The Cool Mikado
Encyclopedia
The Cool Mikado is a British musical film
made in 1962, directed by Michael Winner
, (who makes a short appearance as an airline passenger a la Hitchcock near the start of the film) and produced by Harold Baim
, with music arranged by Martin Slavin
and John Barry
. It starred Frankie Howerd
as Ko-Ko, Lionel Blair
and Stubby Kaye
. The script was by Michael Winner, from an adaptation by Maurice Browning
.
Based on the Gilbert and Sullivan
comic opera The Mikado
, the plot is reset into contemporary Japan
as a comic gangster story. The dialogue is largely rewritten, and several of the well known musical items are omitted. The music that remains is re-orchestrated into styles popular in the early 1960s, including the twist
, and the Cha-Cha-Cha
. Filmed entirely on a sound stage, stock footage
was used to provide Japanese atmosphere between scenes. This footage looks like one of the many travelogues for which producer Baim is best known but according to Winner's autobiography this footage was specially shot. Winner credits the film's problems to the fact it was underfunded. No attempt appears to have been made to disguise the stage-bound filming. The colourful sparsely-dressed sets, not always tending towards realism, give the film a surreal
quality.
This film was Frankie Howerd's first musical, and it led to his starring in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
on stage and in several conventional Gilbert and Sullivan productions, including Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore
and the Learned Judge in Trial by Jury
. However, Howerd said that "not only was it the worst film ever made, but was the one production in show-business that I'm positively ashamed to have appeared in".
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
made in 1962, directed by Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
, (who makes a short appearance as an airline passenger a la Hitchcock near the start of the film) and produced by Harold Baim
Harold Baim
Harold Baim was a British film producer, director and writer. He was born in Leeds in 1914; he died in Reading in 1996.According to his family Harold Baim left Leeds after the death of his father in 1929. Moving to London in 1931, Baim originally wanted to be a journalist but instead got a job...
, with music arranged by Martin Slavin
Martin Slavin
Martin Slavin was a British composer and music director.Slavin was born in London. He served in the army as a Band Sergeant, and after demobilization formed his own seven piece band, working with musicians such as Eddie Calvert and Kenny Baker.In the 1960s, Slavin composed the musical Nancy Wake...
and John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
. It starred Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
as Ko-Ko, Lionel Blair
Lionel Blair
Lionel Blair is a British actor, choreographer, tap dancer and television presenter. He is the son of Myer Ogus and Deborah Greenbaum...
and Stubby Kaye
Stubby Kaye
Stubby Kaye was an American comic actor. He was born Bernard Kotzin in New York City on the last day of the First World War, at West 114th Street in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan to first generation Jewish-Americans originally from Russia and Austria...
. The script was by Michael Winner, from an adaptation by Maurice Browning
Maurice Browning
Maurice Browning was a British television actor.He appeared in several cult television series, including The Avengers, The Saint, The Champions and Doctor Who....
.
Based on the Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
comic opera The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, the plot is reset into contemporary Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as a comic gangster story. The dialogue is largely rewritten, and several of the well known musical items are omitted. The music that remains is re-orchestrated into styles popular in the early 1960s, including the twist
Twist (dance)
The Twist was a dance inspired by rock and roll music. It became the first worldwide dance craze in the early 1960s, enjoying immense popularity among young people and drawing fire from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed...
, and the Cha-Cha-Cha
Cha-cha-cha (dance)
The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953...
. Filmed entirely on a sound stage, stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
was used to provide Japanese atmosphere between scenes. This footage looks like one of the many travelogues for which producer Baim is best known but according to Winner's autobiography this footage was specially shot. Winner credits the film's problems to the fact it was underfunded. No attempt appears to have been made to disguise the stage-bound filming. The colourful sparsely-dressed sets, not always tending towards realism, give the film a surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
quality.
This film was Frankie Howerd's first musical, and it led to his starring in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
on stage and in several conventional Gilbert and Sullivan productions, including Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
and the Learned Judge in Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
. However, Howerd said that "not only was it the worst film ever made, but was the one production in show-business that I'm positively ashamed to have appeared in".
Music
The following music and styles appear in the film. Except for the ‘Mikado’s Song’, containing some topical lines, lyrics are unchanged. Although heavily re-orchestrated, the melodies were left essentially intact.- "The Sun and I" – instrumental twist used for the opening credits
- "We are Gentlemen of Japan" – male chorus in a ‘Tijuana brass’ type setting
- "Bellow of the Blast" – featured instrumental played in the style of a ‘strip’ tune
- "Three Little Maids" – female trio, set as a Cha-Cha-Cha followed by a featured dance
- "Overture extract" – a twist and used as incidental music
- "The Sun and I" – female solo
- "A Wandering Minstrel" – male solo in a crooner style
- "Lord High Executioner" – chorus with a ‘Tijuana brass’ backing
- "Finale Act 1" – extract set in a jazzy style and used as a short dance routine
- "The Sun and I" – instrumental twist used as incidental music
- "Here’s a Howdy do" – duet sung as a Cha-Cha-Cha
- "A Wandering Minstrel" – instrumental small jazz combo arrangement used as incidental music
- "This I’ll Never Do" – duet
- Overture extract" – instrumental quickstepQuickstepThe quickstep is a light-hearted member of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal and informal events...
- "Tit Willow" – instrumental twist, a featured dance routine
- Overture extract" – instrumental in a jazz style
- "The Mikado’s Song" – male solo, some updated lyrics
- "Bellow of the Blast" – instrumental jitterbug used as incidental music
- "Flowers that bloom in the Spring" – various solos, set as a jitterbug and a featured dance performed in a snow storm
- "We are Gentlemen of Japan" – played on bagpipesBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
- "He’s Gone and Married Yum Yum" – chorus in a jazzy style.
Synopsis
Hank, the son of American judge Herbert Mikado, refuses to marry Katie Shaw, whom his father wishes him to marry, and so joins the army. He is stationed in Japan where he falls in love with a Tokyo art student, Yum-Yum. However, her finace, Ko-Ko, an American gangster operating in Japan, is determined to keep Hank and Yum-Yum apart. Hank's father had also sentenced Ko-Ko's brother to prison.Cast
- Frankie Howerd ... Ko-Ko Flintridge
- Stubby Kaye ... Judge Herbert Mikado / Charlie Hotfleisch
- Mike WintersMike WintersMichael John Winters is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the National League from 1988 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000. He umpired in the minor leagues from 1982 to 1989 before joining the NL's regular staff in 1990...
... Mike - Bernie WintersBernie WintersBernie Winters was an English comedian and the comic relief of the double act, Mike and Bernie Winters with his brother, Mike. He later performed solo, often with the aid of his St...
... Bernie - Tommy CooperTommy CooperThomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
... Pooh-Bah, Private Detective - Dennis PriceDennis PriceDennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
... Ronald Fortescue - Peter BarkworthPeter BarkworthPeter Wynn Barkworth was an English actor.-Early life:Peter Barkworth was born at Margate, Kent. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Bramhall in Cheshire and Barkworth was educated at Stockport School. His headmaster wanted him to go to university but Barkworth had set his heart on a career...
... Fanshaw - Jacqueline Jones ... Katie Shaw
- Kevin Scott ... Hank Mikado
- Jill Mai Meredith ... Yum-Yum
- Burt KwoukBurt KwoukBurt Kwouk OBE , born Herbert Kwouk, is an English actor of Chinese descent, known for many television appearances and for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films.-Career:...
... Art School Teacher - Lionel BlairLionel BlairLionel Blair is a British actor, choreographer, tap dancer and television presenter. He is the son of Myer Ogus and Deborah Greenbaum...
... Nanki - Pete Murray ... Man #1 in Boudoir
- Ed BishopEd BishopEd Bishop was an American film, television, stage and radio actor based in Britain.-Early life:Bishop served in the US Army from 8 October 1952 to 24 September 1954, working as a disc jockey with the Armed Forces Radio at St. Johns in Newfoundland...
... Man #2 in Boudoir - Tsai ChinTsai Chin (actress)Tsai Chin , also known as Irene Chow, is a Chinese-born actress living in England.-Early life, family & education:Chin was born to Peking Opera actor Zhou Xinfang in 1936. She spent her early life in Shanghai. She had two short marriages which both ended in divorce. Her brother is Michael...
... Pitti-Sing - Glen Mason ... Harry
- Dermot WalshDermot WalshDermot Walsh was an Irish stage, film and television actor, known for portraying Richard the Lionheart in the 1962 television series Richard the Lionheart.-Early life:...
... Elmer - Carole ShelleyCarole ShelleyCarole Shelley is an English actress. Among her many stage roles are the character of Madame Morrible in the original Broadway cast of the musical Wicked.-Life and career:...
... Mrs. Smith - C. Denier WarrenC. Denier WarrenC. Denier Warren or Denier Warren was an American born actor who appeared extensively on stage and screen from the early 1930s to late 1960s, mostly in the United Kingdom....
... Mr. Smith - Yvonne Shima ... Peep-Bo
- Kenji Takaki ... Ho Ho
- The John Barry SevenThe John Barry SevenThe John Barry Seven was a band formed by John Barry in 1957, after he abandoned his original career path of arranging for big bands.-Origins:...
... Themselves
External links
- The Cool Mikado at the IMDB database
- "The Cool Mikado (1962)" at A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography