The film cost less than £2 million to make and was shot in Ireland in under 6 weeks. Then first time director Peter Chelsom and co-writer/ star Adrian Dunbar took it to the Cannes Film Festival in search of a buyer. There, Harvey Weinstein snapped up the American distribution rights for Miramax, thus ensuring the film of a high degree of visibility. This duly paid off with its success at the American and UK box office, and a Golden Globe nomination for Ned Beatty.
David McCallum portrays Detective Constable Jim Abbott, who is trying to track down Josef Locke for non-payment of UK income tax. In real life McCallum's father, David McCallum Snr, was a violinist in the London Philharmonic and actually played in the orchestra for the real Josef Locke. McCallum Jnr mentioned this fact during publicity interviews when the film was released.
Josef Locke was a real Irish tenor who enjoyed great success after the Second World War, to the extent that, in 1948, he was earning approximately £2,000 a week. Then in the 1950s the tax-man became interested in his earnings and Locke subsequently disappeared. Around about the same time, a new singer of similar build and vocal style called Mr X started appearing in clubs and everyone started to believe that this was in fact Locke under a new guise. Among those who were particularly convinced were the legions of women whom Locke had reputedly slept with, as the man had an enviable reputation as a lady-killer.
Although the movie is fictional, the real Josef Locke was for a time a tax exile from the United Kingdom. He later settled his differences with the Inland Revenue and was able to return to England.
Part of the story line involves the woman who can identify the singer as the real one (Nancy Doyle's mother Cathleen) who was a beauty contestant at the time of Joseph Locke's disappearance, and a former lover of Locke's.
The role is played by Shirley Anne Field.Field played the role of a beauty contestant who gets involved with a music hall singer evading taxes. The movie was The Entertainer (1960) and played opposite Sir Lawrence Olivier (as Archie Rice).
The role is played by Shirley Anne Field.Field played the role of a beauty contestant who gets involved with a music hall singer evading taxes. The movie was The Entertainer (1960) and played opposite Sir Lawrence Olivier (as Archie Rice).