Elvis in 'No Surrender' (1985) debuts on DVD

[johnfoyle]

Have a good look.....then go to John E.'s site to see the details regarding this photo I sent him.

http://www.elviscostello.info/books/scully.html

[firebetty]

it was the ring that gave him away.

[Jackson Monk]

I remember Scully very well. Mainly waiting for Elvis to put in an appearance and then wishing he hadn't!!

[firebetty]

okay, as a mere child a world away, what the f is scully?

[verbal gymnastics]

It was the prototype for the X Files and starred a family from Liverpool trying to find out why Elvis' accent kept changing depending on where in the world he was.

Then they added a female called Dana Scully. They put Mulder in to sex it up.

The TV people liked the idea of investigating unusual phenomena. However Liverpool didn't seem glamourous enough so they based filming in Vancouver. They also decided that the image wasn't quite right so they completed changed the program, ditched the original family and the rest, as they say, is history.

I thought everybody knew that.

[PlaythingOrPet]

Ahhh, it's Ma Boswell! If I concentrate really hard I think I may remember how the feem toon to Bread went.
....

But I still ain't seen Scully. What was that Bleasdale film EC was in again? Haven't seen that, either.

[laughingcrow]

That looks INSANE....I dearly want to see that! Look at his little British Rail porter's hat! It reminds me of the publicity cast shots they used to do of radio shows like The Clitheroe Kid/Goons/Hancock etc....never heard of it though!
I've seen that geezer at the back with his armed crossed before...was he in Brookside or summit?

Here's what a quick google came up with...

The Granada TV sitcom 'Scully' was based on a character who had previously appeared in two novels and a one-off TV play. Francis 'Franny' Scully is a 15-year-old football-mad Liverpudlian who dreams of playing striker for Liverpool FC. Every episode includes a Walter Mitty-style fantasy sequence in which teenage Scully runs onto the Anfield pitch (Liverpool's home ground) and plays a match. Many of Liverpool's star players of the 1980s appeared as themselves in these fantasy sequences, as did team manager Bob Paisley.

When not playing fantasy football, Scully larks about with his mates or must contend with his bizarre relations ... such as his drunken grandmother or his trainspotting older brother Henry.

American viewers will be interested to know that Elvis Costello (yes, THAT Elvis Costello) plays Scully's brother Henry. Elvis Costello also wrote and sings the show's theme song, 'Turning the Town Red' ... red being the colour of Liverpool's football strip. Andrew Schofield is a bit mature to be playing a 15-year-old, but he conveys the frustrations and ambitions of the main character splendidly. Most of the cast are excellent.

'Scully' isn't the funniest sitcom you'll ever watch, but it depicts teen angst very well, in an aggressively British working-class format.

Turning the town red is on Out of our idiot innit! The Bleasdale things are GBH and Jake's Progress....I never saw either of them, being too young and tender to even stay up past Neighbours in those days...but I've got the soundtracks (I imagine the programmes are more entertaining than those though ).

[Otis Westinghouse]

Well I remember watching Scully and how ludicrous EC's part was. The photo is a good reflection of that.

[VonOfterdingen]

is this a joke? Or was it really the prototype for X-Files? I mean really really???

[bambooneedle]

I've seen that geezer at the back with his armed crossed before...was he in Brookside or summit?

Crow, I think that guy in is The Bill.

[Otis Westinghouse]

is this a joke? Or was it really the prototype for X-Files? I mean really really???

It's just some verbal gymnastics inspired by the name Scully.

[VonOfterdingen]

hehe. Ok I get it. Funny though

[Jackson Monk]

for those that don't know, 'Turning the Town Red' was double A-side with 'I Wanna be Loved' - in the UK anyway.

[stormwarning]

And Andrew "Scully" Schofield was the guest MC at the 1986 Liverpool show of the Spinning Songbook tour. He was OK I suppose, but LA got Tom Waits as the guest...

[Jackson Monk]

He also had a major part in GBH

[laughingcrow]

I was just having a look to see if GBH/Jakes are out on DVD, when I came across another CD version of Jake's Progress by the label Phantom sound and vision. I've got a demon version I bought off ebay a while back...is this other version the original or something?

Phantom

Demon

[firebetty]

wait. elvis played a trainspotter.... hum. very interesting.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/PROD/3-/106 ... oduct.html



Scully (2 Discs)

availability: Due for release on 07/08/2006

BBC ( Uh, Channel 4 , I think -J.F.) comedy series from 1984 about a 15 year old boy and his dreams to play for his beloved Liverpool F.C. Adapted by Alan Bleasdale from the two novels 'Scully '(1975) and 'Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed' the show regularly features Kenny Dalglish and other several other famous Liverpool players.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scully-Andrew-S ... 917&sr=1-1

[johnfoyle]

http://www.retrotogo.com/2006/07/scully_returns_.html

Scully returns on DVD

Scully As another reminder of how stale and predictable UK drama is today, another Alan Bleasdale gem returns on DVD on August 7th 2006 - Scully: The Complete Series.

This seven-part series about working class life in Liverpool is about as 80s as any show can get - starring Andrew Schofield as Liverpool footie fanatic Francis Scully, who dreams of turning out for his favourite team - but his dreams always come crashing down around his head, not hjelped by his dysfunctional family, including train-spotting brother called Henry (Elvis Costello) and an attention-seeking best mate, Mooey (Ray Kingsley).

There's also a top-notch supporting cast, including Mark McGann, Cathy Tyson, Jean Boht, Sam Kelly and the Liverpool greats of the time, including Kenny Dalglish, and Bob Paisley.

They don't make them like they used to.

[johnfoyle]

Another Alan Bleasdale project Elvis appeared in was No Surrender ( 1985). I just got a copy of the U.S. video release . On the back is this -



I no longer have a video player so don't know what quality the tape is. Does anyone here have a tape-to-dvd facility? The cheapest quote I can get here is about €50 , way too much for a few minutes of Elvis. PM me and I'll gladly send on the tape.

When I saw it in the cinema at the time I thought it was awful. However I'd like to see it again just to see if I missed something worthwhile in it.

Daryl Runswick , who did the music for it, wrote in 2003 about his experience -

http://www.btinternet.com/~daryl.runswi ... render.pdf

or


http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:Me47 ... =firefox-a


The main details ( with the wrong film poster ,btw) are here -


http://imdb.com/title/tt0089697/

[Neil.]

Your memory serves you well: the film was a stinker, and Elvis was particularly bad. Soz Elv, love you as a singer-songwriter, but as as thesp you're not great shakes!

[Jackson Monk]

Too true.....I cringed at his performance in Frasier as well.

[Neil.]

Oh God, the Frasier episode! So embarrassing. And the Letterman hosting! He's such a great artist, but these appearances seriously dented his credibility!

But if you hear him interviewed, he seems to think he's good at it!

He's fine at between-song banter, but actual entertainment show hosting: no, Elvis: NO!

[Who Shot Sam?]

Thought he was quite good hosting Letterman. Frasier was pretty cringeworthy.

[johnfoyle]

Elvis Costello , No Surrender Pt. 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_VhWy5gzss

Elvis Costello , No Surrender Pt. 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLCa8uOJJHo