Summer Holiday

Summer Holiday is a British musical released in 1962, featuring singer Cliff Richard. 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. 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 Goodybe Mr. Chips 1969 and the dance drama The Turning Point 1977).

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Summer Holiday - 1962 - Cliff Richard - Peter Yates - Peter Myers - Ronald Cass - Melvyn Hayes - Teddy Green - Jeremy Bulloch - Una Stubbs - Pamela Hart - Jacqueline Daryl - Lionel Murton - Madge Ryan - David Kossoff - Nicholas Phipps - Ron Moody - The Shadows - Herbert Ross - Goodybe Mr. Chips - 1969 - The Turning Point - 1977

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The story concerns Richard and his mates (Hayes, Green and Bulloch) converting a red London Transport double-decker bus into a holiday caravan which they drive across the European continent. Their final 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 Richard's earlier film The Young Ones (1961). There were 16 song and musical numbers all told: "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 Holiday", "Bachelor Boy", "Dancing Shoes", "Foot Tapper", "Big News", "The Next Time", "Les Girls", "Round and Round" and "Orlando's Mime".

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Athens - The Young Ones - 1961

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Viewed objectively some years after it was made, it may not be a particularly brilliant film, but it is worth noting as the best known film of a major singing star, Cliff Richard. Both the film and the title song also captured something of the popular mood as relatively cheap continental holidays became available in Britain around the time it was made.

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