| The Duke Wore Jeans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Gerald Thomas |
| Screenplay by | Norman Hudis |
| Based on |
|
| Produced by | Peter Rogers |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Edited by | Peter Boita |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production | Insignia Films |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Duke Wore Jeans is a 1958 British comedy musical film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Tommy Steele, June Laverick and Michael Medwin.[1]
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 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.[2]
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."[3]
Steele was paid £20,000 plus 10% of the profits.[4]
Producer 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!.[5]
The songs in the film included:
All of the songs were written by Lionel Bart, Mike Pratt and Jimmy Bennett (apseudonymofTommy 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."[6]
| Chart | Year | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[7] | 1958 | 1 |
| Preceded by Pal Joey by Original Soundtrack |
UK Albums Chart number-one album 26 April 1958 – 10 May 1958 |
Succeeded by My Fair Lady by Original Cast Album |
