Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Dickie Attenborough, David Hemmings and Sunday League cricket

I caught the end of Only When I Larf on Talking Pictures TV when I got home from my mother's this evening. Based on a Len Deighton novel about jet-setting confidence tricksters, it starred Richard Attenborough, David Hemmings and Alexandra Stewart.

The film has not been on television for years before tonight, but if the theme tune sounded strangely familiar to people of my vintage it may be because it was also used to introduce BBC2's coverage of the early years of Sunday League cricket.

Wikipedia adds an interesting note:

Credited to Whistling Jack Smith, the record rose up the UK singles chart. When it was featured on Top of the Pops, actor Coby Wells was used to mime the whistling, and later toured as the public face of Whistling Jack Smith. (Wells' real name was Billy Moeller; a brother of Tommy Moeller, lead vocalist, guitarist, and pianist with Unit 4 + 2).

No comments: