clive saunders

As a small boy, living in Sherborne, it was with much excitement every day that my Dad took me to watch the filming of the musical version of Goodbye Mr Chips.
My father, a keen amateur film maker himself, was in his element and looking back now, it is obvious to me that he was like a 'kid in a sweet shop' for those five or six weeks during the summer of 1969, when 'Hollywood' came to sleepy-old Sherborne!

Looking back now at my late Dad's old Super8 footage and 35mm slides of those days, I can remember watching, fascinated, as the fire brigade were employed to produce a downpour over the station, as the 'Brookfield School' boys arrived back after summer holidays and totally bemused as Petula Clark got into her car and drove away - the wrong way - up the one-way main street!

It was some thirty years after the 1939 classic film, which won Robert Donat an Oscar and made Greer Garson a star. This version overcame many problems before making it to the screen. Originally intended to star Rex Harrison and Samantha Eggar, they were replaced by the improbable Richard Burton and Lee Remick. They inturn were given the elbow in favour of - thankfully - Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark. Even Andre Previn's score was rejected with Leslie Bricusse's being prefered, which was probably a mistake.

Herbert Ross as director was handed the task of taking a simple love story and turning it into a big-budget musical extravaganza. Undoubtedly, O'Toole and Clark are the reason it eventually succeeded as well as it did.

It captures life at a quintessential British public school - with absolute perfection and Ross does well with many beautifully photographed scenes. Without doubt, Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark deserve high praise. O'Toole was of course a long-established first-class dramatic actor, so his Academy Award-nominated performance here comes as no surprise. Clark brings a certain tenderness to her role and there is no mistaking the genuine chemistry between the pair as their story together unfolds, then ends in tragedy.

All in all, it deserved better reviews than it received when released and I for one would certainly recommend it.

A small aside - As a gesture of thanks to the town, the production company offered to build Sherborne Cricket Club a new Victorian-style pavilion, similar to the mock-up used in the cricket scenes in the film. Unfortunately, the Town Council decided that, as it would be mainly built of wood, it would constitiute a fire hazard and so turned their offer down!! And we all thought Health & Safety madness was a modern phenomenon!!!

What an absolute shower! Be seeing you!

christoph404

I've always liked that film, I totaly agree that there was a good chemistry between O'Toole and Petula. I often wondered where it was filmed, that must have been great fun to be able to watch the filming and even get some super 8 footage, behind the scenes images are always fascinating, Im assuming you have transferred the super 8 film to DVD for posterity.

clive saunders

Yes all on DVD now - Dad will be turning in his grave!! It was a magical experience for an 8 year old boy and I've been in love with Petula ever since!!
She actually stayed in a big pink house at Bailey Ridge about 5 miles from Sherborne during the filming and was always happy to stop and talk to the locals and sign autographs. So too Michael Redgrave, who played the Headmaster. They came across as genuinely nice people. O'Toole wasn't a bit like his 'hell-raiser' alter ego either! During a break in the filming of the cricket match scene, my Dad went and spoke to him and he was more than happy to chat. I'm sure half the time, these public 'personnas' are nothing more than media talk, because they think it makes the 'stars' more interesting.

What an absolute shower! Be seeing you!