Airdate – Jun 26, 2022
One of the great pop tunes from the early days of Rock & Roll that signified the beginning of the vacation season in North America was Jerry Keller’s May 1959 release “Here Comes Summer.”
Across the pond, in England, a 1963 movie release had the same effect, and it featured some great summer tunes, including its title song. Sadly, the movie flopped in North America …
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This British film which was shot in both England and Greece in 1962 featured 16 songs and musical numbers and boasted a cast that included one of the UK’s greatest recording stars in the lead role.
The film had its world premiere at the Warner Theatre in London’s West End on January 10, 1963. It was a box office hit and would go on to become the second most popular movie in Britain, surpassed only by Sean Connery as James Bond in “From Russia With Love.” The comedy “Tom Jones” was the third most popular in 1963.
The recording artist and leading man in the film was voted by exhibitors as the most popular star at the British box-office that year.
Unfortunately, the movie flopped in the United States, most probably because of when it was released … two days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
In the UK, many singles from the movie made it onto the pop charts with four of them going to #1 – the singles were “Next Time,” “Bachelor Boy,” “Foot Tapper” (an instrumental), and the title song.
Leading man, Cliff Richard, could do no wrong with most of 1963 seeming like a “Summer Holiday,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
YouTube video of this song: