Every Day's a Holiday

Other than the justly celebrated films of Cliff Richard and The Beatles, British pop musicals of the early 60s are not highly esteemed. They are generally seen as having been blatantly derivative at the time and hopelessly dated now. If "Summer Holiday" and "A Hard Day's Night" represent the very best of this somewhat narrow genre it is likely that "Every Day's A Holiday" would be considered - if at all - as one of the very minor also-rans. Having watched a recent repeat of this film, however, I found it highly entertaining. In essence it is a Cliff Richard film without Cliff, who is replaced, insofar as he can be, by John Leyton, a young actor-turned-pop star (and sometime Joe Meek protege). As in the Cliff films, the musical numbers are strung along a purposely lightweight romantic plotline, and both Ron Moody and Richard O'Sullivan are held over from the Cliff entourage. The cinematography, courtesy of a young Nic Roeg, makes this film a pleasure to watch, and the musical numbers, if undistinguished by the high standards of The Beatles and Cliff, are enjoyable. As in so many films of this period, the choreography - performed by an accomplished dance-troupe - betrays the unmistakable influence of "West Side Story". The likeable cast includes Mike Sarne, Grazina Frame, Liz Fraser, Nicholas Parsons, the late Michael Ripper and the late Hazel Hughes. Sarne (improbably but effectively cast as a young aristocrat-about-town, Tim) vies with the decently working-class Gerry (Leyton) for the attentions of the no less high-born Christina (Frame). Disappointingly for sociologically-minded film buffs there is only the most superficial investigation of the class issues inherent in the situation, but, of course, this is entirely as it should be in an escapist entertainment of this sort. (Indeed, in the naively optimistic mood of the mid-60s, class was starting to be perceived as not especially problematic, with an overall youth culture transcending such ancient barriers.) Unlike Gerry, who is hopelessly smitten, the vain and self-regarding (but strangely appealing) Tim casts his romantic net rather more widely, notably demonstrating - albeit with somewhat qualified success! - the "beatnik approach" to wooing. His dalliance with holiday camp manager Mr Close's (Charles Lloyd Pack) ripely sexy secretary Miss Slightly (Liz Fraser) prospers somewhat better, given her enthusiasm for sex (made evident early in the film), and her equally evident eventual inebriation. Indeed, in its rather innocent way, "Every Day's A Holiday" is pre-occupied with sex (as distinct from chaste romance) to a far greater degree than most of the youth films of the time; certainly far more than the Cliff films that it otherwise resembles. Most noteworthy among its various set pieces is a mind-bogglingly brilliant and surreal sequence featuring Freddie and the Dreamers as chefs. Nicholas Parsons plays a pretentious and overwrought TV director, first cousin, so to speak, to Victor Spinetti in "A Hard Day's Night", although from internal evidence (an allusion to Harold Macmillan during a bingo game), "Every Day's A Holiday" would seem to be the earlier of the two films. In addition to the "in-house" performers and Freddie and the Dreamers, there is a fleeting appearance by The Mojos. Despite the presence of these two bands, however, the ethos of the film is more Cliff/Shadows/Meek than Merseybeat. Highly recommended.

I like silly 1960's pop music films and I was looking forward to enjoying this one and giving it a well deserved ten but.....it was fairly bad so just worth a five.

No decent tunes and the dance sequences were far too long and were just a bit of padding. Jumping on the pop music film boom of the time which would have disappointed paying customers who would have expected it to be a good watch.

Bad acting from almost everyone and no redeeming features. I did discover that Nicolas Parsons was young once which came a surprise as I thought that he was born old.

The "high spirited teens" were obviously in their twenties and not teenagers. One unusual feature for a pop film of 1964 was that there was no smoking in any scene, or if there was I missed it.

Not worth watching not even for nostalgia.

This is not a great film and is badly dated. I gave it a 10 anyways based solely on seeing Jennifer and Susan Baker sing the song "Romeo Jones". I had not seen this film since the 60s yet this scene popped into my head recently as I recalled having a huge crush on these twin sisters when I was a kid. I had not thought of this in years and tracked down a copy of the film on eBay. The performance was as wonderful as I remembered and I still have a crush on these girls. They only were in a handful of films but they are completely adorable. I find it hard to believe that they were not in more films or offered a record contract. There is not much info on the web on the twins so I have no idea what paths their lives took after they quit making films. The rest of the cast is more than capable with John Leyton (the Great Escape), Ron Moody (Oliver) and Michael Ripper (Every Hammer film ever made), and do the best they can with a substandard script. There is a couple of bizarre performances by Freddie and the Dreamers and a busty Liz Fraser to liven things up, but the real attraction for me is the Baker Twins. Their performance so impressed me when I was 10 years old that it remained in my head for over 40 years. I am just glad that it worked it's way out of my subconscious mind so I could enjoy it all over again.

John Leyton's father worked like a dog to keep him in school, but while waiting for his proposed career to begin, he's trying to break into show business as a singer. He applies to a holiday camp, and gets the job -- as a children's entertainer. Disappointed but game, he struggles, making friends with the other young people working there, hoping for a break.

It's one of those British musicals of the early 1960s with every sort of pop music from music hall to blackfaced performer, all the way up to the early stages of what would become acid rock, in a series of performances that take up almost half of the movie's 94 minutes. The staging of the musical numbers varies from straightforward to expansive in the hands of choreographer Gillian Lynne and DP Nicholas Roeg, and the cast includes Ron Moody as an Italian singing teacher, sort of, Liz Fraser as a good-hearted secretary, Nicholas Parsons, and Michael Ripper. I don't recall any of the songs making their way across the Atlantic, but the variety and competence of most of them made watching this one a pleasant experience.

It's a rags to riches tale of 3 guys & 4 gals who meet while working at a holiday camp and end up entering and winning the annual talent contest. Everything moves along rather too quickly - the plot where Gerry (John Leyton) falls for the girl, loses the girl to Tim (Mike Sarne) and then is reunited with her happens in an instant and the fact that the group, The Lucky Seven, beats Freddie & the Dreamers in the contest is a bit too unbelievable and smacks of a touch of vote rigging. Still ... on the whole it is a very entertaining film.

The songs are a bit corny but feel-good - the best being the gorgeous Baker Twins' "Romeo Jones" and the title song (although some of the lyrics should have been revised as they don't quite fit in with the music). I would also have to say that the serenade by Tim to Christina ("Indubitably Me") is incredibly catchy.

I first saw this movie around the end of the 70s and have to admit that my sister and I used to watch it on tape at least once a day. I was gutted when someone taped over it but am happy to say I have a new copy.

The film was re released in the early 80s as 'The Adventures of Tim' which is not surprising as, although Sarne's Character isn't really supposed to be the main one, he is hilarious throughout and steals every scene he is in.

If you want a film to cheer you up on a wet Saturday morning - you could do a lot worse than this one.