Six-Five Special

This is a really interesting time piece,since it reflects the changing tastes in music that took place during the 1950s.Early in the fifties,crooners such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra still held sway.One of our British crooners,and one of my personal favourites of the time,Dickie Valentine,is shown in full voice here.Then there was a slight change evidenced by such as Lonnie Donnegan.I still have his 45 disc of "My old mans a dustman.However the era of rock and roll was fast approaching with Rock Around The Clock and of course Elvis Presley.So the cosy world shown here was soon to be swept away.I also remember Pete Murray very well as he used to sit in the same area as me at The Arsenal.This film is for enthusiasts of the era primarily.

The 6.5 Special TV series was the in thing to watch when I was a young teenager and now, I look on that series with slight uneasiness, THIS FILM takes it to new heights of toe-curling embarrassment.

Dear oh dear, oh dear - this is DIRE!!

The only person to come out of this with any credit was Lonnie Donegan, as for the rest - even John Barry trying to look and sing like a hip-cat was laughable and the rest of these so-called pop stars of the day were little better. And who on earth was Desmond Lane? Never heard of him, and then to see teenage girls' mob him as he played his penny whistle takes it to new heights of ridiculousness. I also wonder how we thought a so-called pop band fronted by a man (Don Lang) playing a trombone was with it, is mind numbing.

And I'll completely dismiss the "comedy" routine by Mike and Bernie Winters as words fail me.

As a historical piece showcasing a transitional phase in UK culture and popular music, the rise of youth culture and the early days of television, this film is fantastic. It offers a snapshot of the late 50's that was a battleground where Jazz, rock and roll, crooners and skiffle were battling for prominence in the youth music market of a pre Beatles universe. However, if you approach the film for sophisticated entertainment judged against current day standards you will be sorely disappointed. Terrible and cheesy... So choose your critical position. I took the former point of view and thought the whole experience was brilliant...

This is a fascinating film for historians of pop -- so many classic acts; this is pop in its nascent form before the cult of celebrity had truly taken hold. So many great performances: Pet Clarke; the Kings Singers; Lonnie Donegon. Kitsch and quaint with the unsettling underbelly of period racism -- why are Victor Soverall and Jimmy Lloyd in the kitchen the whole time while the 'whiter'performers get to travel in the train as passengers.

So many great stars travelling south to London -- the format of the early musical as a show case for performers, this film is also an interesting representation of early television in the UK.

If you are into trains you will also like this! -- the main part of the narrative shows a train journey to London -- the centre of all culture in the 50s, 60s and, of course, now.

This was a film designed to represent to British pop scene as well as to cash in on the popularity of the TV show with the same name. The very flimsy story line, revolves around two young women setting out for London's bright lights because one of them is seeking a career in pop music. However, the idea that these two young girls should meet a galaxy of singers on a railway train is unbelievable and cheesy to say the least! Most of the songs are garbage, as are several of the artists, some of whom mercifully had a very short time on stage or screen. Lonnie Donegan stands out as the one decent performer. Petula Clarke is seen singing 'baby love' a fairly average song, but she would go on to make much better recordings. Some of the artists featured were essentially jazz performers, which is curious because at the time of the film's release, rock n roll had largely supplanted jazz as the teenager's choice of music. Forget this film, it's best left as a museum pice!