The Tommy Steele Story

The Tommy Steele Story
UK poster by Tom Chantrell
Directed by Gerard Bryant
Produced by Herbert Smith
executive
Stuart Levy
Nat Cohen
Peter Rogers
Written by Norman Hudis
Starring Tommy Steele
Cinematography Peter Hennessy
Edited by Ann Chegwidden
Production
company
Distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated (UK)
AIP (US)
Release date
  • 1957 (1957)
Running time
 70 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

The Tommy Steele Story is a 1957 British film directed by Gerard Bryant and starring Tommy Steele, dramatising Steele's own rise to fame.[1]

It was released in the US as Rock Around the World, since it was felt no one in America knew who Tommy Steele was.[2][3]

Along with Rock You Sinners it was one of the first British rock and roll movies.[4]

Plot

Tommy Steele lives with his mother and father in their London home. He works with a bellboy until he injures his spine doing judo. In hospital he is given a guitar to help with his therapy and he starts to play to entertain patients and staff. He works on an ocean liner, performing in his spare time, and gets a job playing in a coffee bar. He is popular with audiences and gets a recording contract.

Cast

Production

Steele helped to write every song on the soundtrack except one.[5] He was paid £3,000 for the lead role.[6]

Reception

The Tommy Steele Story was the 13th most popular film at the British box office in 1957.[7] Steele was voted the seventh most popular star in Britain for that year.[8]

The Tommy Steele Story was one of the few British films screened in Russia.[9]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released in May 1957. The following songs appear:

  • A1 Take Me Back, Baby
  • A2 Butterfingers
  • A3 I Like
  • A4 A Handful Of Songs
  • A5 You Gotta Go
  • A6 Water, Water
  • A7 Cannibal Pot
  • B1 Will It Be You
  • B2 Two Eyes
  • B3 Build Up
  • B4 Time To Kill
  • B5 Elevator Rock
  • B6 Doomsday Rock
  • B7 Teenage Party

References

  1. ↑ ""THE TOMMY STEELE STORY"". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 27 November 1957. p. 42. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  2. ↑ Gary A. Smith, American International Pictures: The Golden Years, Bear Manor Media 2014 p 59
  3. ↑ The Story of Tommy Steele The Christian Science Monitor (1908-Current file) [Boston, Mass] 10 Oct 1957: 7
  4. ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Tommy Steele Story, The (1957)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  5. ↑ "DISC DIGEST". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 19 February 1958. p. 34. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  6. ↑ David Shipman The Great Movie Stars: The International Years, London: Angus & Robertson, 1972 p.494
  7. ↑ LINDSAY ANDERSON, and DAVID DENT. "Time For New Ideas." Times [London, England] 8 January 1958: 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.
  8. ↑ Most Popular Film of the Year. The Times (London, England), Thursday, 12 December 1957; pg. 3; Issue 54022
  9. ↑ The Tommy Steele (in Moscow) Story Gale, John. The Observer [London (UK)] 9 August 1959: 1.
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