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Post by ajsmith on Jun 3, 2008 19:10:24 GMT
I've heard this 60s pop movie, featuring The Blossom Toes, Dantalians Chariot and Brenton Wood, and whose plot apparently concerns aliens visiting earth to check out the UK pop scene, is a lost film. The only reference online to a possible recent viewing of this film is a US psyche film fesitval in 2000 where, though the text is ambiguous, it is stated that "The only surviving print of this film would not go through a projector. We have had to cancel this screening." Link here: www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2000/modsrockers2000.htmanyone know ANYTHING else albout this film? It fascinates me, it would be fabulous to see the Blossom Toes circa "We are Ever so Clean" on film.
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Post by Peter Prentice on Jun 3, 2008 20:59:52 GMT
Pop Down... it was screened at one of the legendary Scala all-nighter's in the late 1980s. No classic, but some great music and absolutely priceless footage. On the night I smuggled a cassette recorder in and made an audio recording of the film but it was marred by the sound of audience chatter, the rustling of crisp packets, etc. I think I've still got the tape stashed away somewhere - must try and dig it out.
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Post by ajsmith on Jun 3, 2008 22:02:19 GMT
wow! do you have any recollection of which songs the Blossom Toes and Dantalions Chariot played and how much they featured etc? And what exactly were the Scala allnighters? I don't care if it was on one artistic level an awful film, with that level of priceless musical involvement, it has to be great!
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Post by Peter Elliott on Jun 3, 2008 22:12:08 GMT
I too would love to know more about this elusive film since the only Blossom Toes footage I've seen is from 1969 and Dantalians Chariot? Nothing, and I love all I've heard by that band so any footage of them along with any Blossom Toes is priceless!
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Post by Peter Prentice on Jun 4, 2008 6:37:04 GMT
The all-nighters were all night screenings grouped around a particular theme (most often psychedelia and featuring bands like Dr & the Medics) that took place on Saturday nights at the Scala Cinema in Kings Cross.
Amazingly, for someone who has a keen interest in that period, and British psychedelia especially, I can't recall the songs or much about the film. I'm certain it wasn't the 98min cut but the much shorter edit, as recorded in the entry in Fred Dellar's 'NME Book of Rock Cinema'.
In the case of Dantalian's Chariot, I can vaguely remember some sort of club scene where they were dressed in their all-white stage outfits. I may be wrong but I don't think they were playing 'The Madman Running Through The Fields', which would have been the only song by the band anyone would have recognized. It may have been material like 'World War Three', first released in the 90s.
I could have sworn I saw the Idle Race too, all perms and flares, though there are reports they dropped out of the film.
If I get time this weekend, I will track the tape down and make a tracklisting. Been thinking of doing this for a while as it is one of the few films of the period I have unable to locate a copy of.
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Post by ajsmith on Jun 4, 2008 6:49:01 GMT
that would be great if you could do that! with that audio recording, you may have something really quite rare: all trace of the film seems to have dissapeared! Don't think it's ever been on TV: a possible worst case scenario is that only a few viewing prints survived to the late 80s, which have themsalves since been lost. I had heard about the Idle Race's possible involvement in the film too; again this would be pricelsss stuff as despite having quite a high profile for a non-hit pop band, not a scrap of footage of them seems to be known of.
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Post by Peter Prentice on Jun 4, 2008 10:08:16 GMT
It would be terrible if the film was lost. I would hate to think my cassette tape was all that remained. Although I have not been able to locate a DVD of the film, I always thought the BFI, or someone, would hold a copy.
Perhaps someone could do some detective work and find out the name/s of the persons who booked the film for the Scala screening all those years ago and ask them where they obtained their copy from.
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Post by Reg Long3 on Jun 4, 2008 10:14:26 GMT
another pop exploitation film almost certainly lost is
'Farewell Performance' with Alfred Burke
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Post by Peter Elliott on Jun 4, 2008 10:54:00 GMT
"Farewell Performance"! Yet another of those films I've only encountered brief mentions of over the years. Didn't that one feature Joe Meek stalwart Heinz Burt? There was a colour clip of Heinz performing "Dreams Do Come True" in the BBC Arena Joe Meek documentary - was that from this film?
Another film I've seen absolutely no trace of is "Cuckoo Patrol" which must be one of the worst entries into the genre... imagine it - a movie starring Freddie and The Dreamers and the film involves them joining the Boy Scouts! Definitely an opportunity for them to perform the dreaded "Short Shorts"! Has anybody ever seen that?
Sadly it seems there wasn't as many such films being made in the late 60's which makes "Pop Down" all the more precious. Sadder still is that it appears to be missing in action along with other entries.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2008 11:09:33 GMT
This is all very fascinating stuff, folks! Do keep us all informed if copies do turn up...
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Post by Reg Long3 on Jun 4, 2008 13:08:11 GMT
The good news can tell you that 'Cuckoo Patrol' does exist. A pristine print appeared on Ebay a year or so ago.
The bad news The seller said it was pristine because nobody could bare to watch it past or present ;D
but as you say its the performances that matter now ...
Farewell Performance however appeared to have a decent enough plot, about a nasty pop person who gets murdered, along with a strong non singing cast of stalwards like Frederick Jaeger .. Derek Francis ... and good old Alfred Burke .
Robert Tronson the director is as mystified about what happened to it as anyone, he reckons the last time he ever saw a print of it was a few weeks after its release.
So yes it did feature the Tornados but doubt if it was in a documentary? it was also in B/W.
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Post by Peter Prentice on Jun 4, 2008 13:17:43 GMT
OK, turned detective. The date of the Scala screening was 29th September 1984. It was featured in a programme which included 'Psych Out', 'Gimme Shelter', 'I Keep Thinking It's Tuesday', 'Wonderwall' and 'Blow Up'.
The event was billed as the Second 'Alice in Wonderland' All-Night Psychedelic Film Festival.
Alice in Wonderland was a club organised by Christian Paris and Clive Jackson, the latter perhaps better known as the Doctor of Dr and the Medics (remember their 'Spirit in the Sky' cover?).
At the time the Scala was run by the film director and producer, Stephen Woolley.
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Post by Peter Elliott on Jun 4, 2008 13:37:24 GMT
The good news can tell you that 'Cuckoo Patrol' does exist. A pristine print appeared on Ebay a year or so ago. The bad news The seller said it was pristine because nobody could bare to watch it past or present ;D but as you say its the performances that matter now Thanks for that... it is good to know it does exist. I'd love to see it purely out of curiosity - it sounds pretty dire! That, "Pop Down", "Farewell Performance" and "The Adventures of The Son Of Exploding Sausage" were mere titles I came across in books in the 1980s when we didn't have the internet and trying to find more info on these films to check if they were for real and not figments of a writers imagination was near impossible. So, over the years any scraps of info has been devoured and greatly appreciated. It took me years to find copies of various 60s films like the Billy Fury movies, "Smashing Time", "Ferry Cross The Mersey" etc all of which for me are neat little time capsules. All you ever really got on TV was endless repeats of the early Cliff Richard movies. Shame about "Farewell Performance"... as you point out that boasts a pretty good cast. So, it was The Tornados who appeared in that... I guess the Heinz colour clip I mentioned was probably a Scopitone. There is a well known clip of The Tornados in black and white also featured in the Meek documentary but can't remember if this is from "Farewell" or not... the mystery thickens!
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Post by Reg Long3 on Jun 4, 2008 15:22:17 GMT
Interesting day on here today. The Scala info excellent, a wonderful bit of eccentricity which seemed in a surreal world compared to its sorroundings of Kings Cross.
The Tornados/Heinz clip may have come from 'Live it up' which also featured future Coronation St bad girl Jennifer Moss (annie walker's girl i think?) singing.... ... or it could have come from 'All the stars in the sky'
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Post by paul welton on Jun 4, 2008 15:36:57 GMT
Films such as Ferry cross the Mersey,Catch us if you can and some of the more unusual 60's pop films were shown on BBC 1 sometime in the 70's on tuesday nights I think. Long time since I've seen some of those.
(quote)That, "Pop Down", "Farewell Performance" and "The Adventures of The Son Of Exploding Sausage" were =ere titles I came across in books in the 1980s when we didn't have the internet and trying to find more info on these films to check if they were for real and not figments of a writers imagination was near impossible. So, over the years any scraps of info has been devoured and greatly appreciated. It took me years to find copies of various 60s films like the Billy Fury movies, "Smashing Time", "Ferry Cross The Mersey" etc all of which for me are neat little time capsules. All you ever really got on TV was endless repeats of the early Cliff Richard movies.
Shame about "Farewell Performance"... as you point out that boasts a pretty good cast. So, it was The Tornados who appeared in that... I guess the Heinz colour clip I mentioned was probably a Scopitone. There is a well known clip of The Tornados in black and white also featured in the Meek documentary but can't remember if this is from "Farewell" or not... the mystery thickens! [/quote]
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