Hear My Song

source: Hear My Song

The owner of a low rent English music hall finds himself in hot water after booking a legendary (but fraudulent) Irish tenor, prompting a desperate visit to the Emerald Isle in search of the genuine article, not an easy assignment since no one has seen the man in 25 years. Maybe it makes a difference that the film was made on the far side of the Atlantic Ocean, but it succeeds as a genuinely charming and disarming romantic comedy without the expected formula plotting or trendy visual hype, and (perhaps not surprisingly) without the box office benefit of brand name stars. The climax is somewhat overwrought, but by then director Peter Chelsum is working from a surplus of good-natured blarney and local brogue, with some gorgeous Irish scenery added almost as an afterthought. And where else can you expect to see a movie hero declare his love to a girl while clutching a whippet?

Spoiler warning! A superb low-budget fantasy film about a down-at-heel club that just clings on by booking cheap, crummy look-a-like acts. When manager Mickey O' Neill (Dunbar) looks like losing his girl, he decides to impress her by booking the legendary tax-dodger Josef Locke and hopes to save his club into the bargain. What he ends up with is not what he imagined, and the search begins... We've watched this film a couple of times since it was first shown on TV and it gets better with every viewing. The characters are great and the almost magical atmosphere conjured up in some scenes is incredible. *Spoiler alert again* Locke's triumphant performance is the climax, and I admit to getting very touched by 'Count your Blessings', delivered in that wonderful tenor voice (supplied by Vernon Midgeley). What a film!

This movie was so much fun. Such imagination went into it. The film tells its story really well. The way in which the imitation Joseph Locke is discovered in the first half of the film forced me to hit stop, and go to the bathroom, because I laughed so hard I almost peed myself. All the major characters are wonderful, and the minor characters are better. When Beatty finally does appear as the real Locke, his star quality takes the entire cast to an even higher level. I can't say more without taking some of the fun away from you. Also, old "Man From Uncle" co-star, David McCallum, is marvelous in his small supporting role. Very amusing film with surprising twists and turns and an incredible amount of whimsy.

More than a bit of blarney brings a sham of a singer to do a good deed bringing a smile to any heart. Hear My Song as a tune, is sure to haunt most listeners for a long time, even if they can not remember anything past the first line. Great rainy day fare, perfect when served with Irish Breakfast Tea and just a drop or two of Irish Whiskey. John Patrick

An awkward start, then a charming movie; part of the emerging genre of Irish fairy tales, complete with the mystical village of Tully More. One early scene has an entirely unnecessary bit of fairly explicit sex and brief nudity; this, like most of the first half-hour or so, flounders. The story finally hits its comic stride when the semi-hero goes off to Ireland to search for a reclusive tenor. The movie flattens out at the end, turning utterly sentimental and entirely predictable. Certainly worth watching, but basically nice fluff.

Micky O'Neill, a sleazy Irish entertainment promoter has about run his course offering pseudo-acts like Franc Cinatra. The Ryan family that owns the theater is about ready to throw him out when they ask who his next performer is "Bing Crosby spelled with a K"?, but Micky O'Neill comes up with the name of Josef Locke and the Ryan's gasp as Josef Locke is supposedly out of the country, because of tax fraud or something. So Micky is given a reprieve until it becomes known that the Josef Locke he has booked is a fraud, Since his girlfriend's mother once had a fling with Jo and has been duped by the fake Jo, Micky has been outcast by the Ryan family, his girlfriend and especially his girlfriend's mother. He hops a ride on a boat to Ireland where he meets up with his friend Fintan, a concert promoter, and the two of them ride through the Irish countryside in search of the real Josef Locke in an effort to convince him to return to England to perform. When they find him, the Irish comedy really begins, and also the Irish singing. The tenor voice is spectacular and when Jo sings, women weep.......

When I listened to the wireless in the 1940s and 50s Mr Locke was a regular on the Light Programme,constantly appearing as a guest of such luminaries as Henry Hall or Vic Oliver on their radio shows.He topped the bill at Variety Theatres all over the country for years then disappeared off the radar - "Got some girl in trouble I'll be bound",was my father's comment which went a bit above my head at the age of 13.So clearly his reputation had reached even the leafy lanes of Surrey by that time,if not the real reason for his vanishing.My mother was inconsolable until she discovered Mario Lanza who was Italian and much more exciting. "Hear my song" tells of the search by a cut- price impresario for the elusive Irish tenor.Like "The Commitments" it presents the Irish as they really are rather than how the Americans choose to portray them - as refugees from a John Ford movie. Ned Beatty is splendid as the reluctant recluse, a man still capable of charming the birds out of the trees.He has the voice of an angel - so he does.My personal favourite Miss Shirley Anne Field makes a very welcome appearance,and the circle is closed by Mr Harold Behrens in a small role rounding off the connection to post - war BBC radio where he was a regular on "Ignorance is Bliss". Appearing unheralded on the horizon out of nowhere - as it were - "Hear my Song" is a beautifully crafted little film,a masterpiece in miniature and anyone whose love for movies is more than skin deep will adore it.

Unlike Larcher-2 who also has a comment on this film, l did see Josef Locke, l can remember my mother took me to see him when l was a young boy and was drawn to his type of sining. It is well known that Mr Locke was a ladies man, but that did not detract from his voice, and Ned Beatty does a remarkable job of playing Josef Locke, dubbed in Mr Lockes own voice. This is a great film, Adrian Dunbar plays his role as a seedy agent well and David McCallum as the policeman always trying to get Mr Locke is a gem... The "tooth" scene is a great laugh....Please watch this film, if you know nothing of Mr Locke try to find out about him first then you will enjoy it better, and understand the title... I give this film 8 out of 10...

We went through an hour of this and actually could not work out what was going on. Then if we did hear the script correctly, "the mr locke" disappeared in 58, which 26 years later would give us 1983. But, the ambience, the cars and everything else suggested it was much earlier. The language is quite disgusting, with several profanities which add nothing to the film whatsoever and are a huge turn off. It also wasnt clear why Dunbars character was dumped early on by his girlfriend during a sexual encounter. A very odd offering!