What a Crazy World (1963)

This British musical comedy from 1963 was essentially a hastily put-together showcase for pop stars of the time, Joe Brown, Marty Wilde and Susan Maughan.

Brown stars as unemployed East End lad Alf Hitchens who has an on-off relationship with his girlfriend Marilyn (Maughan), whilst trying to sell a song he has written. But it’s Wilde who steals the show as roughneck Herbie Shadbolt.

Filmed in black and white, it mixes together a bit of everything that was popular during the early 1960s, from kitchen sink social drama to musical numbers, dance scenes, and street gang culture (and even a bit of racial stereotyping in the labour exchange-based musical number A Lay-About’s Lament).

The depiction of working-class life is as accurate as any kitchen sink drama from the period and the musical segments are great fun, particularly the highlight where the hilarious Freddie and the Dreamers turn up for a nightclub act and indulge in their trouser-losing routine onstage.

Michael Ripper appears in a number of cameo roles, complaining about the “bleeding kids”.

Those who like to watch vintage movies to see the locations will be extremely well-served by What a Crazy World as most of it was shot on location in London streets, so if you know the area you can spot where bits were set, and if not you can soak up as authentic an atmosphere as you can get.

Joey Hitchens
Michael Goodman
Alf Hitchens
Joe Brown
Marilyn Bishop
Susan Maughan
Doris
Grazina Frame
Herbie Shadbolt
Marty Wilde
Lil
Lesley Duncan
Lenny
David Nott
Dave
Barry Bethel
Jervis
Alan Klein
Sam
Harry H. Corbett
Mary
Avis Bunnage
The Common Man
Michael Ripper
Chas
Larry Dann
Harry
Brian Cronin
Secretary 
Tracy Rogers
Dolly
Fanny Carby
Solly Gold
Monte Landis
Elsie
Christine Martin
Horror
Denise Coffey
Freddy 
Peter Birrell
George
Harry Locke
Percy
Michael Robbins
Freddie & The Dreamers
Themselves
The Bruvvers
Themselves
The Happy Wanderers
Themselves

Director
Michael Carreras

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