''Some People'' is a 1962 film directed by

Clive Donner Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010)Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Clive Donner '' The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as ''The Caretaker ...

. It stars

Kenneth More Kenneth Gilbert More, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor. Initially achieving fame in the comedy '' Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. Films from this per ...

and Ray Brooks and is centred on the

Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

Premise

An aircraft engineer, who also acts as a voluntary choirmaster and youth worker (played by

) tries to help a group of teenagers in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

, by encouraging positive social development after they lose their motorcycle licences. They are all in dead-end jobs with no home life and on the fringes of petty crime, but are musically talented.

Production

The film was shot entirely on location in Bristol with Anneke Wills recalling that the crew arrived in Bristol three weeks before shooting to get the feel of Bristol with the boys learning the local accent, riding motorbikes and visiting local dance halls with much of the script being ad-libbed. Local filming locations were used including the W.D. & H.O. Wills cigarette factory, Royal York Crescent,

Clifton Suspension Bridge The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Since opening in 1864, it has been a toll bridge, the income from which provid ...

, the Theatre Royal, the Palace Hotel, Bristol South public baths, the city docks, The Portway and Lockleaze, with Lockleaze School used for much of the interior filming. Kenneth More agreed to play his role for nothing apart from his expenses because he had no other offers around the time, and the movie was for a good cause: all proceeds were to go to the

who commissioned the film and the

National Playing Fields Association Fields in Trust, is a British charity set up in 1925 as the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), by Brigadier-General Reginald Kentish and the Duke of York, later King George VI, who was the first president, which protects parks and green s ...

. During filming he began an affair with one of the cast,

Angela Douglas Angela Douglas (born 29 October 1940), born Angela McDonagh, is an English actress. Early life Douglas was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. Career Douglas started acting as a teenager, joining the Worthing, West Sussex repertory comp ...

, who became his wife. The film features a test flight of the

Bristol 188 The Bristol 188 is a British supersonic research aircraft built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the 1950s. Its length, slender cross-section and intended purpose led to its being nicknamed the "Flaming Pencil".

Cast

as Mr. Smith * Ray Brooks as Johnnie *

Anneke Wills Anneke Wills (; born Anna Katarina Willys, 20 October 1941) is an English actress, best known for her role as the Doctor Who companion Polly in the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Biography Wills's father, ...

as Anne * David Andrews as Bill *

as Terry *

David Hemmings David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966 mystery film ...

as Bert * Timothy Nightingale as Tim * Frankie Dymon Jnr as Jimmy * Harry H. Corbett as Johnnie's Father *

Fanny Carby Fanny Carby (2 February 1925 – 20 September 2002) was a British character actress. She had two different roles on ''Coronation Street'': she played Mary Hornigold in 1965, then in 1987 she took the role of Vera Duckworth's domineering mot ...

as Johnnie's Mother * Richard Davies as Harper * Michael Gwynn as Vicar *

Cyril Luckham Cyril Alexander Garland Luckham (25 July 1907 – 8 February 1989) was an English film, television and theatre actor. He was the husband of stage and screen actress Violet Lamb. Career The son of a paymaster captain in the Royal Navy, Cyril Lu ...

as Magistrate * Valerie Mountain dubbed Angela Douglas's singing voice

Reception

The film reportedly made a profit, in part because of its low cost. The title song was performed in the film by Valerie Mountain and The Eagles.

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherho ...

released their version as a single. Other versions were released by

Carol Deene Carol Deene (born Carole Carver; 3 August 1944) is an English pop singer and radio host who achieved success in the early 1960s. Biography Early career After appearing on Joan Regan's BBC TV programme ''Be My Guest'' in 1961,Larkin C., ''Vir ...

and the former bass player for

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 ...

, Jet Harris.

References

External links

* 1962 films Films directed by Clive Donner Films scored by Ron Grainer British musical films 1962 musical films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films {{UK-musical-film-stub