| It's Trad, Dad! | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Richard Lester |
| Produced by | Max Rosenberg Milton Subotsky |
| Written by | Milton Subotsky |
| Starring | Helen Shapiro Craig Douglas Felix Felton Deryck Guyler |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Traylor |
| Editing by | Bill Lenny |
| Distributed by | Amicus Productions |
| Release date(s) | 30 March 1962 |
| Running time | 78 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
It's Trad, Dad! (1962), known in the U.S. as Ring-A-Ding Rhythm, is a musical comedy. The film was one of the first films put out by predominantly horror company Amicus Productions, and one of director Richard Lester's first films.[1]
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Craig and Helen (Craig Douglas and Helen Shapiro) are two teenagers who, along with their friends enjoy the latest trend of traditional jazz. However, the mayor as well as a group of adults dislike the trend and move to have a coffee shop jukebox taken away.
Craig and Helen, with the help of omnipotent narrator journey to a radio station's studios in hopes of finding a disk jockey and organizing a show to gain popularity for the style.
They find one, in addition to many bands to play. But upon hearing the news of the upcoming performance, the mayor decides to stop the bands' van by any means necessary.
Craig and Helen find that their jockey and bands have not yet arrived, and as such, decide to find local talent within the crowd of guests at their show.
The interim acts manage to stall the crowd long enough for the true performers' bus to traverse a series of traps the city council had set up for them. Just in time, the performers reach their stage and put on their act for the citizens. The film ends with the town's kids and teens enjoying the music and the adults grudgingly accepting it.
The film predominantly comprises musical numbers, including a full performance by Acker Bilk. However, unlike traditional "musicals" the songs have little to do with the movie but rather serve more to show off the artists' talents and give a taste for the style as the plot stops whenever a number starts. U.S. acts were added to the film including Chubby Checker, Del Shannon, Gary US Bonds, Gene Vincent, and Gene McDaniels.
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