''Side by Side'' is a 1975 pop comedy film, directed by

Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally and internationally in the United States. Beresford's notable films he has directed include '' B ...

. It tells the story of two rival nightclub owners played by

Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 19118 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of th ...

and

Billy Boyle Billy Boyle is an Irish actor and singer on British film, television and stage. His recording career included five 45rpm singles for the Decca and Columbia labels, including the novelty song "My Baby's Crazy 'Bout Elvis" (Decca F 11503) in 1962 ...

. The cast also includes

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film pr ...

, Stephanie de Sykes, Frank Thornton and many contemporary pop artists such as

The Rubettes The Rubettes are an English pop/glam rock band put together in 1974 after the release of " Sugar Baby Love", a recording assembled of studio session musicians in 1973 by the songwriting team of Wayne Bickerton, the then head of A&R at Polydor ...

, Mud and

Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". ...

. Beresford described the film as "awful" and said it had "the worst script I've ever read".

Plot

Set in the fictitious English borough of Sludgely, the film centres on two rival nightclubs, located side by side. The decrepit Golden Nugget, which features strip shows and music hall variety turns, is run by Max Nugget (Terry-Thomas), assisted by his hypochondriac nephew Rodney (Barry Humphries), while Sound City is a pop music club, run by Gary (Billy Boyle). A local magistrate rules that only one club's licence will be renewed at the end of the month. The two clubs then attempt to improve their entertainment by attracting top acts. The film culminates in a comedic brawl in which a dividing wall is smashed, resulting in a merger between the two venues.

Cast

– Rodney *

– Max Nugget * Stephanie de Sykes – Julia *

– Gary *

Dave Mount Mud are an English glam rock band, formed in February 1966. Their earlier success came in a pop and then glam rock style, while later hits were influenced by 1950s rock and roll, and they are best remembered for their hit singles "Dyna-mite" , ...

– Flip * Frank Thornton – Inspector Crumb *Jennifer Guy – Violet *Sheila Collings – Bessie * Geoffrey Sumner – Magistrate * Neil McCarthy – Alf (uncredited) Also starring

, Mud,

Mac and Katie Kissoon Mac and Katie Kissoon are a pop soul duo, consisting of brother and sister Mac Kissoon (born Gerald Farthing, November 11, 1943, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) and Katie Kissoon (born Katherine Farthing, March 11, 1951, Port of Spain). Ear ...

, Desmond Dekker and Fox as themselves. Music hall comedian Joe Baker also performs as himself.

Production

''Side By Side'' was the third feature film directed by Australian Bruce Beresford, who had previously found success in England by teaming up with his compatriot Barry Humphries for the bawdy comedy '' The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'' (1972) and its sequel, '' Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'' (1974). Beresford's biographer Peter Coleman wrote that Beresford made ''Side By Side'' for the money and because it was difficult for him to obtain work after the Barry McKenzie films. The movie was funded by the film division of Laurence Myers'

GTO Records GTO Records was a British record label which released many hits during the 1970s. It ran from 1974 to 1981 and mainly concentrated on pop music and disco. The acronym represented the Gem Toby Organization. Background The record label was co-fo ...

. Producer Drummond Challis had worked previously with Beresford and Humphries on ''Barry McKenzie Holds His Own''. In a 2017 memoir of his film career, Beresford tersely described the film as "a lamentable rock musical".

Music

A tie-in soundtrack album was released in 1977 under the title ''Original Rocking Hits From The Film "Side By Side"'' on the

Pickwick Records Pickwick Records was an American record label and British record distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues and repackagings under the brands Design, Bravo (later changing its name to Intern ...

label (SHM 902), and featured Stephanie de Sykes performing her highest UK charting song, "Born With a Smile on My Face". The late Dave Mount, drummer of Mud, had a starring role in the film. The artist "Twogether" that performs the " Side By Side" film theme, may actually be Lynsey de Paul and

Barry Blue Barry Blue (born Barry Ian Green, 4 December 1950) is an English singer, producer, and songwriter. As an artist, he is best known for his hit songs " Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" and "Do You Wanna Dance" (both 1973). Blue has also been a pr ...

, the song's composers. The film closes with a singalong rendition of the popular standard of the same name, Side by Side, led by Mud and Hello with Barry Humphries on piano.

Critical reception

Graham McCann Graham McCann is a British author and historian who has written extensively on film and television stars and British comedy series. He is a former lecturer and fellow at the University of Cambridge where he taught social and political theory. M ...

's 2009 biography of Terry-Thomas, ''Bounder!'', describes the film as "a low-budget piece of nonsense" which was savaged by critics "both for its 'marshmallow plot' and the 'evident lack of enthusiasm' shown by most of its cast." Musical film author Stephen Glynn wrote that ''Side by Side'' used the two clubs' rivalry "as an excuse to feature of a roster of Glam acts ... filmed in performance mode with no discernible difference to a Thursday night episode of Top of the Pops".

References

External links

* {{Bruce Beresford 1975 films Films directed by Bruce Beresford 1970s musical comedy films British musical comedy films 1975 comedy films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films