I Watch Films: Expresso Bongo

Expresso Bongo (1959)

A sleazy music agent (Johnny Jackson) discovers the musical talent of Bert Rudge (Cliff Richard) and through a combination of luck (the BBC are filming a documentary at the strip club his girlfriend works at), lies and brass-necked impudence, and some actual work (naming him Bongo Herbert) makes him a star. Of course he’s getting 50% of the money. Having hitched Bongo to the third comeback tour of the seven-times married American star Dixie Collins (Yolande Donlan), she takes him under her wing and gets him out of the contract.

In the meantime we’ve had a very cynical satire of 1950s music industry which is both timeless (everybody is trying to take advantage of everyone else) and very specific (when Johnny talks his way on to a BBC discussion panel about youth culture, the host is smoking all the time on screen; all the kids are in espresso bars etc.) It’s quite funny, and sometimes very funny. For the first forty minutes or so it forgets that it’s a musical as the song and dance sections are people performing songs and dances in film, so it’s a bit surprising when they start singing to each other in the street or their bedrooms.

Watch This: For a funny, silly, look at the 1950s music business.

Don’t Watch This: If light-hearted fun about people exploiting each other is not your cup of tea.