''Finders Keepers'' is a 1966 British musical film directed by

Sidney Hayers Sidney Hayers (24 August 1921 – 8 February 2000) was a British film and television director, writer and producer. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Hayers began his career as a film editor. Among the films he directed are '' Circus of Horrors'' (1 ...

, written by

Michael Pertwee Michael Henry Pertwee (24 April 1916, Kensington, London – 17 April 1991, Camden, London) was an English playwright and screenwriter. Among his credits were episodes of '' The Saint'', ''Danger Man'', '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', '' B-A ...

and starring

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

and

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

. It was released in the U.S. the following year. A search was made to find an actress to play the Spanish girl who falls for Cliff, and the 21-year-old Viviane Ventura won the role: born in London, but fluent in Spanish, she sang a spirited duet with Cliff on "Paella".

Plot

Cliff and The Shadows travel to a Spanish town for a gig. When they arrive they are puzzled to find the area empty. They find out that a small bomb has accidentally been dropped on the town and the villagers have fled in panic that it will go off. The boys decide to find the bomb and restore peace in the village, with some musical numbers along the way.

Influence

The story is loosely based on a real accident on 17 January 1966, when a US B-52 strategic bomber, carrying four thermonuclear bombs, collided in mid-air with KC-135 tanker plane near Palomares, Spain. Three of the four hydrogen bombs were soon found on land near Palomares, and the fourth bomb was recovered from the Mediterranean Sea on 7 April.

Cast

as Cliff *

Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the ba ...

as Himself (as The Shadows) *

Bruce Welch Bruce Welch (born 2 November 1941 as Bruce Cripps) is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer, singer and businessman best known as a founding member of the Shadows. Biography Welch's parents (Stan Cripps and Grace Welch) moved him to 15 B ...

as Himself (as The Shadows) * Brian Bennett as Himself (as The Shadows) *

John Rostill John Henry Rostill (16 June 1942 – 26 November 1973) was an English musician, bassist and composer, recruited by the Shadows to replace Brian Locking. Biography Born in Kings Norton, Birmingham, England, Rostill attended Rutlish School in ...

as Himself (as The Shadows) *

Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, of ...

as Colonel Roberts * Viviane Ventura as Emilia *

Peggy Mount Margaret Rose Mount OBE (2 May 1915 – 13 November 2001) was an English actress. As a child, she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine yea ...

as Mrs. Bragg *

Graham Stark Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director. Early life The son of a purser on transatlantic liners,

as Burke *

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation c ...

as Mr. X *

Ellen Pollock Ellen Pollock (29 June 1902 – 29 March 1997) was a British character actress who mainly appeared on stage in London's West End. She also appeared in several films and TV productions. A devotee of Bernard Shaw, she was president of the Shaw S ...

as Grandma *

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving sc ...

as Air Marshal * Burnell Tucker as Pilot * George Roderick as Priest * Bill Mitchell as G.I. Guard * Robert Hutton as Commander

Critical reception

The Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

described the film as a "dismal romp" which "marked the end of Cliff's screen collaboration with the Shadows".

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

wrote that "Michael Pertwee’s screenplay does not build up much urgency or suspense but provides opportunity for colorful fiesta, a gentle romance between Richard and Ventura, some verbal dueling between Robert Morley and Graham Stark". Sky Movies noted that "Peggy Mount and Robert Morley ('For £10,000, I'd walk naked down Horse Guards Parade') provide formidable comedy support for the stars."

Music

Music and lyrics by The Shadows. Songs include: "Finders Keepers," "Washerwoman," "My Way," "Paella," "La, La, La," "Fiesta," and "Time Drags By."

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album ''Finders Keepers'' by

and

was released on Columbia Records (Columbia SCX 6079). It was their fourth film soundtrack album and Richard's eighteenth album overall. The album reached number 6 in the

UK Album Charts The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

in an 18-week run in the top 40.

Track listing

#"Finders Keepers" (Cliff Richard and

) #" Time Drags By" (Cliff Richard and The Shadows) #"Washerwoman" (Cliff Richard and The Shadows) #"La La La song" (Cliff Richard and The Shadows) #"My Way" (The Shadows) #"Oh Senorita" (Cliff Richard and The Shadows) #"Spanish Music" (The Shadows) #"Fiesta" (Cliff Richard and The Shadows) #"This Day" (Cliff Richard and The Shadows) #"Paella" (Cliff Richard and The Shadows) #"Finders Keepers"/"My Way"/"Paella"/"Fiesta" (Medley) (

) #"Run to the Door" (not from the film) #"Where Did the Summer Go" (not from the film) #"

Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" is a 1944 song performed as a duet by The Ink Spots, featuring Bill Kenny, and Ella Fitzgerald. Their recording was made on August 30, 1944 for Decca Records (catalog No. 23356B). The song was written by Allan ...

" (Cliff Richard and The Shadows) (not from the film)

Tagline

The film's tagline is 'The beat is the wildest! The blast is the craziest!... and the fun is where you find it!'

References

External links

* {{Sidney Hayers 1966 films British musical comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films directed by Sidney Hayers 1960s English-language films 1960s British films