Don't Let It Get You is a film made in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and Sydney Australia in 1966. It is notable for the period it was made in as well as the popular musical acts that featured in it.

Sir Howard Morrison, Eddie Low

Eddie Low

Edward Robert Low is a New Zealand born musician currently living in Christchurch, New Zealand.In the early 1960s Eddie Low played in showbands, and with the Quintikis toured with the annual Miss New Zealand contest. He also appeared in the film Don't Let It Get You with the Quintikis, Howard...

, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Herma

Herma Keil

Herma Keil along with brothers Olaf, Klaus, Rudolf and cousin Freddie Keil formed The Keil Isles in the 1950s which proved to be a popular hit making band. The band at one stage was billed as Herma Keil & The Keil Isles. He was their lead vocalist for six years from 1960 until 1966. He along with...

 and Eliza Keil

Eliza Keil

Samoan born Eliza Keil started out singing with her brothers in the popular New Zealand rock & roll group the Keil Isles and would later become a solo artist in her own right with a string of TV appearances and a part in a film.-Career:...

 of the Keil Isles

Keil Isles

The Keil Isles were a New Zealand-based Rock & Roll group which consisted of the Keil Brothers, Olaf, Herman, Rudolf, Klaus and their cousin Freddie Keil. They were all Samoans with German ancestry.-Band history:...

 featured in the film. It also had an appearance by Australian hit maker Normie Rowe

Normie Rowe

Norman John "Normie" Rowe AM was a major male solo performer of Australian pop music in the 1960s. Known for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence, many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Pat Aulton, house producer for the Sunshine Records, Spin Records and...

.

Directed by John O'Shea and written by Joe Musaphia, the film captures the exuberance and energy of of one of New Zealand's finest hours in pop/rock musical history. Fashioned in the style of Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), it is a showcase for the talents of the period, including Kiri te Kanawa ("Sing for us now, Kiri"). The songs are mostly written by Patrick Flynn in collaboration with either O'Shea or Musaphia. However, the film is also a knockabout romantic comedy: the dialogue non-sequiturs, pratfall gags and bizarre juxtapositions display an offbeat sense of irony and blase manner not unlike that of television in the late Eighties (Terry and the Gunrunners and The Billy T. James Show, for example). As a nostalgia piece, the film comes as close to capturing the hopes and aspirations of the period as the Weekly Reviews do for the Forties and the Tangata Whenua series does for the Seventies.

Synopsis

Although most of the film is set in Rotorua, it actually starts out in Sydney. Furthermore, the hero and heroine, Gary Wallace and Judy Beech, are both Australian. Gary wants desperately to play in Howard Morrison's band at a big concert in Rotorua, so he sells his drums to pay for the plane ticket to New Zealand, and Morrison turns out to be on the same flight. Judy, a Marilyn Monroe blonde, is also on that flight, en route to Rotorua with her mother for a holiday. Aside from Gary and Judy and Howard Morrison himself, the fourth major role is filled out by the obligatory villain, William, a rival drummer who has the job Gary seeks, and who also sets off in hot pursuit of Judy. At the end of the film, while Gary wins Judy and plays in the concert, William is, quite literally, marooned in the middle of Lake Rotorua.

Cast

In order of credits

Actor	Played as
Howard Morrison Howard Morrison Sir Howard Leslie Morrison, OBE, was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009 he was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers.-Early life:...	Himself
Gary Wallace	Himself
Carmen Duncan Carmen Duncan Carmen Joan Duncan is an Australian actress.-Biography:Carmen Duncan is known to Australian audiences as a character actress in films and on television...	Judith Beech
Normie Rowe Normie Rowe Norman John "Normie" Rowe AM was a major male solo performer of Australian pop music in the 1960s. Known for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence, many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Pat Aulton, house producer for the Sunshine Records, Spin Records and...	Himself
Kiri Te Kanawa Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Te Kanawa, ONZ, DBE, AC is a New Zealand / Māori soprano who has had a highly successful international opera career since 1968. Acclaimed as one of the most beloved sopranos in both the United States and Britain she possesses a warm full lyric soprano voice, singing a wide array...	Herself
Harry Lavington	William Broadhead
Alma Woods	Mrs Beech
Tanya Binning	Queen of the Surf
Ernie Leonard	Himself
Eric Wood	Service Station Attendant
Anne Sharland	Herself
Rim D. Paul	Himself
Gerry Merito Gerry Merito Gerald Kereti Merito , was a New Zealand singer and guitarist, and one of the original members of the Howard Morrison Quartet....	Himself
Herma Keil Herma Keil Herma Keil along with brothers Olaf, Klaus, Rudolf and cousin Freddie Keil formed The Keil Isles in the 1950s which proved to be a popular hit making band. The band at one stage was billed as Herma Keil & The Keil Isles. He was their lead vocalist for six years from 1960 until 1966. He along with...	Himself
Eliza Keil Eliza Keil Samoan born Eliza Keil started out singing with her brothers in the popular New Zealand rock & roll group the Keil Isles and would later become a solo artist in her own right with a string of TV appearances and a part in a film.-Career:...	Herself
Lew Pryme	Himself
Eddie Low Eddie Low Edward Robert Low is a New Zealand born musician currently living in Christchurch, New Zealand.In the early 1960s Eddie Low played in showbands, and with the Quintikis toured with the annual Miss New Zealand contest. He also appeared in the film Don't Let It Get You with the Quintikis, Howard...	Himself
Gwynn Owen	Herself
Keri Summers	Herself
Paul Walden	Himself

Source: Internet Movie Database

Internet Movie Database

Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...