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Films with longest runs in Sheffield


Guest Old Canny Street Kid

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Yes - just like "the Wizard of Oz".

The opening credits are in B/W showing the English seaside in Summer ,with rain - rain - and more rain!

Cut to Bus garage with the three lads waiting for Cliff to arrive on his bus. When he does....... Voila!...Colour!!.

But the clip which follows on from where this one ends is even better.

It has Cliff singing the title song and driving the bus.

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name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
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Just for the record, Cliff's third (and last) big, musical extravaganza for ABC - "Wonderful Life" , opened at Sheffield ABC on 9th August, 1964,

and ran there for three weeks, until the 29th.

.....and this time, Cliff did get into the London Premiere !

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=43342

Although I know of it I am not as familiar with this film as with the other two.

Perhaps, by August 1964, a month or so after the release of The Beatles "A Hard Days Night" it just got overlooked in all the hysteria that Beatlemania created.

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Although I know of it I am not as familiar with this film as with the other two.

Perhaps, by August 1964, a month or so after the release of The Beatles "A Hard Days Night" it just got overlooked in all the hysteria that Beatlemania created.

Whilst "Wonderful Life" was a hit, and it certainly didn't get overlooked, it was never as popular as the first two films.

Despite a huge amount of pre-publicity that year, it didn't seem to get the same "word of mouth" and repeat business that the first two did.

Seen today, it is also the weakest of the three.

It didn't produce as many hits as the first two either.

Cliff got to No.1 in the charts with "The Young Ones", and No.2 with "When the Girl in Your Arms".... and the Shadows got to No.10 with "The Savage/Peace Pipe"-

all from "The Young Ones".

Cliff had two (Double "A" sides) No.1's from "Summer Holiday" - "Summer Holiday/Dancing Shoes" and "Bachelor Boy/The Next Time"., and the Shadows

had a No.1 with "Foot Tapper".

Cliff's only hit from "Wonderful Life" was "On the Beach". But this only went as high as No. 7. The Shadows made it to No. 12 with "Theme for Young Lovers".

There was no doubt about it.....1964 was the year of Beatlemania. The writing was on the wall and, for the moment, all we needed was groups.....especially if they were from Liverpool !

Of course, Cliff continued to have hits throughout the 60's, including two more No.1s. Doubtless, he will contnue to do so.

Incidentely...........as "Wonderful Life" opened at the ABC on that August Sunday in 1964 (August 9th),

"A Hard Day's Night" was just starting it's third (and final) week at the Gaumont.

So - it really was Cliff versus the Beatles !

ABC Film Review - March, 1964

ABC Film Review, July, 1964

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Cliff got to No.1 in the charts with "The Young Ones", and No.2 with "When the Girl in Your Arms".... and the Shadows got to No.10 with "The Savage/Peace Pipe"-

all from "The Young Ones".

Cliff had two (Double "A" sides) No.1's from "Summer Holiday" - "Summer Holiday/Dancing Shoes" and "Bachelor Boy/The Next Time"., and the Shadows

had a No.1 with "Foot Tapper".

Cliff's only hit from "Wonderful Life" was "On the Beach". But this only went as high as No. 7. The Shadows made it to No. 12 with "Theme for Young Lovers".

So, for the record (excuse the pun on "record" lol )

As well as the obvious sound track from the film LP's, the Beatles had the following hits from their films.

A Hard Day's Night (1964) had, "A Hard Day's Night" / "Things We Said Today" and "Can't Buy Me Love" / "You Can't Do That"

There was also a 2 EP version of the LP and the film also featured some of their earlier hits, eg "She Loves You"

Help (1965) had "Help" / "I'm Down" and "Ticket To Ride" / "Yes It Is"

Magical Mystery Tour (1967) was originally only available as a 2 EP set and not until later as an LP which was copied from the American version. From the film only "I Am The Walrus" made it onto a single, and even then only as the B side of "Hello Goodbye"

Yellow Submarine (1968) was an independent cartoon which The Beatles themselves had little to do with (although they do appear in it at the end. As such it contains a number of previous Beatle hits and a couple of tracks previously unreleased on any other disc.

Let It Be (1970) was made up of all sorts of odds and ends of recording studio takes and out takes. From it came the singles "Let It Be" / "You Know My Name" and "Get Back" ? "Don't Let Me Down". The single version of "get Back" is a studio version while the one on the album and in the film is the famous "rooftop version"

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Guest funkydory

Whilst "Wonderful Life" was a hit, and it certainly didn't get overlooked, it was never as popular as the first two films.

Despite a huge amount of pre-publicity that year, it didn't seem to get the same "word of mouth" and repeat business that the first two did.

Seen today, it is also the weakest of the three.

It didn't produce as many hits as the first two either.

Cliff got to No.1 in the charts with "The Young Ones", and No.2 with "When the Girl in Your Arms".... and the Shadows got to No.10 with "The Savage/Peace Pipe"-

all from "The Young Ones".

Cliff had two (Double "A" sides) No.1's from "Summer Holiday" - "Summer Holiday/Dancing Shoes" and "Bachelor Boy/The Next Time"., and the Shadows

had a No.1 with "Foot Tapper".

Cliff's only hit from "Wonderful Life" was "On the Beach". But this only went as high as No. 7. The Shadows made it to No. 12 with "Theme for Young Lovers".

There was no doubt about it.....1964 was the year of Beatlemania. The writing was on the wall and, for the moment, all we needed was groups.....especially if they were from Liverpool !

Of course, Cliff continued to have hits throughout the 60's, including two more No.1s. Doubtless, he will contnue to do so.

Incidentely...........as "Wonderful Life" opened at the ABC on that August Sunday in 1964 (August 9th),

"A Hard Day's Night" was just starting it's third (and final) week at the Gaumont.

So - it really was Cliff versus the Beatles !

ABC Film Review - March, 1964

ABC Film Review, July, 1964

Cliff, accompanied by The Shadows naturally, had one more movie musical extravaganza to come: "Finders Keepers", a United Artists release which had its opening night (no proper premiere as far as one can tell) on December 8, 1966, at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London. Well considered by many to have made the series past its sell-by date.

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Cliff, accompanied by The Shadows naturally, had one more movie musical extravaganza to come: "Finders Keepers", a United Artists release which had its opening night (no proper premiere as far as one can tell) on December 8, 1966, at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London. Well considered by many to have made the series past its sell-by date.

I remember that "Finders Keepers" sort of - crept up, unannounced!

It had been over two years since his last film "Wonderful Life", and, for me at any rate, Cliff was going through quite a fallow period in his career

and hadn;t been in the limelight as much as he had been before the Beatles,etc..

I think he had been off, finding Christianity, with Billy Graham?

This movie was not as big an extravaganza as the three he made for ABC

This one was more a story with a few songs thrown in, and was based on an actual event that had happened a short time before.

That was when America had accidently dropped (and lost!) a large bomb out of a plane, somewhere over Spain...... I think they did eventually find it ?

So.....what a perfect premise for a Cliff Richard movie !

It did feature the hit song "Time Drags By", which he did with the Shads, and it played for one week at the Sheffield Gaumont - w/c January 22nd, 1967.

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Cliff, accompanied by The Shadows naturally, had one more movie musical extravaganza to come: "Finders Keepers", a United Artists release which had its opening night (no proper premiere as far as one can tell) on December 8, 1966, at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London. Well considered by many to have made the series past its sell-by date.

Well. just as in "The Young Ones it co stars Robert Morley

..but the attractive Carole Gray has been replaced with...Peggy Mount :blink:

Wasn't she the dragon out of the TV series "George and the Dragon", George being played by Syd James. <_<

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Guest funkydory

I remember that "Finders Keepers" sort of - crept up, unannounced!

It had been over two years since his last film "Wonderful Life", and, for me at any rate, Cliff was going through quite a fallow period in his career

and hadn;t been in the limelight as much as he had been before the Beatles,etc..

I think he had been off, finding Christianity, with Billy Graham?

This movie was not as big an extravaganza as the three he made for ABC

This one was more a story with a few songs thrown in, and was based on an actual event that had happened a short time before.

That was when America had accidently dropped (and lost!) a large bomb out of a plane, somewhere over Spain...... I think they did eventually find it ?

So.....what a perfect premise for a Cliff Richard movie !

It did feature the hit song "Time Drags By", which he did with the Shads, and it played for one week at the Sheffield Gaumont - w/c January 22nd, 1967.

Cliff APPEARED, with Billy Graham in his next film, a social-dramatic piece, "Two a Penny" although there doesn't seem to be a scene with both in simultaneously.

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Well. just as in "The Young Ones it co stars Robert Morley

..but the attractive Carole Gray has been replaced with...Peggy Mount :blink:

Wasn't she the dragon out of the TV series "George and the Dragon", George being played by Syd James.

Yes....she was Dave. Voice like a foghorn !

But - don't worry. She wasn't Cliff''s love interest in the film.

That was Viviane Ventura.......who later went steady with the Sultan of Brunei. And he's got even more money than Cliff ! lol

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Cliff APPEARED, with Billy Graham in his next film, a social-dramatic piece, "Two a Penny" although there doesn't seem to be a scene with both in simultaneously.

Once Billy Graham realised that a big name like Cliff was "in the fold", he wasted no time in getting him to further the cause.

"Two a Penny" was financed by Graham's organisation - World Wide Pictures, and featured extensive footage of his 1967 London Crusade at Earl's Court.

It turned up in Sheffield at Studio 7 (of all places!), and was really quite good.

I had been to see "The Taming of the Shrew" the week before (Sept, 68), and was intrigued by the trailer for "Two a Penny"....so I went.

Cliff wasn't over convincing as a drug pushing thug (how could he be?), but....full marks for effort. Dora Bryan was excellent as his mother though.

It was all about Cliff getting dragged along to one of Billy Graham's meetings by his girlfriend and, eventually "seeing the light".

When I was doing my data base for Sheffield cinemas, I didn't keep a full record for The Wicker / Studio 7 as most of the films shown there were cheapo sex,

or horror movies.

However, there was a period in the late 60's when they started to get first runs of some prestige movies.....

due mostly to the tying up of the Odeon for nearly 18 months by "The Sound of Music".

Things like "A Man for all Seasons", "The Taming of the Shrew", "The Thomas Crown Affair", "Romeo & Juliet" and "Paint Your Wagon" all had good runs there.

I don't have the exact dates, so I didn't include them in my longest running list.

I really should do, I guess, because "Taming of the Shrew" ran for 6 weeks and "Man for all Seasons" for 7 weeks.

I must do an update.

The LP from the film. The girl involved was Ann Holloway.

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Guest funkydory

Once Billy Graham realised that a big name like Cliff was "in the fold", he wasted no time in getting him to further the cause.

"Two a Penny" was financed by Graham's organisation - World Wide Pictures, and featured extensive footage of his 1967 London Crusade at Earl's Court.

It turned up in Sheffield at Studio 7 (of all places!), and was really quite good.

I had been to see "The Taming of the Shrew" the week before (Sept, 64), and was intrigued by the trailer for "Two a Penny"....so I went.

Cliff wasn't over convincing as a drug pushing thug (how could he be?), but....full marks for effort. Dora Bryan was excellent as his mother though.

It was all about Cliff getting dragged along to one of Billy Graham's meetings by his girlfriend and, eventually "seeing the light".

When I was doing my data base for Sheffield cinemas, I didn't keep a full record for The Wicker / Studio 7 as most of the films shown there were cheapo sex,

or horror movies.

However, there was a period in the late 60's when they started to get first runs of some prestige movies.....

due mostly to the tying up of the Odeon for nearly 18 months by "The Sound of Music".

Things like "A Man for all Seasons", "The Taming of the Shrew", "The Thomas Crown Affair", "Romeo & Juliet" and "Paint Your Wagon" all had good runs there.

I don't have the exact dates, so I didn't include them in my longest running list.

I really should do, I guess, because "Taming of the Shrew" ran for 6 weeks and "Man for all Seasons" for 7 weeks.

I must do an update.

The LP from the film. The girl involved was Ann Holloway.

Two a Penny was indeed a maverick release. I will try and find the London premiere run dates later this week and work out when the film would have visited the provinces. Advertisements of the day are like hen's teeth to discover though.

Here's the YouTube extract:

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="

name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

Excerpts from Take Me High are on YouTube also.

In a 1996 interview, which unfortunately due to scanning problems prevent a direct link on here, Cliff relates "I found I was still being offered'five years after The Young Ones" and Summer Holiday-the same kind of thing. I didn't know how to break the mould and I guess I was too young to force and issues. So I just ducked out and made less and less. i thought I'd prefer to make a good album rather than duff movies"

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Once Billy Graham realised that a big name like Cliff was "in the fold", he wasted no time in getting him to further the cause.

"Two a Penny" was financed by Graham's organisation - World Wide Pictures, and featured extensive footage of his 1967 London Crusade at Earl's Court.

It turned up in Sheffield at Studio 7 (of all places!), and was really quite good.

I had been to see "The Taming of the Shrew" the week before (Sept, 68), and was intrigued by the trailer for "Two a Penny"....so I went.

Looks like I was wrong about "Taming of the Shrew", because that played at Studio 7 in Aug/ Sept, 1967.

Maybe it was the other Zefferelli/Shakespeare - "Romeo & Juliet" ? I don't have the relevant info to hand right now.

Anyhow, I saw the trailer for "Two a Penny" with something at Studio 7 - and, as that film had premiered in London on 20th June, 1968,

it must have reached Sheffield sometime in August/Sept ?

We've been decorating recently and i've been unable to get into the cupboard where a lot of my stuff is stored.

However, I finally managed to get in there this afternoon and retrieved my files.

So - i'm posting here the ads with relevance to Sheffield cinemas that I wanted to post earlier...... for some of the films we've been talking about in the threads above.

By the way - something I noticed today whilst getting these ads..........

On Thursday, February 15th, 1962 - you could have gone to see "The Young Ones" at the ABC in the afternoon - and, in the evening,

you could have gone to the City Hall to see Cliff and the Shads live in concert. How many of you did ??????

Held over for 3 weeks

Held over for 4 weeks

Held over for 3 weeks

Cliff vs. The Beatles

Held over for 3 weeks

The return of Cliff....

London opening.....

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By the way - something I noticed today whilst getting these ads..........

On Thursday, February 15th, 1962 - you could have gone to see "The Young Ones" at the ABC in the afternoon - and, in the evening,

you could have gone to the City Hall to see Cliff and the Shads live in concert. How many of you did ??????

THATS IT !!!!!

FANTASTIC WORK S24

Look back at my post #82 in this thread.

Thursday 15th February 1962 was the date of the Sheffield gale.

That was the showing of "The Young Ones" that my cousin took me to see.

There may have been an extra showing that day as it was a place to take all the homeless and evacuated kids out of the way and cheer them up a bit and take their minds off the chaos back at home.

I seem to remember that this particular trip to the cinema, as well as being a treat and in the aftermath of the gale was supposed to be "something special"

Alas, I didn't get to go and see Cliff and the Shads at the City Hall though.

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THATS IT !!!!!

FANTASTIC WORK S24

Look back at my post #82 in this thread.

Thursday 15th February 1962 was the date of the Sheffield gale.

That was the showing of "The Young Ones" that my cousin took me to see.

There may have been an extra showing that day as it was a place to take all the homeless and evacuated kids out of the way and cheer them up a bit and take their minds off the chaos back at home.

I seem to remember that this particular trip to the cinema, as well as being a treat and in the aftermath of the gale was supposed to be "something special"

Alas, I didn't get to go and see Cliff and the Shads at the City Hall though.

Well ! .....what do you know Dave ?

I hadn't connected that date with the Great Sheffield Gale - but yes, you're right. That was the date.

I wonder if Cliff and the Shads were windswept ? lol

The ad for the concert was at the bottom of the page I have, and part of it is missing.

But, here it is anyway.............

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Whoa! Superb advertisements on there S24! More please lol!

Sure....I have loads. They are not all brilliant quality, but, nonetheless, a record of what played where.

Any requests ?

Here are a few Sheffield cinema landmarks:

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Guest abcman

Sure....I have loads. They are not all brilliant quality, but, nonetheless, a record of what played where.

Any requests ?

Here are a few Sheffield cinema landmarks:

Great to see these old adds again.Well done & thanks.

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Great to see these old adds again.Well done & thanks.

I'm glad they are of interest to you.

Here are some pieces from the Star you might like, regarding the opening of Sheffield's ABC in May, 1961.

I'm sorry the quality isn't better, but, it's the best i've got.

It's a pity that they couldn't have found a more auspicious film than "Don't Bother to Knock" to open such a beautiful cinema with.

I don't think it's been seen much since then, has it? I don't think it even turns up on Tv ???

"Ben-Hur" would have been a much better choice!

Hope you can read them........

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I'm glad they are of interest to you.

Here are some pieces from the Star you might like, regarding the opening of Sheffield's ABC in May, 1961.

I'm sorry the quality isn't better, but, it's the best i've got.

It's a pity that they couldn't have found a more auspicious film than "Don't Bother to Knock" to open such a beautiful cinema with.

I don't think it's been seen much since then, has it? I don't think it even turns up on Tv ???

"Ben-Hur" would have been a much better choice!

Hope you can read them........

Thanks for that S24. Haven't seen these clips for years. Reg Helley went on from Sheffield ABC in later years to become the driving force in charge of the ABC Cinema Circuits ABC Minors Saturday Morning Matinees for Children and I met him on many occasions. Sheffield ABC was the first cinema to stage a Children's Film Festival (1969 or 1970 I think was the year as I was still a projectionist there). I did recently manage to get a copy of 'Don't Bother To Knock' on DVD and I have to admit it was not really a worthy film to open such a magnificent new cinema. As you say, 'Ben Hur' which was shown there later would certainly have been the one to go for.

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Thanks for that S24. Haven't seen these clips for years. Reg Helley went on from Sheffield ABC in later years to become the driving force in charge of the ABC Cinema Circuits ABC Minors Saturday Morning Matinees for Children and I met him on many occasions. Sheffield ABC was the first cinema to stage a Children's Film Festival (1969 or 1970 I think was the year as I was still a projectionist there). I did recently manage to get a copy of 'Don't Bother To Knock' on DVD and I have to admit it was not really a worthy film to open such a magnificent new cinema. As you say, 'Ben Hur' which was shown there later would certainly have been the one to go for.

Memories here,

Wasn't there a little song that the ABC mnors used to sing before the film was shown?

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Guest funkydory

Memories here,

Wasn't there a little song that the ABC mnors used to sing before the film was shown?

"We like to laugh and have our sing-song,

Just a happy crowd are we,

We're all pals together,

We're Minors of the ABC".

Think there's another verse to it somewhere. We ran this as a topic on our Birmingham Local History History website about a year ago, complete with photos of, obviously, the Birmingham area events.

The website server got changed recently, and consequently a great deal of info on there got irretrievably hibernated; but can check with others on there if there is anything remaing and let people here know if they are interested.

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Guest funkydory

Regarding the choice of opening film for the 'new' ABC in 1961.

Richard Todd had by then become a 'celebrity spokesperson' for the ABC Circuit attending re-opening nights here and there as various cinemas became redeveloped.

Here's RT opening the revamped ABC Preston, only a year or so earlier www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=75399.

So logically therefore, "Dont Bother to Knock" was the chosen premiere presentation?

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Thanks for that S24. Haven't seen these clips for years. Reg Helley went on from Sheffield ABC in later years to become the driving force in charge of the ABC Cinema Circuits ABC Minors Saturday Morning Matinees for Children and I met him on many occasions. Sheffield ABC was the first cinema to stage a Children's Film Festival (1969 or 1970 I think was the year as I was still a projectionist there). I did recently manage to get a copy of 'Don't Bother To Knock' on DVD and I have to admit it was not really a worthy film to open such a magnificent new cinema. As you say, 'Ben Hur' which was shown there later would certainly have been the one to go for.

I remember Reg Helley too, although i only ever met him as a customer. He was always friendly and always said hello when he saw regular faces coming in.

He was a good showman too, and the theatre was always "well dressed" for those big occasions.

It's such a shame that this beautiful theatre ended up in the hands of such a ruthless assett stripper !

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Regarding the choice of opening film for the 'new' ABC in 1961.

Richard Todd had by then become a 'celebrity spokesperson' for the ABC Circuit attending re-opening nights here and there as various cinemas became redeveloped.

Here's RT opening the revamped ABC Preston, only a year or so earlier www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=75399.

So logically therefore, "Dont Bother to Knock" was the chosen premiere presentation?

That's an interesting clip that I hadn't seen before.

Looking at that clip, our ABC was much nicer than Preston's ....don't you think?

They had a much better opener than us though. "The Reluctant Debutante" was (and is) a much better film than "Don't Bother to Knock" !

If you look at the ad for "Don't Bother to Knock", you can see that Richard Todd put his own money into it, for it's billed as a "RIchard Todd - Hailywood Production".

Pity the finished product didn't turn out as well as he'd obviously intended it to be!

I always liked him though, and he did turn out many fine films during his long career.

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