Two Left Feet (film)
Two Left Feet is a 1963 British comedy-drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Nyree Dawn Porter, Michael Crawford, David Hemmings and Julia Foster.
| Two Left Feet | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Roy Ward Baker |
| Written by | Roy Ward Baker John Hopkins |
| Based on | In My Solitude by David Stuart Leslie |
| Produced by | Roy Ward Baker Leslie Gilliat |
| Starring | Michael Crawford Nyree Dawn Porter |
| Cinematography | Wilkie Cooper Harry Gillam |
| Edited by | Michael Hark John Pomeroy |
| Music by | Philip Green |
Production company | Roy Ward Baker Productions |
| Distributed by | British Lion Film Corporation (UK) |
Release date | March 1963 |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
Based on David Stuart Leslie's novel, Two Left Feet is a story about Alan Crabbe (Michael Crawford) a callow youth desperate for a date with any girl who can offer him the experience he lacks. Every time Alan tries a manful stride into the jungle of sex, his two left feet turn the attempt into a trip-and-stumble. Then he meets Eileen (Nyree Dawn Porter), the new waitress at the corner cafe, and some sparks begin to fly.
Behind the scenes
At the time of its cinema release it was given an X Certificate (and given a 15 Rating when released on video in 1994).[1]
Baker's expectations were high, hoping to attract a wide popularity on the basis of the film being aimed at a young audience, with most of the film's leading players being under 21 years of age, but his hopes were dashed because of difficulties obtaining a release - none of the actors at the time were stars, the film received an X Certificate, and it was eventually released on a poorly promoted Double bill, after a delay of two years being left on the shelf.[2]
The film was based on the 1960 novel In My Solitude by David Stuart Leslie.[3]
Tommy Bruce sang "Two Left Feet" to the opening credits of the film. It also featured the song "Where Were You When I Needed You?" by Susan Maughan.
In the opening sequence, Michael Crawford visits the West End and ends up queuing to see Pamela Green in the nudist movie Naked as Nature Intended.[4]
Baker called it a "disaster. I fiddled around tried to make a picture of my own which I did, put money into it. That was a nice little picture, with a wonderful cast... and I was quite pleased with it, but nobody wanted to show it, nobody wanted to see it, we couldn’t get a circuit release and so I went into television."[5]
References
- Geoff Mayer, Roy Ward Baker, page 37 (Manchester University Press, 2004). ISBN 0-7190-6354-X
- Geoff Mayer, pages 37-38.
- David Stuart Leslie, In My Solitude (London: Hutchinson, 1960).
- "Two Left Feet (1963)". Pamela Green: Never Knowingly Overdressed.
- Fowler, Roy (October–November 1989). "Roy Ward Baker Interview" (PDF). British Entertainment History Project. p. 214.