story concerns Don (Cliff Richard) and his friends (Hayes, Green and Bulloch) who are bus mechanics at the huge London Transport bus overhaul worksAldenham Works
The Aldenham Works, or Aldenham Bus Overhaul Works, was the main London Transport Bus overhaul works. It was located on the edge of the Hertfordshire village of Elstree and not Aldenham despite being officially called Aldenham Works. In its heyday, 50 buses a week were overhauled there, and it was...
in Aldenham
Aldenham
This article is about the village in Hertfordshire. For the London Transport Bus Overhaul Works, see Aldenham Works.Aldenham is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, approx. three miles north-east of Watford and two miles from Radlett. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is one of...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. During a miserably wet British summer lunch break, Don arrives, having persuaded London Transport to lend him and his friends an AEC Regent "RT" double-decker bus (and not a later Routemaster
Routemaster
The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...
as often quoted). This they convert into a holiday caravan, which they drive across continental Europe, intending to reach the South of France. However, their eventual destination is Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. On the way, they are joined by a girl trio (Stubbs, Hart and Daryl) and a runaway singer (Lauri Peters), pursued by her mother (Ryan) and agent (Murton). The movie was a huge box-office hit, thus repeating the success of Cliff Richard's earlier film The Young Ones
The Young Ones (film)
The Young Ones is a British musical released in 1961, featuring singer Cliff Richard. The musical was directed by Sidney J. Furie and was produced by Kenneth Harper and Andrew Mitchell for the Associated British Studios at Elstree. The original screenplay was written by Peter Myers and Ronald...
(1961).
Cast
- Cliff RichardCliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
as Don - Lauri PetersLauri PetersLauri Peters is an American actress, dancer, singer, drama teacher and author. Birth name - Patricia Peterson.Peters created the role of Liesl Von Trapp in the original 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting or Featured Actress in...
as Barbara - Melvyn HayesMelvyn HayesMelvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...
as Cyril - Una StubbsUna StubbsUna Stubbs is an English actress and former dancer who has appeared extensively on British television and in the theatre, and less frequently in films. She is particularly known for her roles in the sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and Aunt Sally in the children's series Worzel Gummidge.-Film and...
as Sandy - Teddy Green as Steve
- Pamela Hart as Angie
- Jeremy BullochJeremy BullochJeremy Bulloch is an English actor. He is best known for the role inside the costume of the bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy, though he did not voice the character...
as Edwin - Jacqueline Daryl as Mimsie
- Madge RyanMadge RyanMadge Ryan was an Australian film, theatre and television actress.-Career:Already an established theatre actor in Sydney, Australia, she emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1957 and starred in many British stage shows...
as Stella - Lionel MurtonLionel MurtonWilliam Lionel Murton was a British-Canadian character actor. He most often played Americans/Canadians in numerous films and television series, from the late 1940s...
as Jerry - Christine Lawson as Annie
- Ron MoodyRon MoodyRon Moody is an English actor.- Personal life :Moody was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Kate and Bernard Moodnick, a studio executive. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew. He is a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare...
as Orlando - David KossoffDavid KossoffDavid Kossoff was a British actor. Following the death of his son Paul, a rock musician, he became an anti-drug campaigner...
as Magistrate - Wendy BarrieWendy BarrieWendy Barrie was a British actress who worked in British and American films.-Early life:Marguerite Wendy Jenkins was born in Hong Kong to British parents...
as Shepherdess (as Wendy Barry) - Nicholas PhippsNicholas PhippsNicholas Phipps was a British actor and screenwriter who appeared in more than thirty films during a career that lasted between 1938 and 1970. He was born in London in 1913. He made his screen debut in the 1938 television film Hands Across the Sea. He appeared mainly in British comedy films, often...
as Wrightmore - The ShadowsThe ShadowsThe Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
as themselves
Soundtrack
There are 16 song and musical numbers in the film: "Seven Days to a Holiday", "Let Us Take You for a Ride", "Stranger in Town", "Swinging Affair", "Really Waltzing", "Yugoslavian Wedding", "All At Once", "Summer HolidaySummer Holiday (song)
"Summer Holiday" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, written by rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch and drummer Brian Bennett. It went to number one in the UK. It is taken from the film of the same name and is one of Richard's best known titles...
", "Bachelor Boy
Bachelor Boy
"Bachelor Boy" was a double 'A' side with "The Next Time" the first of three number one hit singles from the Cliff Richard musical Summer Holiday...
", "Dancing Shoes", "Foot Tapper
Foot Tapper
"Foot Tapper" is an instrumental by the British guitar group, The Shadows. It went to number one in the UK and was the Shadows' last UK number-one hit...
", "Big News", "The Next Time
The Next Time
"The Next Time" was the first of three number one hit singles from the Cliff Richard musical Summer Holiday. Both sides were marketed as songs with chart potential, and the release is viewed retrospectively as a double A-side single...
", "Les Girls", "Round and Round" and "Orlando's Mime".
The film's producers felt that female lead in the film, Lauri Peters, was not a strong singer after several test recording sessions and all of her parts, both in the film and on the soundtrack album were dubbed by session vocalist Grazina Frame. Frame had overdubbed female singing voices in Cliff Richard's earlier film The Young Ones.
Cliff Richard, Melvyn Hayes and the Shadows were recalled to Elstree some weeks after completion of shooting to record Bachelor Boy. This was because the distributors felt the film was too short.
Cultural impact
Ross's choreography undoubtedly contributed to the critical view of Summer Holiday as a "breakthrough musical" in the British cinema, with the majority of the numbers integrating dance with song and not merely serving as scenes to promote a number of "hit-parade" songs. Ross, an American actor, dancer and choreographer later became a film director in his own right (his works include the musical Goodbye, Mr ChipsGoodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a 1969 American musical film directed by Herbert Ross. The screenplay by Terence Rattigan is based on James Hilton's 1934 novella of the same name, which originally was adapted for the screen in 1939.-Plot:...
, 1969, and the dance drama The Turning Point
The Turning Point (1977 film)
The Turning Point is a 1977 film written by Arthur Laurents and directed by Herbert Ross. In starring roles were Shirley MacLaine, Anne Bancroft, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Leslie Browne, Tom Skerritt, Martha Scott, Anthony Zerbe, Marshall Thompson and James Mitchell.-Plot:This film tells the story of...
, 1977).
"Summer Holiday
Summer Holiday (song)
"Summer Holiday" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, written by rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch and drummer Brian Bennett. It went to number one in the UK. It is taken from the film of the same name and is one of Richard's best known titles...
", "The Next Time
The Next Time
"The Next Time" was the first of three number one hit singles from the Cliff Richard musical Summer Holiday. Both sides were marketed as songs with chart potential, and the release is viewed retrospectively as a double A-side single...
", "Bachelor Boy
Bachelor Boy
"Bachelor Boy" was a double 'A' side with "The Next Time" the first of three number one hit singles from the Cliff Richard musical Summer Holiday...
" and "Foot Tapper
Foot Tapper
"Foot Tapper" is an instrumental by the British guitar group, The Shadows. It went to number one in the UK and was the Shadows' last UK number-one hit...
" all reached Number one in the British charts during the first three months of 1963.
Both the film and the title song captured something of the popular mood as relatively cheap continental holidays became available in Britain around that time. It was voted the 99th greatest family film in a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
poll.
Stage adaptations
Summer Holiday was adapted into a stage musical in the mid-1990s starring Darren DayDarren Day
Darren Day , is an English actor, singer and television presenter, well known for his West End theatre starring roles.-Early life:His paternal grandfather was a support and warm-up act for George Formby...
in the role that Cliff Richard played. It premiered for a summer season at The Opera House
Opera House Theatre, Blackpool
The Opera House Theatre is a 2,920 capacity theatre in Blackpool Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre and originally opened in 1889, although it has been rebuilt twice, in 1910 and 1939....
in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
in 1996, and then later toured nationally, before returning to The Opera House in 1998. The cast for these included Claire Buckfield, Isla Fisher
Isla Fisher
Isla Lang Fisher is an actress and author. She began acting on Australian television, on the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away...
, Hilary O'Neil, Peter Baldwin and Rene Zagger
René Zagger
René Zagger is an English actor, probably best known for playing PC Nick Klein in The Bill from 1999 to 2004. He has also made several guest appearances in Casualty, and Wycliffe.- Background :...
. It was also recorded and released on video, entitled "Summer Holiday-The Hits", which was all the musical numbers strung together by clips of Darren Day writing postcards to his friends, and describing what was happening in the story as he wrote.
The stage musical differs in a number of respects from the film version. For example, the route to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
is via Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the stage version rather than the original film route via Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. The songs also differ, and include a number of songs from Cliff Richard's other early back catalogue, such as "The Young Ones
The Young Ones (song)
"The Young Ones" is a single by Cliff Richard and The Shadows. The song, written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, is the title song to the 1961 film The Young Ones and its soundtrack album...
".
The first revival of the stage musical was by a children's theatre school, Sands Theatre Arts School. This version included the same Musical Director of the original professional performance.
However, the first stage adaptation of the film was actually presented by Ashmole School
Ashmole School
Ashmole Academy is a comprehensive foundation school in Southgate, England in the London Borough of Barnet. Under the direction of the headteacher Derrick Brown, around 1,340 pupils are educated in ages 11–18....
and was adapted and directed by Tony Harries (the author of the Zeegpaw books). It follows the plot of the film very closely, but bookends it with scenes from a youth club.
The stage musical was revived professionally in 2003, starring Stefan Booth
Stefan Booth
Stefan Booth is an English actor and singer currently starring in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Greg Jessop. He left the series in August 2011 and will return to the show.-Background:...
but later starring Darren Day again. This production also included Day's future partner Suzanne Shaw
Suzanne Shaw
Suzanne Shaw is an English actress, singer and television personality...
(from the pop group Hear'say
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
) as Bobby and, as Shaw's mother, Aimi MacDonald
Aimi MacDonald
Aimi MacDonald is a British actress. She is best known for her role as "The Lovely" Aimi MacDonald in the television sketch comedy show At Last the 1948 Show ....
. The production toured the UK.
A revised version of the stage musical, adapted for smaller stages, is available for amateur performance in the UK and elsewhere.