Side by Side (1975)

Terry-Thomas stars as Max Nugget, the owner of the washed-up Golden Nugget nightclub in the dull little town of Sludgley, who prefers his entertainment old style.

The struggling Sound City club next door (hence the movie title) is run by Gary (Billy Boyle) and Flip (Mud drummer Dave Mount) and favours newfangled glam rock acts.

The local council discovers that by ancient law there can only be one nightclub in the town – and now the two clubs are in fierce competition to somehow book the very best acts in Britain and win the licence.

Max is aided by his sickly nephew Rodney (Barry Humphries, better known these days as Dame Edna Everage) and his sex-addicted girlfriend Violet (Jennifer Guy).

Meanwhile, Max’s niece Julia (Stephanie De Sykes) finds herself in the thick of it.

The two clubs eventually join forces (after a little slapstick demolition work) and unify under the name Golden City.

The jokes are poor and tawdry and the words “pansy” and “poof” are bandied around a little too often (Aussie Bruce Beresford directed which explains a lot).

The lowest point (there are many!) is Humphries in blackface singing “I’m just a lonesome chocolate-coloured coon singing a lonesome old darkie tune”

There are excellent cameos from The Rubettes, Hello, Fox, Desmond Dekker and Mud while the theme song was written by Lynsey De Paul and Barry Blue.

Max Nugget
Terry-Thomas
Rodney
Barry Humphries
Violet
Jennifer Guy
Gary
Billy Boyle
Flip
Dave Mount
Julia Forrester
Stephanie De Sykes
Inspector Crumb
Frank Thornton
Bessie
Sheila Collings
Magistrate
Geoffrey Sumner
Joe Baker
Himself
Desmond Dekker
Himself
Fox 
Themselves
Mud
Themselves
The Rubettes 
Themselves
Hello 
Themselves
Kenny
Themselves
Katie Kissoon
Herself
Mac Kissoon
Himself

Director
Bruce Beresford