For the latest news on the projected Sound Of Fury film, click here.
Billy Universe (guess who) and the Satellites are en route to Brussels to take part in a song festival. The aircraft is grounded, so they give a tour of London to an heiress who is being sent abroad by her father on the same aircraft, to separate her from an unsuitable romantic interest. There are, of course, many opportunities for songs, written by Norrie Paramor - the title song Play It Cool and Once Upon A Dream are the pick of the bunch. Guest stars (one song each) are Helen Shapiro, Bobby Vee, Danny Williams and Shane Fenton and the Fentones. The first cinema feature film directed by Michael Winner. Difficult to say why this film is so compulsively watchable! Click here to see another picture.
Billy Fury is the star of a seaside summer show who pays little attention to rehearsals, but always (of course!) performs on top form. Instead, he plays with his pet dogs. When he buys a horse, he goes to Epsom to see it run in the Derby, and returns with little time to spare. Also features The Bachelors. Although this is not a highly-regarded film, it does reflect Billy's enduring love of animals. His own horse, Anselmo, did in fact, run in the 1964 Derby. The page (left) is inscribed in pencil "YES SPUD!!! Billy".
Stormy Tempest (our lad, of course) provides the music for a holiday camp dance contest in this excellent production, which stars David Essex, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon. Very frustrating for Fury fans, as his performance is overlaid with action and dialogue between the main characters. Billy is at his rarely-recorded best, singing out-and-out rockers of the type he loved to perform: Tell Me What'd I Say and Long Live Rock. The double album from this film reached no 1, which means that second-hand copies are plentiful and cheap. Unfortunately, it was issued on very poor quality vinyl, which soon wears. The double CD is very rare. Brilliant tracks from Billy on the record.
RealAudio tracks from film on Sounds page.
Video copies of the Omnibus programme, and of the BBC Juke Box Heroes series, cost £12 from the producers. Contact jukeboxheroesuk@aol.com for information.
For DVDs of Play It Cool and I've
Gotta Horse, go here