‘A happy, tuneful comedy of today’s groovy generation!’ Herman’s Hermits come far too late to the sub-Hard Day’s Night film party, but throw themselves into it with gusto all the same (at least they do when the lads stop setting fire to each other’s arses and lobbing gooseberries about on set for long enough to do some filming). Noone is Herman and the Hermits are themselves, inheriting the titular greyhound and having to form a band to get enough money together to go from Manchester to London (via psyched-up VW buses, jeeps and motorcycle combinations) to race it. (Wouldn’t the more logical order involve them racing the greyhound to get enough money to form a band?) There’s a rubbish pub fight (egged on by Rita Webb). Noone juggles two birds. The guard is changed at Buckingham Palace. Spaghetti is wolfed down. There’s a daft fantasy wedding scene in glorious Metrocolour. Mona Washbourne plays the other Mrs Brown, Lance Percival is a bizarre spoon-playing tramp with airs and graces, and Stanley Holloway is the best thing in the film by a country yard as Washbourne’s hubby, Cyril Fletcher-esque millionaire grocer George George Brown (‘My old man ‘ad a stutter!’)
THX 1139
June 28, 2020 at 10:04 am
Peter Noone has a massive mouth, doesn’t he? This is better than Hold On, the heavily Americanised vehicle that tried to make them into The Monkees before The Monkees were invented, it looks to be a none more British reaction to that in fact. It’s a lot more cheerful than the Dave Clark 5 movie.
Droogie
June 28, 2020 at 11:36 am
I remember Herman’s Hermits featuring on an episode of consumer show Watchdog years back when they investigated famous bands who played the nostalgia circuit with barely any of the original members. A version of the Hermits with only the original drummer was gigging. When they interviewed him and asked how he had the nerve to call the band Herman Hermits with only himself from the original line up, he angrily replied “ Look – if you went to see a Manchester United match now, you wouldn’t expect to see George Best and Bobby Charlton still playing would you?!” , which I thought hilarious.