User reviews

In the late fifties and early sixties Cliff Richard was widely regarded, at least in Britain itself, as our answer to Elvis Presley. Both were handsome, dark-haired rock-and-rollers who also ventured into acting, generally in lighthearted musicals designed to showcase their music. There was, however, one major difference. In the early part of his career Elvis was a surprisingly controversial figure whose overt sexuality meant that he was widely denounced in the media and from the pulpit as a degenerate influence on the nation's youth. Nobody ever denounced Cliff; even before he publicly came out as a born-again Christian in 1964 he was widely regarded as a wholesome, clean-cut young man who appealed not just to Britain's youth but also to their parents. (And, in my case, even to my grandmother who ranked "Congratulations" as her all-time favourite pop song).

"Summer Holiday" was one of a number of musical comedies from this period starring Cliff and his backing group, The Shadows. Cliff plays Don, one of four young London Transport bus mechanics who persuade their employers to lend them a double-decker bus which they convert into a holiday caravan. They set off for the continent, originally intending to holiday somewhere in the South of France. They change their plans, however, when they meet a trio of young female singers who are trying to make their way to a gig in Athens. Realising that the girls' clapped-out old car will never make it that far, the boys chivalrously agree to change their plans and to take the girls to Greece. They are also joined by a teenaged American boy named Bobby.

Five boys and three girls seems a rather uneasy recipe for a romantic comedy, even if Don seems uninterested in love and romance, declaring in song his intention to remain a "bachelor boy until my dying day". The odds are evened, however, when Bobby (real name Barbara) is revealed to be a girl in disguise. It turns out that Barbara is a successful pop singer who is running away from her overbearing mother, and this revelation is enough to make Don rethink his commitment to lifelong bachelorhood. The film then follows the four boys and four girls on their journey from France to Greece, via Switzerland, Austria and Yugoslavia, singing appropriate songs at each stop. 1960s Yugoslavia would, on the evidence of this film, seem to have been a rather primitive place, a backward peasant society which had not changed much since the 1360s.

The music is mostly cheerful sixties Britpop, although there are occasional ventures into other genres. "Bachelor Boy" shows the influence of folk music, "Really Waltzing" is a parody of Viennese operetta and "Foot Tapper" the sort of instrumental number in which The Shadows specialised. In "Let Us Take You for a Ride" the lyricist achieved the difficult feat of turning a report on the mechanical condition of a motor-car into a witty number. "The Next Time" is a wistful ballad which, like "Foot Tapper" and the title song, got to number one in the British charts, although today it is less well known than "Bachelor Boy" which was released as its B-side.

The film was a major hit in Britain, grossing more at the British box office than any other film of 1963 except the Bond film "From Russia with Love". It was not, however, a success in America, partly because it opened there two days after the Kennedy assassination but also because the "British Invasion" of American pop culture did not really start until the following year. That invasion was very much spearheaded by the Beatles, and Cliff, along with the other leading figures of the pre-Beatles British rock scene, was never really part of it. Even after 1964 he only had one big American hit, "Living Doll".

Today, "Summer Holiday" might seem to be of historical interest only except for those old enough to remember Cliff Richard in his heyday, for whom it will also have nostalgic value. I must admit that I am not quite old enough to fall into this group, but even so I found a lot to enjoy in it; it is good-natured, tuneful and often amusing. Quite honestly, I found that it stands up better today than do a lot of those Elvis musicals from around the same period. 7/10

I hate it when people review films like the "High School Musical" series as if they're supposed to be "Citizen Kane," so I'm happy to see that the reviewers here took "Summer Holiday" for what it was - teen fun in the sun with lots of music, dancing, color, and a plot so thin you could barely discern it.

It stars that British phenomenon, Sir Cliff Richard, who has the distinction of having top ten hits in the U.K. for every decade through the '90s and today, in his seventies, is still touring and selling out venues. Yet he barely made a ripple here in the states, with the exception of "Devil Woman" and "We Don't Talk Anymore." The story concerns three lads who fix up a double decker tour bus and travel through Europe, picking up three young women whose car has been damaged, plus a runaway (Lauri Peters) and later a St. Bernard dog along the way. The runaway is actually a well-known American singer disguised as a boy, and her mother tries to make it look as if she's been kidnapped in order to get publicity.

Strangely Lauri Peters is American and was the original Broadway Liesl in the Sound of Music - she sounded about as American as Queen Elizabeth. She is a wonderful singer and didn't get to show off her voice enough in this film.

There's a nice exuberance in this film and some very upbeat musical numbers. Richard, a huge teen idol, was adorable and still looks great, in fact. For biggest selling musical artists in the UK, Richard ranks third behind the Beatles and Elvis.

Supposedly the British Elvis, if one thinks of Richard that way, he comes in a poor second. There was only one Elvis, and Richard needs to be taken on his own abilities. He lacks the oozing sexuality in presence and voice of Elvis, though he considered Elvis his absolute inspiration. He could dance better than Elvis, and his singing is sweet and polished, with none of Elvis' passion. And had Elvis not been under the thumb of Colonel Parker, we would have seen more evidence of Elvis' ability as an actor, which was definitely there. Richard's? Handsome, magnetic, a wonderful presence, but acting, not so much. Had Elvis lived drug-free and lasted longer, he would have enjoyed Richard's amazing longevity. Strangely, Elvis had a spiritual bend, as does Richard, and Elvis was known for being a gentleman, as is Richard.

However, all that being said, Richard's films Summer Holiday and Wonderful to be Young and Elvis' films have things in common, two things especially: they were geared to young audiences and they were megahits. Enjoy. Enough said.

Redefines family entertainment. I had totally forgotten about this mini-musical until I came across it on the IMDb just five minutes ago, whilst looking for something else that I really don't care about now.

Dear old Sir Cliff! What a time to be 18/19! I was actually just 17 when this came out and so hopelessly in love with my cousin there WAS nothing else in my life at the time. God was feeling charitable towards me in those days and orchestrated events so that she happened to come to my hometown and stay over. I asked her to go to the local theater with me and we sat in the back row watching this film....least SHE did, I had other things on my mind! What does the plot matter? Cliff as a bus driver taking his friends (Cliff's backing group - The Shadows...how odd I can remember those names...Jet Harris, Tony Meehan and Hank Marvin....and I haven't even thought about them for forty years!) on a European vacation and picking up girls on the way - between songs of course.

God! I'd like to see this again! I still have the original 45 rpm release! (for those of you could really care).

Summer Holiday has the distinction of being the first film I saw on TV which I had previously seen during its first run at the cinema. That little black and white TV picture wasn't half as good as the big widescreen colourful film at the cinema.

But the film was always fun. Naive fun, to be sure, but fun nevertheless. An undemanding plot carries just enough dramatic tension to hold together the travelogue across Europe, the leads perform adequately, and the songs contain several classics (The Next Time is one of the all-time great ballads, and the Parthenon setting does it spectacular justice).

Cliff's movies were, for the most part, entertaining, and an important part of a career where he has always tended to keep moving. A shame that his most recent move has been providing free holiday accommodation for Teflon Tony and Cruella.

Summer Holiday (1963) -

Tacky and full of cheese, but fun and simple. It certainly didn't tax my brain, but it was a happy enough film.

It was much more the sort of thing that I would expect to see on stage though, because everything was so extreme and largesse, but somehow it worked.

Although the "Scene" that they put on for the Judge must surely have been too farcical even in the 1960's? I could definitely have done without it.

A lot about it was daft actually and I didn't get along with it all, including Barbara's Mother (Madge Ryan) and Agent and definitely the mistaken wedding.

The Bus scenes were enjoyable though and I would have liked more focus on what it was like to live on it, whilst exploring the countryside of Europe.

There were also a lot of bits that would be considered incredibly cliched today and it was extremely hard to believe that Bobby (Lauri Peters) was a boy, something that a modern approach could probably deliver a lot better or make irrelevant, like the Dog, whose presence was pretty pointless in this, which was a shame, because puppers or kitties are always a good thing.

I did think that with a bit of a rewrite and more scenes for the other members of the cast, the whole thing could easily be reinvented/rebooted/remade.

I believe that the story still has potential if the Mother and the other stupid elements are eliminated and it could become as popular as 'Mamma Mia!' (2008).

Cliff Richard, who played Don was quite do-able back in 1963 and Teddy Green in the role of Steve filled his jeans nicely too. Actually I fell a little bit in love with Ted and I would have liked to have seen more of his story and not just Don's.

Barbara (Lauri Peters) wasn't much to work with though and actually Una Stubbs stood out the most for the girls.

As I've said, I do believe that all of their partnerships should have been explored more. It was a short film and wouldn't have taken much to fill it out with a bit more of Cyril (Melvyn Hayes), Mimsie (Jacqueline Daryl) and Angie (Pamela Hart) as well. Of course in a modern version Cyril would have to be gay, but Melvyn basically delivered that anyway.

Overall it's a film that will keep your Granny happy and nostalgic, but don't expect too much.

631.68/1000.

Summer Holiday finds British pop sensation Cliff Richard cast as a London bus driver who along with three of his mates take a London double-decker bus to Europe and outfit it as a sleep in. If it's successful they want to get a franchise for a fleet of them. Nice entrepreneurship if nothing else. His mates just happen to be the members of the band who back him up.

There are so many numbers in this film that it would qualify as a full blown musical very much along the lines of what Colonel Tom Parker was arranging for Elvis Presley to star in. Personally after seeing two of Richard's films I think he's stylistically more like Ricky Nelson or Frankie Avalon. But the film is an Elvis type musical with a British twist.

Richard's a pleasant enough singer, but Presley beats him as an actor by light years. In his second film the very serious Expresso Bongo, Richard had his best role as essentially playing himself.

The budding entrepreneurs pick up Lauri Peters who was a performer herself and running away from her domineering mother Madge Ryan. If I had a mother like Ryan I'd run away too. Ryan chews two or three sofa beds in her performance, one of the most outrageously overacted I've ever seen. Second to her is Ron Moody who plays a French mime whom the boys pick up while making their trip from France to Athens. The presence of these two people show that like Presley in the USA, Cliff Richard's managers are making sure he gets good support in his films.

I remember queuing to watch this at the time and thought it was great, saw it on tv recently...hasn't stood the test of time well, cringing to watch to be honest, ho hum, times change I suppose.

It's not as good as the previous "The Young Ones", there is no Robert Morley here, and the music is less first rate. Still it's fabulous entertainment in gorgeous colours and wonderful musical numbers including many outstanding dance sequences. Laurie Peters is a good match for Cliff Richard, and the story is excellent too: a bunch of lads working in a garage decide to leave the dreariness of the climate in England to go for a holiday south, and for that purpose they refashion a London double-decker as a camping bus with kitchen and facilities and go off through all Europe with Athens for a destination. On the way they collect passengers, especially girls, and in France a whole troupe of mime actors join the party and effect marvellous entertainment. There are many ingenious innovations in this film, and the high level of good humour never slackens. The only crooks are some intruders from America headed by Laurie Peters' dreadful mother, but even she is ultimately converted by Cliff Richard. He is no great actor, but he is a fabulous artist, and whenever he performs, he dominates everything. It's a vein of wild good houmour throughout, which can even be viewed with positive digestion and delight more than once. Forget the superficiality, and concentrate on the colours, the entertainment and the consistently wonderful good mood.

If you didn't like the story, of which there was very little, you would have enjoyed the songs and the sheer teen exuberance of the whole idea - going on a summer holiday tour in an old London double-decker.

In my case, it was just the right amount of medicine for a thirteen-year old with bad case of angst and weltschmerz. I felt the song "The Next Time" was all about me. At the time Cliff Richard was the British counterpart of Pat Boone - clean cut, a little naughty sometimes but generally a "good boy." No parent complained about him.

Cliff's songs were very big hits in my country and we made good although somewhat senseless use of his "Bachelor Boy." As senior scouts we went camping at Mount Makiling, the former site of a World Scouting Jamboree. At 10:00 p.m. after taps when all lights should be out and everybody should be asleep, we would sing it boisterously and a scoutmaster would go up our camping ground, a long way from the tourist lodge where he was staying, to scold the delinquents into piping down. Only he didn't know it was us because the boys from other schools in the other tents never squealed on us. They must have enjoyed our singing.

I really only watched this early 60's British musical in remembrance of the recently deceased actress Una Stubbs as I'm not a fan of the film's anodyne star Cliff Richard. I guess most countries of the time produced their own "home-grown Elvis" in the wake of the U. S. sensation's success and Richard was the United Kingdom's entry. Young, slim, handsome and with a pleasant singing voice, but distinctly lacking in on-screen charisma or personality, this film was an attempt to break him in the States but that exercise in taking coals to Newcastle failed with the unfortunate timing of the movie's release coinciding as it did with the assassination of President Kennedy which threw the nation into mourning. Not so the U. K. however, where the film was a smash hit.

Richard leads his gang of merry pranksters through Continental Europe in a customised red London Corporation bus for no strong reason I can discern. Along the way he and his three goofy friends, including the rather camp Melvyn Hayes, somewhat inappropriately playing Miss Stubbs' boy-friend, pick up Una and her two singing girl-friends and next collect a stowaway, Laurie Peters, who just happens to be an American singing star on the run from her overbearing, publicity-seeking old mum and her lackey manager. Cliff's backing group The Shadows are occasionally seen in the background, again for no particular reason. I can only think that the reason why they couldn't play Cliff's mates themselves was because they were one too many or just couldn't act.

Overloaded with songs, some of them awful and a few of them at best pleasant, like the title track and familiar Richard hits "The Next Time" (actually a straight copy of Bobby Vee's "Run To Him"), the irritatingly singalong "Bachelor Boy" (the aim of which, he has indeed achieved) and the best of them, the bright, catchy "Dancin' Shoes", there are all the usual misunderstandings and cases of mistaken identities you'd expect in a light family entertainment feature as this. A pre-Fagin Ron Moody makes an appearance in an embarrassingly overlong mime-skit, David Kossof pops up as a condescending magistrate and there are other cringeworthy encounters including a mildly creepy one where a dirty-minded Richard reimagines an assortment of old ladies and young schoolgirls as sexy pin-ups and later run-ins with a stereotypical horde of Yugoslavian rural peasants and the Austrian border guard.

Peter Yates, who would go on to much better things, basically just follows the bus and tries to enliven things every now and again with some trick photography and choreographed dance numbers but the overall feeling conveyed here is one of forced niceness, for want of a better description. The acting is insipid at best although Miss Stubbs, for the record, displays more personality than most and is underused but on the whole, popular as it was at the time, "Summer Holiday" is one vacation I'd rather have missed.

It truly is incredible to think a film so good was made so long ago. Incredibly clever scenes were created with such limited special effects available, and the camera quality is watchable. The politics have not stood the test of time. From the border line kidnapping of women that attracts them to the men, to the lack of any pocs that aren't maids, there are serious 'room for improvements'. Although this does not really excuse the behaviour, I do think it's important to remember the period this was made in and not criticize the entire film for that. The songs may be the best bit, but after you watch it they will not leave your conscious mind for at least a month - you have been warned. With such and array of happy and sad songs, it may have one of the best musical numbers of that decade. All in all, it's a great film that everyone should watch at least once in their life.

I like a good musical as much as the next person, and Summer Holiday was pretty good. The film is overlong, and I agree that the story is very slight and verging on the ridiculous side of things and that while there are some amusing and infectious bits of dialogue some of it sounds rather dated and cheesy(perhaps by today's standards). However, it was a very entertaining and colourful film. Despite the length, Summer Holiday is often bright and breezy in the pace, while the production values are terrific and the direction decent enough. The performances are very spirited, Cliff Richard heads the cast and does a great job, while Melvyn Hayes, Lauri Peters and Una Stubbs ably support him. The best part are the songs, all of them are good-natured and memorable with the cheery title song especially epitomising classic status. In conclusion, I liked it. It is a very slight film, but it is also fun and enjoyable thanks to the songs, production values and performances. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Since this movie revolves around a plot of four mechanics hiring a London red bus and taking it to Athens in Greece that`s probably why the BBC broadcast it on the afternoon of the 13th of August so that it coincides with the opening ceremony of the Olympic games

As for the movie itself it`s very dated with exceeedingly cheesey values that were probably laughable in 1963 never mind 2004 so I guess if it works on any level it`s best viewed as a nostalgia piece for a time that never existed in the first place . A trio of teenage girls share a trip across Europe with four young lads ! Well with Cliff Richard and Melvyn Hayes aboard there`s not much chance of the girls returning home pushing a pram is there ? This innocence gives the movie a charm that soon outlives its welcome but it would be entirely cynical for me to point all this out , it`s a star vehicle ( Geddit ? ) for Sir Cliff Richard possibly the most sincere and genuine singer of the modern pop era who holds a record that will probably never be broken of hitting the number 1 spot in the British charts in the 1950s , 1960s , 1970s , 1980s , and 1990s , that`s five different decades pop pickers

After doing up a London double-decker as a sort of mobile home, Don and his friends set out to travel across Europe for a fantastic summer holiday. Along the way they pick up a group of English girls and a young boy. However when the young boy turns out to be a missing female celebrity the group find themselves getting into many adventures as her agents try to keep her 'missing' for as long as possible to get her the headlines. Meanwhile, Don has his own problems as the self confessed 'bachelor boy' finds himself falling in love.

Given that the cassette soundtrack to this film was officially 'the first album I ever bought', I took the chance (for the first time since then!) to watch the actual film again. With the thinnest of connections to the Olympics (the group's destination is Athens) this film was screened during the day of the opening ceremony of the 2004 games and I took the opportunity to video it for later viewing. The film was pretty much what I expected it to be in that it was cheesy, silly and not that good – just what you would expect from a pop musical of the period that aimed to be nothing more than inoffensive family fun. The plot is basically a road trip with a very obvious romance acting as the driving force for a series of amusing antics and pop songs. None of it is very good but it is reasonably OK and is worth seeing as a piece of fun.

The antics are not that funny but they have a great sense of 'clean fun' – hard to describe but easy to get into if you are in the mood for it. Of course, modern, more cynical audiences will find it a major turn off but it is quite fun in a very basic sense. Likewise the songs are hardly great and can be best described as 'clean' and 'wholesome' with the odd one being memorable or catchy but mostly them just doing the job and nothing more. The cast also fit with this 'clean fun' family ideal and the plot never dares suggest that a bus load of young men and woman would do anything alone in cramped rooms around Europe! Heck – one of the guys even complains about the number of girls on the bus – sorry? what?! They fall into pure, clean love and that's about it, with the cast never doing more than smiling. Complain all you want though, about his appeal to older fans, but Cliff Richard was a consistent presence in the UK charts and here he shows that he has a real light, natural charisma that suits the film perfectly – he is hardly giving a great performance but he is well suited. Hayes provides some laughs but the rest of the guys are a bit lame while the women are represented with sexless and poor performances from the flat Peters and the 'too smiley by half' Stubbs.

So no, it isn't a good film but it is good, clean family fun that may suit you for an afternoon viewing. The songs, the tone and the cast are all cheap and light – not adding anything to the thin plot or material but they suit a film that tries to be nothing more than family fun and, as such, it is rather enjoyable even if I should really know better.

Summer Holiday is directed by Peter Yates who also co-writes the story and screenplay with Ronald Cass. It stars Cliff Richard, Lauri Peters, Melvyn Hayes and Una Stubbs. Story sees Richard and three pals take a red London double decker bus into Europe for their summer holiday. On the way their adventure will see them pick up some girls and an assortment of characters. Fun, frolics and songs follow.

Light on plot but big on heart, Summer Holiday is well dated and cheesy but still carries with it enough charm to entertain the undemanding musical fan. Some lively sequences dot themselves throughout, but it's with the foot tapping tunes that the picture remains most memorable. Stand outs include the title track, Batchelor Boy and The Next Time, while the presence of The Shadows is also a bonus. It's unlikely to make big fans of first timers who didn't have it as part of their childhood, but for many the nostalgia factor more than compensates for its 101 formula. And of course for fans of the ever amiable Cliff Richard, film remains essential. 6.5/10

With the help of London Transport, "Don" (Cliff Richard) and three of his mechanic pals pick up an American runaway "Barbara/Bobby" (Lauri Peters) and they all set off in a double decker bus on a tour of Europe. Their's is not the daftest of ideas, either - the are going to use the bus as an hotel on wheels. Meantime, her wealthy and well-known mother "Stella" (Madge Ryan) is having a paddy and calling on the police to arrest these kidnappers. As they journey through the continent, they discover some quirky characters - they almost run over the mime artist "Orlando" (Ron Moody) - and that gives Cliff plenty of opportunity to burst into song. "Bachelor Boy" and the eponymous title track are probably the most famous, but there are plenty of other two-minuters to keep the toes tapping and to compensate for the not exactly Nobel standard of dialogue. The star oozes charisma here - it's easy to see why he was a teen pin-up, and he's well supported by the boisterous Peters and by a feast of familiar faces to British audiences like Melvyn Hayes, David Kossof, Una Stubbs and, of course, the always great with the eccentric Ron Moody. It's quite literally a light-hearted vehicle for a twenty-three year old popstar and taken in that vein is actually quite fun.

Summer Holiday is an early example of the pop musical. It was a vehicle for Cliff Richard, who was at this stage a British rock 'n' roll superstar. He also had a squeaky clean image and Summer Holiday certainly does nothing to alter this view. It's about four friends who go on a continental European trip in a London double-decker bus they have converted into a mobile home. They pick up some girls along the way and a series of japes follows soon after.

The story-line is pretty negligible and is a distant second to the scenic locations and songs. Of the latter, there are a few memorable ones but they're mostly not very good really, although the tune played by The Shadows in the nightclub was actually pretty great. Aside from this the movie is primarily made up of light-hearted comedy, with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure. I guess you could describe it all as charming but I personally thought it to be a little too excessively twee for my tastes and found the comedy a bit wearing after a bit. But it's sort of hard to truly dislike and is kind of okay for what it is.

This movie is one of those enchanting old movies, filmed when musicals were a rage in Hollywood. Sir Cliff Richard totally wows the audience with his immense onscreen charisma as well as his smooth dance moves.

This well-cast movie also has Cliff Richard singing the theme song, albeit a cheery one aptly named "Summer Holiday". Great entertainment and very fun to watch. Gimme Cliff over Travolta anytime!

Sir Cliff Richard has been called Britain's Elvis, so the impresarios decided to follow Elvis's footsteps by playing Cliff in a series of nondescript films. The difference is that Elvis had some acting talent that a good director could work with. This does not seem to be the case with Sir Cliff. He comes over as someone who is naive and bossy. As a musician, he is superb, as an actor...no.

The plot is ridiculous. A Routemaster bus is requisitioned and converted into a double decker dormobile to pioneer magic-bus style tours to Mediterranean Europe. Of course, the film makers overlooked the fact that with the speeds these Routemasters travel at, the intrepid teenagers would be eligible for their pensioners' bus passes by the time they reached Athens, and the bus would be a hearse by the time it got back to London.

With Cliff's last two films, The Young Ones and Expresso Bongo, they are worth watching just to see Cliff's backing group, The Shadows (formerly The Drifters) steal the show. In this film, however, with their new drummer and bassist, their visual and musical dynamism are gone, and The Shadows are pancake flat.

There is also a young lady who dresses as a boy. She seems to have everybody fooled...except me.

The theme song is the best part of the film. It would be easier and cheaper just to buy the record.

Cliff "the quiff" Richards stars in this classic 1960's musical, and with his entourage (including Una Stubbs, and Melvyn Hays)travel around Europe in a bus, singing and hip-shaking, and getting into light-hearted scrapes. It's fun movie, the kind that can cheer up the most miserable sod. Cliff cuts a charismatic and positive figure. Actually most of his entourage are fun and happy. It's a feel good factor film that reminds me of the times that I watched it with my siblings, getting lost in its escapism. Matching the great scenery are the brilliant songs, especially the ballad "the last time." Some say it's dated, but the clue is in the year it's made. Actually it's an infectious fun film that can transcend any 'dated' label.

I first saw this flick not in a theater, but on TV back in the late 1970s. It was a very pleasant musical (for what it is), and it shows the so-called 'carefree' days when such films would really matter!

I understand that a soundtrack album was released in the USA! I have been looking for that record for YEARS! Would anybody part with their copy??