- Source: The Duke Wore Jeans
The Duke Wore Jeans is a 1958 British comedy musical film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Tommy Steele, June Laverick and Michael Medwin. The screenplay was by Norman Hudis.
Plot
The only son of the poor but aristocratic Whitecliffe family is to be sent to the nation of Ritalla in order to sell the family's cattle to upgrade the nation's livestock. As a side benefit, his parents hope he will marry the King's only daughter, Princess Maria. Unknown to his family, Tony is already secretly married to a commoner. Fate intervenes when drifter Tommy Hudson, who is the identical likeness of Tony, comes to the Whitecliffe estate to seek work. Tony engages Tommy to impersonate him on his trip to Ritalla accompanied by Cooper, the family's only servant.
Tommy and Cooper travel to Ritalla where Tommy pretends to be Tony. The princess refuses to meet him because she does not want to get married. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bastini is scheming to force the King to abdicate since his daughter refuses to marry.
Tommy meets the princess and they fall in love.
Cast
Tommy Steele as Tony Whitecliffe / Tommy Hudson
June Laverick as Princess Maria
Michael Medwin as Cooper
Alan Wheatley as King of Ritalla
Eric Pohlmann as Bastini, Prime Minister
Noel Hood as Lady Marguerite
Mary Kerridge as Queen
Elwyn Brook-Jones as Bartolomeo
Clive Morton as Lord Edward Whitecliffe
Ambrosine Phillpotts as Duchess Cynthia Whitecliffe
Cyril Chamberlain as barman
Martin Boddey as doctor
Arnold Diamond as M.C.
Philip Leaver as factory manager
John Fabian as himself
Susan Travers as stewardess
Derek Waring as TV newsreader
Production
Steele made the film because he was contracted to Nat Cohen and Stuart Levy for one more movie. He says the idea of the film was his, as he always liked The Prince and the Pauper. "It wasn't only a chance to act a bit, it was also an opportunity to kick around new musical ideas," he wrote later. "I wanted to act a good part and sing show numbers."
Steele was paid £20,000 plus 10% of the profits.
Peter Rogers says he found Steele "vain, conceited, bad mannered and the biggest crime of all, unprofessional." Bart pitched Rogers the idea of making a version of Oliver Twist starring Steele but Rogers did not want to work with the singer again.The producer claims he told Bart to turn the idea into a stage musical which led to Oliver!.
Songs
The songs for the film were released in 1958 by Decca on a 10-inch LP, a 7-inch EP and two 7-inch singles and, in more recent times, on compilation CDs. The songs in the film include:
"It's All Happening"
"What do You Do"
"Family Tree"
"Happy Guitar"
"Hair-Down, Hoe-Down"
"Princess"
"Photograph" (duet with June Laverick)
"Thanks A Lot"
All of the songs were written by Lionel Bart, Mike Pratt and Jimmy Bennett (a pseudonym of Tommy Steele).
Steele said "Family Tree" in particular "proved Lionel Bart's talent as a wordsmith... It was a bastard to sing but I relished it."
Soundtrack
= Chart positions
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Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Tommy Steele has a large, warm personality and an endearing ease in the midst of this absurd modern-dress Ruritanian pantomime. He still has a tendency towards coyness or archness – a fault also of the young Ray Bolger, whom he often resembles – but one suspects that he will outlast the rock'n'roll era which fostered him. His departures from rock'n'roll in the present film prove, in fact, his best numbers. The august supporting cast too often betray a sense that they are slumming – with rather embarrassing results.
References
Notes
Steele, Tommy (2007). Bermondsey boy : memories of a forgotten world. Michael Joseph.
External links
The Duke Wore Jeans at IMDb
The Duke Wore Jeans at AllMovie
The Duke Wore Jeans at BFI
The Duke Wore Jeans at Letterbox DVD
Review of film at Variety
Review of film at Spinning Image
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