It’s Trad, Dad! AKA Ring A Ding Rhythm (1962)

[moon_custafer]

I knew this one was going to be interesting: directed by Dick Lester, this musical showcases several early rock acts (Chubby Checker, Del Shannon) but it’s mainly there to promote the early-‘60s UK trad-jazz revival.

The movie turns out to be roughly 85% music, 10% sight gags, and 5% plot: the Boy (Craig Douglas) and the Girl (Helen Shapiro) assisted by the omniscient and omnipotent narrator (Deryck Guyler), go to find and recruit real-life popular DJs David Jacobs, Pete Murray, and Alan Freeman to help them organize a jazz festival in their literally-nameless (it’s the very first sight gag of the movie) town.

The town’s jazz-banning mayor and the local police force attempt to stop the musicians from getting there, but the Boy and the Girl, being played by pop stars of the time, entertain the waiting crowd until the bands show up and launch into a tune that startled me because I know only as “O Tannenbaum/O Christmas Tree,” but apparently it’s also called “Maryland, My Maryland.” Which makes a bit more sense for the context.

I suspected It’s Trad, Dad! might prove to be the obverse of Expresso Bongo, and I think I was right. It’s satirical, but it it makes its points with absurdism. It’s rather less cynical. I suspect it might be equally Jewish, though that’s not my area of expertise. It’s a funny little window on a time when the Beatles hadn’t quite yet broken out of Liverpool. Some of those trad-jazz-loving youngsters did exist in the real world, and several of them went on to be classic rock musicians.

Almost nobody in this movie is Hollywood-beautiful, and everybody has an absolutely fascinating face. I didn’t recognize any of the rock songs, but the jazz ones were mostly covers of older works that I knew. When our plucky teens sneak into a recording studio, I was astonished to recognize a Dixieland version of Ketèlbey’s “In a Persian Market.” The musicians play their instruments with cigarettes dangling from their fingers. One of two drummers hunched over a kit straightens when he’s done that part, takes a big swig from a nearby mug of tea, and swings himself over to the piano bench without missing a beat. The bandleader is wearing the most stereotypical 1950s jazzman goatee and pork pie hat, and when he opens his mouth to speak it’s with a Somerset accent. His name is Acker Bilk and I’d never heard of him till now.

The Temperance Seven were nine people. They influenced my beloved Bonzo Dog Band, but weren’t quite as surreal. No Roy Kinnear, but I spotted Hugh Lloyd and Mario Fabrizi in bit parts. This movie was so low-budget that Helen Shapiro’s costumes were credited to Butterick patterns. If you want to watch early-60s British teens going crazy for Dixieland jazz, this movie has you covered. I had previously known of Helen Shapiro mainly from a reference in Eric Idle’s monologue ‘Rock Notes.’

ETA— according to one of the YouTube commenters, this is the movie that made Brian Epstein and the Beatles want Lester for Hard Day’s Night.

Comments

[sovay]

a tune that startled me because I know only as “O Tannenbaum/O Christmas Tree,” but apparently it’s also called “Maryland, My Maryland.”

It's an absolutely batshit state song for Maryland, too. It was repealed in 2021.

I suspect it might be equally Jewish, though that’s not my area of expertise.

What makes you say that? (The first half of the sentence, specifically.)

This movie was so low-budget that Helen Shapiro’s costumes were credited to Butterick patterns.

Aw. The faces also sound very good.

Is Ferry Cross the Mersey (1965) up next?

[moon_custafer]

What makes you say that? (The first half of the sentence, specifically.)

Mainly just because the lead actress, the director, and a number of the cast members whose bios I checked on Wikipedia were Jewish. Possibly a bad assumption on my part.

Is Ferry Cross the Mersey (1965) up next?

I think I might go for The Punch and Judy Man (Sylvia Sims is in it as well!)

[sovay]

Possibly a bad assumption on my part.

Not necessarily considering assorted music scenes, I just didn't know if it was an explicit element of characterization/atmosphere/plot in the same way as in Expresso Bongo. Which, for the record, I still adore and occasionally just rewatch the musical numbers of.

I think I might go for The Punch and Judy Man (Sylvia Sims is in it as well!)

I look forward to your report!

(Ferry Cross the Mersey wasn't a jibe: I remember enjoying it when it showed at the Somerville in 2013. It had nice music and T.P. McKenna and Cilla Black and only as much plot as it needed. I just can't remember if it had a racist joke when we weren't expecting it or if we were braced for a racist joke that never happened and the distinction is meaningful.)

[edit] In the course of double-checking the year in which spatch and I saw Ferry Cross the Mersey, I turned up this review and had completely forgotten this complaint. Eleven years after the fact, goal finally achieved!

[kore]

When our plucky teens sneak into a recording studio, I was astonished to recognize a Dixieland version of Ketèlbey’s “In a Persian Market.” The musicians play their instruments with cigarettes dangling from their fingers. One of two drummers hunched over a kit straightens when he’s done that part, takes a big swig from a nearby mug of tea, and swings himself over to the piano bench without missing a beat. The bandleader is wearing the most stereotypical 1950s jazzman goatee and pork pie hat, and when he opens his mouth to speak it’s with a Somerset accent.

This is awesome.