Beat! Beat! Beat!

I recently saw Hold On! on TCM in wide screen format and I liked it. It helps to be a fan of 1960s British music, as Hermans Hermits are featured. I guess this was their answer to the Beatles movies of that era. The plot is crazy and the acting is fair at best, but there was enough music and foolishness to keep me interested. A good example of a 1960s pop music movie.

British pop group Herman's Hermits land in Los Angeles to play the Rose Bowl, but what they really want to do is see the sights and meet some girls "to talk to". They're pursued by a scientist collecting data on the band for NASA, who are thinking of using the group's moniker on the new spaceship, a would-be actress who wants to link her name with theirs to generate publicity, and a blonde Shelley Fabares who wants the group to perform at her mother's charity event at the snooty Ocean Club. The Hermits sing many hookless tunes, one of which is entitled "A Must To Avoid", which may well have served as this film's subtitle. Although Southern California looks lovely (like a big, shiny department store), there's no satirical wit in the writing, and Herman's Hermits have no personality, no distinction, and no charisma. Fabares gets the only good song, "Make Me Happy", and her sweetly out-of-it presence is a nice distraction to the screaming teenage fans, who are mostly shot swarming from below the knees. *1/2 from ****

I always liked the songs performed by Herman's Hermits. Simple songs with a catchy melody that seems to stay with you for a long time. With that in mind, I couldn't wait to see the band in the film, "Hold On." Shelley Fabares was hot looking but the band including Herman (Peter No one) seemed lame in comparison. The story was unbelievable, and the scenes seemed over staged. In comparison, in the Beatle's film, "A Hard Days Night" the crowd scenes seemed real, VERY real. "Hold On" looked like it was all shot on the back lot of a studio. It's wrong to compare the Beatles with Herman's Hermits, but if there was a better script for "Hold On" and if the viewer could actually see the personalities of the other band members, we would have had a better film. If you are a fan of Herman's Hermits, by all means don't miss this film. Like I said before, Shelley Fabares is eye candy and Herman (Peter No one) does have a few good moments with his famous facial expressions throughout the film. The music alone is worth a watch, but by no means take this movie as a serious venue. Bottom line, it's cute and a fun watch. We'll always wonder what could have been made with a good script? We'll never know.

Herman's Hermits is visiting America on a tour and hi-jinx ensues. After the success of the Beatles, I'm sure every British band would aim to follow in their footsteps. Some actually got their films made. For that, Herman's Hermits needs to be congratulated but it does not make them the Beatles. Quite frankly, they falter by the comparison. They don't have as much charisma. They should be the stars in every frame of this movie but they're not. While they're the leads, they aren't really leading. They're being led. They're not the drivers of their own train. The story is all wrong. The guys need to have most of the dialogue and be constantly on screen. If not, then what's the point.

This film is not to be missed, because it is surely a candidate for the worst film of all time. It has the look and feel of the Batman TV series, but is nowhere near as interesting or funny.

The humour is purile at best and the music defies belief. And I like 60's music. After watching this turkey, EVERY modern film looks like Citizen Kane.

If the budget for this film was more than $100, I want to know what they blew it all on.