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That'll Be the Day (film)

April 11, 2024

That'll Be the Day is a 1973 British coming of age drama film directed by Claude Whatham, written by Ray Connolly, and starring David Essex, Rosemary Leach and Ringo Starr. Set primarily in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it tells the story of Jim MacLaine (Essex), a British teenager raised by his single mother (Leach). Jim rejects society's conventions and pursues a hedonistic and sexually loose lifestyle, harming others and damaging his close relationships. The cast also featured several prominent musicians who lived through the era portrayed, including Starr, Billy Fury, Keith Moon and John Hawken. The film's success led to a sequel, Stardust, that followed the life of Jim MacLaine through the 1960s and 1970s.

That'll Be the Day
DVD cover by Arnaldo Putzu
Directed byClaude Whatham
Written byRay Connolly
Produced bySanford Lieberson
David Puttnam
StarringDavid Essex
Rosemary Leach
Ringo Starr
James Booth
Billy Fury
Keith Moon
CinematographyPeter Suschitzky
Distributed byAnglo-EMI Film Distributors
Release dates
  • 12 April 1973 (1973-04-12) (United Kingdom)
  • 29 October 1973 (1973-10-29) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£288,000[1]

Plot edit

In an urban area in early 1940s England, a young child, Jim MacLaine, lives with his mother Mary and grandfather. His seaman father returns, spends time with him, and works in the family's grocery shop. However, he finds himself unable to settle down and soon leaves again for good, abandoning his wife and son, and Mary continues to run the shop and raise Jim on her own.

In the late 1950s. Jim is now a very bright but bored schoolboy in his final year at the local secondary school. His mother wants him to do well on his final exams, qualify for university, and have many opportunities—but Jim is far less enthusiastic about continuing his education, preferring to draw, write poetry, listen to rock n' roll, and chase girls—unsuccessfully. Instead of going with his friend Terry to take his exams, he runs away to the coast to work as a deckchair attendant, disappointing and upsetting his mother. He moves on to a barman job at a holiday camp, where he befriends the experienced barman Mike, who helps him hook up with willing women for his first sexual experiences. Jim is also drawn to the music and lifestyle of the resident singer, Stormy Tempest, and his drummer, J.D. Clover.

Mike and Jim next get jobs at a funfair, supplementing their meager pay by short-changing customers. Jim quickly becomes a heartless fairground Romeo, having one-nighters with a wide variety of women, including a young schoolgirl whom he rapes. He lies to Mike about the encounter, but Mike sees through it and berates him. Shortly afterwards, Mike short-changes a gang member and is attacked by the whole gang. Jim sees Mike being beaten, but instead of helping him, Jim hurries away, pretending he saw nothing, and has a tryst with another fair worker. The severely injured Mike is hospitalized, and Jim gets a promotion that was supposed to be Mike's.

Jim contacts Terry, who is now at university, but discovers that Terry and the girls there look down on his lifestyle and musical tastes. After two years gone, Jim decides to return home, finding his resentful mother struggling to run the grocery shop and care for her father, who is now an invalid. Jim helps his mother with the shop and starts dating Terry's sister Jeanette over the objections of her mother and Terry. Unlike all his previous dates, Jim does not have sex with Jeanette, even though she is willing to do so out of love for him. Jim and Jeanette marry, with Terry and her mother wrongly assuming she must be pregnant. Jim, angry at Terry and ambivalent about losing his freedom, has sex with Terry's girlfriend Jean the night before his wedding.

Jim and Jeanette live with his mother and grandfather. Jim pretends to be going to night school, but is secretly spending his nights at rock n' roll shows. Jeanette gets pregnant and they have a son. Jean and Terry plan to get engaged, and Jean makes suggestive remarks to Jim in front of Jeanette.

After talking with friends in a band, Jim leaves home, repeating his father's pattern. Jeanette cries, but his mum is unsurprised. The film ends as Jim buys a secondhand guitar.

Cast edit

Production edit

Development edit

David Puttnam and his producing partner Sandy Lieberson met with Nat Cohen of EMI Films who agreed to provide half the budget. The other half, £100,000, was obtained from Ronco Records on the condition that the film include 40 songs from Ronco's catalog of old hits, which they could then sell on TV as a soundtrack album.[2][3]

Writing edit

According to screenwriter Ray Connolly, the film was Puttnam's idea, who had worked in advertising and recently moved into film production. Connolly says Puttnam was inspired by Harry Nilsson's song "1941", in which an early-1940s father deserts his young son, who subsequently joins a circus; Puttnam suggested changing the circus to a fair.

Puttnam hired Connolly, a journalist friend, to write the script.[2] Connolly worked on it in the evenings, and said they would "ransack our own lives as we created the fictional character of Jim Maclaine, and steal moments from our favourite films, a bit from East of Eden here, something from Francois Truffaut’s 'The 400 Blows' there."[2]

Puttnam offered the directing job to Michael Apted, who turned it down, Director Claude Watham was given the job when Puttnam was impressed with period detail of his TV movie Cider with Rosie.[4] He also liked the fact that Watham was not that interested in rock 'n roll, and thought Watham would provide an objective counterbalance to Puttnam and Connolly.[5]

Casting edit

Connolly said that he cast David Essex, then starring in a West End production of Godspell, in an effort to make the selfish Jim MacLaine character more likeable, because Essex "was so good-looking and likeable an audience would forgive him anything."

Ringo Starr was cast as Mike after Connolly, who had never been to a holiday camp, consulted him and former Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall about their Butlins memories. Aspinall also helped to put together the camp band that appeared in the film.[2] Several roles were played by prominent musicians who had lived through the film's era, including Starr, Billy Fury, Keith Moon of the Who, and John Hawken of the Nashville Teens.

Filming edit

Filming began on October 23, 1972, on the Isle of Wight, which still had a late-1950s look in the early 1970s.[2] Essex received a seven-week break from his Godspell role to film the picture.[6]

Puttnam clashed with Watham during filming, saying the director did not understand all the script's subtext. When Watham fell ill, Alan Parker directed for two days.[7]

U.S. Release edit

The film was initially acquired by Continental Releasing, a unit of the Walter Reade Organization, but after disappointing test engagements in Boston, Indianapolis, and Austin, they chose to shelve the film. Based on a well-received screening at Filmex in Los Angeles, programmer Jerry Harvey, partnering with Richard Chase and Kenneth Greenstone, created a small company, Mayfair Film Group, to take over distribution.

Soundtrack edit

The tie-in soundtrack to That'll Be the Day was released by Ronco and listed as a 'various artists' album rather than the official soundtrack. It spent seven weeks at the #1 position on the Official Albums Chart Top 50. However, beginning with the week ending 18 August 1973, all compilations listed as 'various artists' were removed from the chart, with only those billed as 'official soundtracks' (to films such as A Clockwork Orange and Cabaret) remaining,[8] causing That'll Be the Day to be excluded from the chart countdown.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

(despite its enormous popularity this album has never had an official CD release in the UK)

Chart positions edit

Chart (1973/74) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] 9
UK Albums Chart[17] 1
Preceded by
Pure Gold by Various artists
 UK Albums Chart number-one album
30 June 1973 – 18 August 1973 		Succeeded by

Release edit

The film was a hit at the box office (by 1985 it had earned an estimated profit of £406,000).[1] Nat Cohen, who invested in the film, said it made more than 50% profit on top of its cost.[18] It was one of the most popular movies of 1973 at the British box office.[19]

Connolly said "At the time, I was astonished by its success. A sixth form drop out, who throws his school books into a river when he should be sitting his A-level history, writes poetry in the rain while hiring out deck chairs, and lets down just about absolutely everyone was hardly an obvious subject. But, on reflection, I can now see that there was nothing else like it at the time. And the music soundtrack was fantastic."[2]

Reception edit

The Los Angeles Times called it "a very special, strange and fascinating movie."[20]

According to Anne Billson in the Time Out Film Guide, the film was a "hugely overrated dip into the rock 'n' roll nostalgia bucket, ... " also commenting "Youth culture my eye: they're all at least a decade too old. But good tunes, and worth catching for Billy Fury's gold lamé act."[21]

Awards and nominations edit

At the 27th British Academy Film Awards in 1973, the film received two nominations. Rosemary Leach for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and David Essex for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.

Sequels edit

Essex returned as Jim Maclaine the following year, in the 1974 sequel, Stardust, which continues the story into the early 1970s.

An independent radio drama recording project, That'll be the Stardust!, was released in 2008.[22] The story follows the musical journey of Jim Maclaine's son, Jimmy Maclaine Jr.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Alexander Walker, National Heroes: British Cinema in the Seventies and Eighties, Harrap, 1985 p 79
  2. ^ a b c d e f Connolly, Ray (2017-09-30). "On the Origins of the Films That'll Be the Day and Stardust". rayconnolly.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  3. ^ Yule p 85-86
  4. ^ In the Picture Sight and Sound; London Vol. 42, Iss. 2, (Spring 1973): 84.
  5. ^ Yule p 86
  6. ^ 'Day' Breaks With Starr Variety; Los Angeles Vol. 268, Iss. 11, (Oct 25, 1972): 30.
  7. ^ Yule p 87
  8. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  9. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  10. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  11. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  16. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 320. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ^ . The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  18. ^ Ooh, you are awful, film men tell Tories. David Blundy. The Sunday Times (London, England), Sunday, 16 December 1973; pg. 5; Issue 7853. (939 words)
  19. ^ Harper, Sue (2011). British Film Culture in the 1970s: The Boundaries of Pleasure: The Boundaries of Pleasure. Edinburgh University Press. p. 270. ISBN 9780748654260.
  20. ^ Looking Under a Rock Star: UNDER A ROCK Champlin, Charles. Los Angeles Times 30 Oct 1974: f1.
  21. ^ The TimeOut Film Guide, 3rd edition, 1993, p. 706
  22. ^ "Tony G. Marshall's "That'll be the Stardust!"". CosmicDwellings.com. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 2019-08-03.

Sources edit

  • Yule, Andrew (1989). Enigma : David Puttnam, the story so far ... Sphere Books.

External links edit

  • That'll Be the Day at IMDb  
  • That'll be the Stardust! Radio Drama

April 11, 2024
that, film, that, 1973, british, coming, drama, film, directed, claude, whatham, written, connolly, starring, david, essex, rosemary, leach, ringo, starr, primarily, late, 1950s, early, 1960s, tells, story, maclaine, essex, british, teenager, raised, single, m. That ll Be the Day is a 1973 British coming of age drama film directed by Claude Whatham written by Ray Connolly and starring David Essex Rosemary Leach and Ringo Starr Set primarily in the late 1950s and early 1960s it tells the story of Jim MacLaine Essex a British teenager raised by his single mother Leach Jim rejects society s conventions and pursues a hedonistic and sexually loose lifestyle harming others and damaging his close relationships The cast also featured several prominent musicians who lived through the era portrayed including Starr Billy Fury Keith Moon and John Hawken The film s success led to a sequel Stardust that followed the life of Jim MacLaine through the 1960s and 1970s That ll Be the DayDVD cover by Arnaldo PutzuDirected byClaude WhathamWritten byRay ConnollyProduced bySanford LiebersonDavid PuttnamStarringDavid EssexRosemary LeachRingo StarrJames BoothBilly FuryKeith MoonCinematographyPeter SuschitzkyDistributed byAnglo EMI Film DistributorsRelease dates12 April 1973 1973 04 12 United Kingdom 29 October 1973 1973 10 29 United States Running time91 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishBudget 288 000 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 3 2 Writing 3 3 Casting 3 4 Filming 3 5 U S Release 4 Soundtrack 4 1 Chart positions 5 Release 6 Reception 7 Awards and nominations 8 Sequels 9 References 10 Sources 11 External linksPlot editIn an urban area in early 1940s England a young child Jim MacLaine lives with his mother Mary and grandfather His seaman father returns spends time with him and works in the family s grocery shop However he finds himself unable to settle down and soon leaves again for good abandoning his wife and son and Mary continues to run the shop and raise Jim on her own In the late 1950s Jim is now a very bright but bored schoolboy in his final year at the local secondary school His mother wants him to do well on his final exams qualify for university and have many opportunities but Jim is far less enthusiastic about continuing his education preferring to draw write poetry listen to rock n roll and chase girls unsuccessfully Instead of going with his friend Terry to take his exams he runs away to the coast to work as a deckchair attendant disappointing and upsetting his mother He moves on to a barman job at a holiday camp where he befriends the experienced barman Mike who helps him hook up with willing women for his first sexual experiences Jim is also drawn to the music and lifestyle of the resident singer Stormy Tempest and his drummer J D Clover Mike and Jim next get jobs at a funfair supplementing their meager pay by short changing customers Jim quickly becomes a heartless fairground Romeo having one nighters with a wide variety of women including a young schoolgirl whom he rapes He lies to Mike about the encounter but Mike sees through it and berates him Shortly afterwards Mike short changes a gang member and is attacked by the whole gang Jim sees Mike being beaten but instead of helping him Jim hurries away pretending he saw nothing and has a tryst with another fair worker The severely injured Mike is hospitalized and Jim gets a promotion that was supposed to be Mike s Jim contacts Terry who is now at university but discovers that Terry and the girls there look down on his lifestyle and musical tastes After two years gone Jim decides to return home finding his resentful mother struggling to run the grocery shop and care for her father who is now an invalid Jim helps his mother with the shop and starts dating Terry s sister Jeanette over the objections of her mother and Terry Unlike all his previous dates Jim does not have sex with Jeanette even though she is willing to do so out of love for him Jim and Jeanette marry with Terry and her mother wrongly assuming she must be pregnant Jim angry at Terry and ambivalent about losing his freedom has sex with Terry s girlfriend Jean the night before his wedding Jim and Jeanette live with his mother and grandfather Jim pretends to be going to night school but is secretly spending his nights at rock n roll shows Jeanette gets pregnant and they have a son Jean and Terry plan to get engaged and Jean makes suggestive remarks to Jim in front of Jeanette After talking with friends in a band Jim leaves home repeating his father s pattern Jeanette cries but his mum is unsurprised The film ends as Jim buys a secondhand guitar Cast editDavid Essex as Jim MacLaine Ringo Starr as Mike Rosemary Leach as Mary MacLaine James Booth as Mr MacLaine Billy Fury as Stormy Tempest Rosalind Ayres as Jeanette Sutcliffe Keith Moon as J D Clover Robert Lindsay as Terry Sutcliffe James Ottoway as Grandad Deborah Watling as Sandra Brenda Bruce as Doreen Beth Morris as Jean Daphne Oxenford as Mrs Sutcliffe Kim Braden as Charlotte Johnny Shannon as Jack Karl Howman as Johnny Patti Love as Sandra s Friend Sue Holderness as Shirley Erin Geraghty as Joan Sara Clee as Girl With Baby Sacha Puttnam as Young Jim Maclaine John Hawken as Stormy Tempest Keyboard PlayerProduction editDevelopment edit David Puttnam and his producing partner Sandy Lieberson met with Nat Cohen of EMI Films who agreed to provide half the budget The other half 100 000 was obtained from Ronco Records on the condition that the film include 40 songs from Ronco s catalog of old hits which they could then sell on TV as a soundtrack album 2 3 Writing edit According to screenwriter Ray Connolly the film was Puttnam s idea who had worked in advertising and recently moved into film production Connolly says Puttnam was inspired by Harry Nilsson s song 1941 in which an early 1940s father deserts his young son who subsequently joins a circus Puttnam suggested changing the circus to a fair Puttnam hired Connolly a journalist friend to write the script 2 Connolly worked on it in the evenings and said they would ransack our own lives as we created the fictional character of Jim Maclaine and steal moments from our favourite films a bit from East of Eden here something from Francois Truffaut s The 400 Blows there 2 Puttnam offered the directing job to Michael Apted who turned it down Director Claude Watham was given the job when Puttnam was impressed with period detail of his TV movie Cider with Rosie 4 He also liked the fact that Watham was not that interested in rock n roll and thought Watham would provide an objective counterbalance to Puttnam and Connolly 5 Casting edit Connolly said that he cast David Essex then starring in a West End production of Godspell in an effort to make the selfish Jim MacLaine character more likeable because Essex was so good looking and likeable an audience would forgive him anything Ringo Starr was cast as Mike after Connolly who had never been to a holiday camp consulted him and former Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall about their Butlins memories Aspinall also helped to put together the camp band that appeared in the film 2 Several roles were played by prominent musicians who had lived through the film s era including Starr Billy Fury Keith Moon of the Who and John Hawken of the Nashville Teens Filming edit Filming began on October 23 1972 on the Isle of Wight which still had a late 1950s look in the early 1970s 2 Essex received a seven week break from his Godspell role to film the picture 6 Puttnam clashed with Watham during filming saying the director did not understand all the script s subtext When Watham fell ill Alan Parker directed for two days 7 U S Release edit The film was initially acquired by Continental Releasing a unit of the Walter Reade Organization but after disappointing test engagements in Boston Indianapolis and Austin they chose to shelve the film Based on a well received screening at Filmex in Los Angeles programmer Jerry Harvey partnering with Richard Chase and Kenneth Greenstone created a small company Mayfair Film Group to take over distribution Soundtrack editThe tie in soundtrack to That ll Be the Day was released by Ronco and listed as a various artists album rather than the official soundtrack It spent seven weeks at the 1 position on the Official Albums Chart Top 50 However beginning with the week ending 18 August 1973 all compilations listed as various artists were removed from the chart with only those billed as official soundtracks to films such as A Clockwork Orange and Cabaret remaining 8 causing That ll Be the Day to be excluded from the chart countdown 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Bobby Vee and The Crickets That ll Be the Day David Essex Rock On Billy Fury A Thousand Stars Billy Fury Long Live Rock Billy Fury Get Yourself Together Billy Fury That s Alright Mama Billy Fury What Did I Say Wishful Thinking It ll Be Me Dion erroneously credited to Dion and the Belmonts Runaround Sue The Everly Brothers Bye Bye Love The Everly Brothers Devoted To You The Everly Brothers Till I Kissed You The Everly Brothers Wake Up Little Suzie The Platters Smoke Gets In Your Eyes Big Bopper Chantilly Lace Jerry Lee Lewis Great Balls of Fire Little Richard Tutti Frutti Danny and the Juniors At the Hop Frankie Lymon Why Do Fools Fall In Love Johnny Tillotson Poetry in Motion Jimmie Rodgers Honeycomb Larry Williams Bony Moronie Del Shannon Runaway Ritchie Valens Donna Eugene Wallace Slow Down Brian Hyland Sealed with a Kiss Bobby Vee Take Good Care of My Baby Del Shannon Hats Off to Larry Bobby Darin Dream Lover The Paris Sisters I Love How You Love Me The Poni Tails Born Too Late Johnny and the Hurricanes Red River Rock The Monotones The Book of Love Bill Justis Raunchy Johnny Preston Running Bear The Diamonds Little Darlin Ray Sharpe Linda Lu Lloyd Price You ve Got Personality Bobby Vee and The Crickets Well All Right Dante and the Evergreens Alley Oop Viv Stanshall Real Leather Jacket Stormy Tempest Viv Stanshall What in the World Buddy Knox Party Doll Wolverine Cubs Jazz Band Weary Blues featured in the film but not on Soundtrack recording Maurice Williams amp The Zodiacs Stay featured in the film but not on Soundtrack recording despite its enormous popularity this album has never had an official CD release in the UK Chart positions edit Chart 1973 74 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 16 9UK Albums Chart 17 1Preceded byPure Gold by Various artists UK Albums Chart number one album30 June 1973 18 August 1973 Succeeded byWe Can Make It by Peters and LeeRelease editThe film was a hit at the box office by 1985 it had earned an estimated profit of 406 000 1 Nat Cohen who invested in the film said it made more than 50 profit on top of its cost 18 It was one of the most popular movies of 1973 at the British box office 19 Connolly said At the time I was astonished by its success A sixth form drop out who throws his school books into a river when he should be sitting his A level history writes poetry in the rain while hiring out deck chairs and lets down just about absolutely everyone was hardly an obvious subject But on reflection I can now see that there was nothing else like it at the time And the music soundtrack was fantastic 2 Reception editThe Los Angeles Times called it a very special strange and fascinating movie 20 According to Anne Billson in the Time Out Film Guide the film was a hugely overrated dip into the rock n roll nostalgia bucket also commenting Youth culture my eye they re all at least a decade too old But good tunes and worth catching for Billy Fury s gold lame act 21 Awards and nominations editAt the 27th British Academy Film Awards in 1973 the film received two nominations Rosemary Leach for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and David Essex for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Sequels editEssex returned as Jim Maclaine the following year in the 1974 sequel Stardust which continues the story into the early 1970s An independent radio drama recording project That ll be the Stardust was released in 2008 22 The story follows the musical journey of Jim Maclaine s son Jimmy Maclaine Jr References edit a b Alexander Walker National Heroes British Cinema in the Seventies and Eighties Harrap 1985 p 79 a b c d e f Connolly Ray 2017 09 30 On the Origins of the Films That ll Be the Day and Stardust rayconnolly co uk Archived from the original on 2020 07 27 Retrieved 2020 07 27 Yule p 85 86 In the Picture Sight and Sound London Vol 42 Iss 2 Spring 1973 84 Yule p 86 Day Breaks With Starr Variety Los Angeles Vol 268 Iss 11 Oct 25 1972 30 Yule p 87 Official Albums Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Official Charts Official Albums Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Official Charts Official Albums Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Official Charts Official Albums Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Official Charts Official Albums Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Official Charts Official Albums Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Official Charts Official Albums Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Official Charts Official Albums Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Official Charts Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 320 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Number 1 Albums 1970s The Official Charts Company Archived from the original on 9 February 2008 Retrieved 14 June 2011 Ooh you are awful film men tell Tories David Blundy The Sunday Times London England Sunday 16 December 1973 pg 5 Issue 7853 939 words Harper Sue 2011 British Film Culture in the 1970s The Boundaries of Pleasure The Boundaries of Pleasure Edinburgh University Press p 270 ISBN 9780748654260 Looking Under a Rock Star UNDER A ROCK Champlin Charles Los Angeles Times 30 Oct 1974 f1 The TimeOut Film Guide 3rd edition 1993 p 706 Tony G Marshall s That ll be the Stardust CosmicDwellings com 23 October 2014 Retrieved 2019 08 03 Sources editYule Andrew 1989 Enigma David Puttnam the story so far Sphere Books External links editThat ll Be the Day at IMDb nbsp That ll be the Stardust Radio Drama Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title That 27ll Be the Day film amp oldid 1217143138, 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