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Play It Cool

  • 19621962
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
224
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Billy Fury, Helen Shapiro, and Bobby Vee in Play It Cool (1962)
  • Drama
  • Musical
Stars Billy Fury (Britain's answer to Elvis Presley) and features cameos from some other stars from the sixties, with Bobby Vee, Helen Shapiro and Shane Fenton (better known as Alvin Stardus... Read allStars Billy Fury (Britain's answer to Elvis Presley) and features cameos from some other stars from the sixties, with Bobby Vee, Helen Shapiro and Shane Fenton (better known as Alvin Stardust). On a plane is Billy and his band on their way to take part in a song contest, also on ... Read allStars Billy Fury (Britain's answer to Elvis Presley) and features cameos from some other stars from the sixties, with Bobby Vee, Helen Shapiro and Shane Fenton (better known as Alvin Stardust). On a plane is Billy and his band on their way to take part in a song contest, also on board is Ann Bryant, who's been abroad by her wealthy father, to stop her infatuation with... Read all
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
224
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Michael Winner
  • Writer
    • Jack Henry(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Billy Fury
    • Michael Anderson Jr.
    • Dennis Price
Top credits
  • Director
    • Michael Winner
  • Writer
    • Jack Henry(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Billy Fury
    • Michael Anderson Jr.
    • Dennis Price
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos41

    Play It Cool (1962)
    Michael Anderson Jr., Peter Barkworth, Ray Brooks, Jeremy Bulloch, Billy Fury, and Keith Hamshere in Play It Cool (1962)
    Anna Palk in Play It Cool (1962)
    Felicity Young in Play It Cool (1962)
    Anna Palk and Felicity Young in Play It Cool (1962)
    Michael Anderson Jr., Jeremy Bulloch, Billy Fury, Keith Hamshere, Anna Palk, and Felicity Young in Play It Cool (1962)
    Helen Shapiro in Play It Cool (1962)
    Bernie Winters in Play It Cool (1962)
    John Dunbar, Billy Fury, and Anna Palk in Play It Cool (1962)
    Bobby Vee in Play It Cool (1962)
    Bobby Vee in Play It Cool (1962)
    Harry Locke, Joe Ritchie, and Russell Waters in Play It Cool (1962)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Billy Fury
    Billy Fury
    • Billy Universeas Billy Universe
    Michael Anderson Jr.
    Michael Anderson Jr.
    • Alvinas Alvin
    Dennis Price
    Dennis Price
    • Sir Charles Bryantas Sir Charles Bryant
    Richard Wattis
    Richard Wattis
    • Nervous Manas Nervous Man
    Anna Palk
    Anna Palk
    • Ann Bryantas Ann Bryant
    Keith Hamshere
    Keith Hamshere
    • Ring-a-Dingas Ring-a-Ding
    Ray Brooks
    Ray Brooks
    • Freddyas Freddy
    Jeremy Bulloch
    Jeremy Bulloch
    • Joeyas Joey
    Maurice Kaufmann
    Maurice Kaufmann
    • Larry Grangeras Larry Granger
    Peter Barkworth
    Peter Barkworth
    • Skinneras Skinner
    Max Bacon
    • Lotus Proprietoras Lotus Proprietor
    Monte Landis
    • Horace - the Beatnik Manas Horace - the Beatnik Man
    Felicity Young
    Felicity Young
    • Yvonne Pembertonas Yvonne Pemberton
    Helen Shapiro
    Helen Shapiro
    • Selfas Self
    Bernie Winters
    Bernie Winters
    • Sydney Normanas Sydney Norman
    Bobby Vee
    Bobby Vee
    • Selfas Self
    Alvin Stardust
    • Self (leader, Shane Fenton and His Fentones)as Self (leader, Shane Fenton and His Fentones)
    • (as Shane Fenton)
    Danny Williams
    • Selfas Self
    • Director
      • Michael Winner
    • Writer
      • Jack Henry(original screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Stars Billy Fury (Britain's answer to Elvis Presley) and features cameos from some other stars from the sixties, with Bobby Vee, Helen Shapiro and Shane Fenton (better known as Alvin Stardust). On a plane is Billy and his band on their way to take part in a song contest, also on board is Ann Bryant, who's been abroad by her wealthy father, to stop her infatuation with popstar Larry Granger. The plane is forced to return to the airport and Billy and his band persuade Ann to join them and together they search London's nightclubs for Larry.
    • psychotronic film
    • teenager
    • rock music
    • independent film
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Twist Vs. Swing!
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Musical
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The statue of the troglodyte guitarist which appears in the nightclub also appears in a nightclub scene in Band of Thieves (1962); in Rudi's Bar in The Human Jungle S1 Episode 6 A Friend of the Sergeant Major (4/5/63); and the maze of Laurence Olivier's House in Sleuth (1972)
    • Goofs
      The band embark on a DC-3 at Gatwick airport. The aircraft has the rectangular windows one would expect, but in the interior shots they are depicted as circular.
    • Connections
      Featured in Trailer Cinema (1992)
    • Soundtracks
      Who Can Say?
      Music by Norrie Paramor

      Lyrics by Norman Newell

      Sung by Danny Williams

    User reviews19

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Routine Rock 'N' Roll Flick Enhanced By Helen Shapiro
    With 1962 being a strange time for rock 'n' roll in both America and England, it's a wonder that "Play It Cool" is as entertaining as it is. British rock star Billy Fury plays an Elvis wannabee named Billy Universe who curls his lip and moans just like his hero, but exaggerates his hand movements to the point where he looks like a spastic Bobby Darin. When Billy and his wacky band members get stranded in London with an heiress who's looking for her no-good boyfriend, they make the rounds of the city's pubs and clubs, stumbling upon a place where a trio is singing the squarest music imaginable, then heading on to a spot called The Twist where everybody's twisting (the latest dance craze when "Play It Cool" was being filmed, but stone dead by the time the film was released), then dropping in on a Chinese-themed restaurant called the Lotus Club where pop star Helen Shapiro is crooning in front of a phalanx of violinists. A visit to another club finds American teen idol Bobby Vee (who began his career as a Buddy Holly sound-alike) spooning drivel in front of another bank of violins. Through it all, Billy Fury gets to sing a handful of songs, including a sappy ballad, a twist, an uptempo number called "I Think You're Swell" and a fairly good rocker called "Play It Cool." In other words, this movie is musically all over the place, because the producers were trying to please everybody at a time when the music was rapidly changing. To bind all the musical interludes together, there are lots of little subplots and shots of Billy and his boys running through Gatwick Airport and Houston Station (more than a year before the Beatles did the same thing in "A Hard Day's Night"), but in the end it doesn't add up to much simply because the music is so uniformly unmemorable. Billy Fury is a sympathetic presence, but perhaps the most intriguing artist in "Play It Cool," at least for Americans, is teenage star Helen Shapiro, who sings two numbers, including one of her singles, "I Don't Care." America never really had anything like this bouffant contralto, unless you combine Annette Funicello with the foghorn voice of Timi Yuro. Helen is one of the most awkward performers I've ever seen (more so here than in her film debut, "It's Trad, Dad"), and yet I couldn't take my eyes off her strange beauty. Her career was fading fast by the time she appeared in "Play It Cool," but she's probably the best reason to watch it.
    helpful•9
    7
    • jimddddd
    • Oct 31, 2001

    FAQ1

    • Why on earth was this made.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 29, 1963 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Eggande toner
    • Filming locations
      • Gatwick Airport, Crawley, West Sussex, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Coronado Productions
      • Independent Artists
      • Lynx Films Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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