Every Day’s A Holiday

Directed by James Hill|
Screenplay by Anthony Marriot, Jeri Matos and James Hill
Cinematography by Nicholas Roeg

September 1964 (UK), June 1965 (USA) as’Seaside Swingers’

CAST:
John Leyton – Gerry Pullman
Mike Sarne – Honourable Tim Gilpin
Ron Moody- Professor Bastinado|
Grazina Frame – Christina Barrington de Witt
Hazel Hughes – Mrs Barrington de Witt, her aubt
Liz Fraser- Miss Slightly
Susan Baker & Jennifer Baker- The Baker Twins
Nicholas Parsons -Julian Goddard
Michael Ripper- George Pullman, Jerry’s dad
Richard O’Sullivan – Jimmy Dainty
Charles Lloyd Pack – Mr Close
Patrick Newell – Mr Hoskins
Freddie Garrity- chef
Freddie & The Dreamers – themselves
The Mojos – themselves
The Leroys- themselves
The Gillian Lynn Dancers

Hi-de-Hi. but a few years earlier. The cast are entertainers at a holiday camp, in red coats and it was filmed partly at Butlins, Clacton-on-Sea with some wide shots of the huge dining room and swimming pool. We have a posh boss, a sexy secretary (Liz Fraser), a toff (Mike Sarne), a pair of twins, but female here rather than male twins as in Hi-de-Hi.

Mike Sarne (Come Outside, Will I What) and John Leyton (Johnny Remember Me, Wild Wind, Son This Is She) had both been cast up on the beach, washed up, set aside, by Merseybeat. They were in a similar position, both past their Best Before date.

Add Grazina Farme who had starred in What A Crazy World with Joe Brown. Then The Baker Twins singing duo. Freddie and The Dreamers, The Leroys and The Mojos appear as themselves though Freddie and The Dreamers are also the camp chefs.

Then add experience … Ron Moody, Liz Fraser, Michael Ripper, Nicholas Parsons, plus a couple on their way up … Richard O’Sullivan and Charles Lloyd Pack, both future sitcom stars.

Gerry (John Leyton) fantasizes about being a pop star- he sings in the mirror to himself as Frank Sinatra, then himself as Al Jolson or one of the Black & White Minstrels- in blackface. He’s got so much fake tan on in other shots that it’s only a partial leap. Throughout the camera is careful to portray him as asympathetic matinee idol. According to the film Telstar, Leyton was extremely short, which impacted his career. It’s well-hidden here, if it was true.

He applies for a job at the holiday camp as a Batman / waiter. His dad is an ex music hall star, and opines, ‘I didn’t work my fingers to the bone to keep you at school until you were fifteen. For you to go and be a waiter.’

Mike Sarne is an Honorable and a pop singer – first seen channeling Paul Jones on stage with maracas. The Leroy’s were his real backing group.

Arriving at the holiday camp:
Cristina on Vespa, John Leyton on foot, Baker Twins omn foot, Mike Sarne in E-type.

He hears there’s a lot of women at the holiday camp, and sets off in his white E-type Jaguar to offer his services as an entertainer, but is given the role of Uncle Timmy, the children’s entertainer (another Hi-de-Hi link). In 60s British films, you had to have (a) an ancient car, here an Austin 7 and (b) a Jaguar E-type. Tim has to do a heavy chat up to everywoman he sees.

Miss Slightly (Liz Fraser) and Tim (Mike Sarne)

Christina (Grazina Frame) is being forced by her rich aunt to study opera with Professor Bastinado (Ron Moody), she’s lousy at it and wants to get away and work as a waitress at the holiday camp. Professor Bastinado agrees to cover up for her.

Gerry and Tim compete for her favours. They have a group of friends with the Baker Twins. Cue some elaborate but irrelevant choreography when Gerry fantasizes the bar is a Western saloon.

Mrs Barrington de Witt (Hazel Hughes) and Professor Bastinado (Ron Moody) arrive

Bastinado and the aunt follow to the camp, and check in, with thr aunt seeking Cristina, and Bastinado still covering for her.

Freddie and The Dreamers are “funny” cooks

Anglia TV is doing a documentary on the camp’s talent contest, with two very’ sensitive’ producers. It’s odd that directors chose to portray directors as weeping prima donnas in the 60s. They all want to enter the contest. Gerry’s dad turns up and recognizes Leonardo Bastinado as Len Barstow, a fellow music hall performer from years before. This is a relief because now we know Ron Moody’s incredibly bad Italian accent is deliberately bad.

L to R: Len, Cristina (Graziana Frame), The Baker Twins, Mr Pulman, Tim.

Len and Mr Pulman decide to rehearse the youngsters in the deep freeze in the kitchens so as to hide from Mrs Barrington de Witt. Don’t think it too far.

Len Barstow (Ron Moody) and Mr Pulman (Michael Ripper) reprise their music hall act.

They decide to do a double act. They also put the competing entertainers in one band as the Lucky Seven, with the three girl,singers, Leyton miming bass guitar, Sarne miming lead guitar and O’Sullivan on harmonica.

Even though Freddie and The Dreamers (they are all funny chefs) open the contest with their normal silly dance routine,The Lucky Seven win. But you knew that.