Bronco Bullfrog

[duffy moon]

Has anybody here ever seen this mod classic? Is it any good? I know it is available on dvd region 2, but it's a trifle expensive.
Apparently it was a Steve Marriot fave, as indeed he was of Paul Weller, which is how I came to hear of it.
Never seen it tho'. Anyone?

[davidb]

i got my copy on ebay ,theres a few people selling them ,it wasnt expensive, as for" is it any good ?" its a low budget 1969 b+w with what seems like kids from a youth club acting in it ,i didnt think it was everything it was made out to be by some people [ and celebs ] its no quadrophenia but it was interesting to watch nonetheless

[JamesM]

Item List2

Where you can buy directly of Platt-Mills for £16.

I imagine you had seen he Amazon market sellers prices.

The copies I can see on eBay are DVD-r counterfeits.

[billy bentley]

Duffy, whoever flogged you the "mod classic" tag on Bronco Bullfrog, was either on the make, ignorant or taking the you know what. "Bronco" is basically a very charming slice of urban life performed by non professional actors in what would have been known as the Suedehead era, which as I remember it was former skinheads (guilty your honour) with longer hair, but essentially the same clothes. I was completely unaware of the film when it was released, but it gained a cult status in the late 70's , especially when Jimmy "Sham" Pursey mentioned his desire to appear in remake. It really does capture the times, which might be quite idsappointing to those raised on boot boy mythology. You should definitely watch it. I think you can buy it directly from the maker.

[davidb]

the mod classic slogan is what had me duped ,its not ,maybe it was steve marriots favourite film because the "star " has the same hairstyle as his ,although the rest of them were suedeheads ,the most interesting thing i found were the extras on the dvd ,where a couple of the lads were looking at mod/skinhead clothes in the shops at the time !

[billy bentley]

Unlike, his replacement Rod - Marriiot had several hairstyles, including some particularly dodgy ones during his 'umble Pie years. I'm no expert, but wasn't he a child actor ? As for the mod - skinhead lineage, at the time I don't remember any conscious desire for one to be associated with the other. We were the mods' younger brothers, so there was no need to state the obvious. Soundwise the lions share was Tamla & Trojan, can't remember being interested in any white groups during that time at all, certainly not old "mod" groups (some of which I now adore). Even the "mod" tag covers a lot of ground, most of the Guy Stevens' Ham Yard mods were nothing like the "scooter boys" later mythologised in Peter Townshend's "Quadrophenia".

[davidb]

theres a huge grey area where the two styles blend into one ,harringtons ,ben shermans ,crombies ,monkey jackets ,fred perry ,thats the clobber that the kids were looking at in the shops ,the lad in the film has the early steve marriott hairdo , even though marriott himself had changed his hairstyle by 69 and the rest of the kids are clearly early skinheads ,thats just how the film is ,

[billy bentley]

Ultimately, I think the original skinhead boom of '68 - 70 was far more regimented than the mod scene that had preceeded it, and that was probably the point. But even the early skinhead scene was much more sartorially diverse than many revisionists would have you think. Levi's and Dr. Martens were expensive in 1969 and not available to all. But short hair cuts, shorter tempers, rolled up trousers and braces were pretty much in every ones reach. Back in those days me and my mates probably did more window shopping than anything else.

[MarcMorris]

The early 80s skinhead movement was captured nicely in THIS IS ENGLAND - anyone seen it? Recommended.

[Captain Oates]

This is an old debate, well covered in the Who fanzine Generations in the 1990s (I was editor and wrote most of the material). What I argued at the time (and again in my book on The Who The Who On Record ) was that Bronco Bullfrog definitely had some lineage with Quadrophenia, although it is clearly not about Mods per se. And here we are talking about the original Who concept of 1973 - and the B&W photos that came with the LP.

I never established whether Townshend had seen Bronco Bullfrog but I was always stuck by two similarities:
(1) Del walking alone in the stark underground tunnel was replicated exactly in the Quadrophenia artwork, and
(2) the way in which both Jimmy and Del both lose their long saved for transport (scooter/ bike) in accidents.

It isn't actually relevant whether the kids are mods, skins, punks etc. These films explore issues of conformism vs. individuality that are timeless. I think Bronco Bullfrog is significant simply because it presents an unromaticised view of the urban life of young working class people at a time when the hip "Swinging London" approach was still dominant in the cinema. The only work that was similar to Bronco Bullfrog at the time was some of the BBC's Wednesday Play stuff.

John Atkins

[billy bentley]

Captain Oates, who took the photographs for the album cover/booklet ? My copy is long gone. Was there an art director and/or a production designer involved, or was it handled by a creative agency ? Have the photos ever been exhibited or the "outakes" published ?

[Captain Oates]

Ethan A Russell was the photographer / art director. I've never seen outtakes or the photos exhibited. They are all included in the current CD version, however.

[davidb]

its certainly a good "youth film " ,the way they experiment with crime ,bust ups over territories ,hilarious attempts to chat up girls ,anyone whose been a teenager can identify with it ,like quadrophenia in that context

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by davidb its certainly a good "youth film " ,the way they experiment with crime ,bust ups over territories ,hilarious attempts to chat up girls ,anyone whose been a teenager can identify with it ,like quadrophenia in that context

Is there anyone aged 20 or above who hasn't been a teenager?
Or even anyone over 12?

Steve

[davidb]

thats what i meant ANYONE whose been a teenager will identify with it in that way im reccomending it ,you dont have to be a mod or skinhead or anything to enjoy it