Jazz Boat is a 1960 British musical comedy film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Anthony Newley, Anne Aubrey, Lionel Jeffries and big band leader Ted Heath and his orchestra.
Jazz Boat | |
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Directed by | Ken Hughes |
Written by | John Antrobus Ken Hughes |
Based on | novel by Rex Rienits |
Produced by | Albert R. Broccoli Harold Huth |
Starring | Anthony Newley Anne Aubrey Bernie Winters James Booth |
Cinematography | Ted Moore Nicolas Roeg |
Edited by | Geoffrey Foot |
Music by | Kenneth V. Jones |
Production company | Warwick Films |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures (UK) Columbia Pictures (US) |
Release date | February 1960 |
Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Many of the cast and the same director then made In the Nick (1960).
Electrician Bert Harris (Anthony Newley) boasts that he's a successful cat burglar, which leads to him getting mixed up with real thieves who need those special skills for a big jewellery heist. However, Bert was only giving them a "song and dance" about being a cat burglar, but now discovers it's too late to back out.
It was based on a novel by Rex Rienits. Rienits later admitted he disliked writing novels but was in a career slump so decided to write a novel to sell to the movies.[1]
Filming started 15 June 1959.[2] A scene involving more than 200 extras was shot at Chislehurst Caves, Kent; on that night the payroll was stolen meaning they could not be paid.[3]
Variety called it "an odd assoilment of romance, jazz, musical comedy and youthful crimeas What comes out is largely chaos although some of it is infectiously amusing. Mostly it s vague, disjointed and purposeless. Director Ken Hughes may have been making some sort of an attempt at parodv of American crime pix."[4]
The MFB called it "a lively, muddle headed British musical."[5] TV Guide wrote, "While imitating American gangster films, this simple picture also provides a look at the British "Teddy Boy" subcultureassome amusing situations, though none is particularly memorable";[6] while Leonard Maltin called it an "Energetic caper."[7]
Filmink said it "starts out as a crime drama then weirdly turns into a musical (complete with dance numbers) then back into a crime drama again/"[8]
Films directed by Ken Hughes | |
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