Cucumber Castle (film)

Cucumber Castle
Cucumber Castle LP cover
Written by	Barry Gibb Maurice Gibb
Directed by	Hugh Gladwish
Starring	Barry Gibb Maurice Gibb Eleanor Bron Frankie Howerd
Theme music composer	Bee Gees
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Mike Mansfield
Cinematography	Ben Knoll
Running time	60 minutes
Original release
Release	26 December 1970 (1970-12-26)

Cucumber Castle is a British comedy film starring the Bee Gees that aired on BBC2 on 26 December 1970.

History

By the time filming began in 1969, the Bee Gees were down to a trio consisting of Barry and Maurice Gibb and the drummer Colin Petersen. Robin Gibb had quit the group earlier in the year following the release of the group's sixth album Odessa. Songs for the film were recorded during the summer of 1969 with Petersen on drums, but when filming began, he was fired from the group. His scenes from the film were cut and he is not credited on the accompanying album, though he does play on some songs.

Plot

The plot revolves around two heirs, Prince Frederick (Barry Gibb) and his brother Prince Marmaduke (Maurice Gibb), and their dying father (Frankie Howerd). On his death bed, The King orders his kingdom divided into two halves, the Kingdom of Jelly and the Kingdom of Cucumbers. Before the king dies, Prince Frederick declares himself the "King of Cucumber" and Prince Marmaduke becomes the "King of Jelly". The film intersperses comedy sketches with Bee Gees songs plus performances by Lulu and Blind Faith with several cameo appearances. At the end, the king changes his mind and comes back, "I think those pills are working".

Cast

• Peter Blythe ... Narrator
• Eleanor Bron ... Lady Margerie Pee
• Pat Coombs ... Nurse Sarah Charles Bottom
• Barry Gibb ... Prince Frederick, King of Cucumber
• Maurice Gibb ... Prince Mamaduke, King of Jelly
• Frankie Howerd ... Dying King
• Lulu ... Lulu the cook
• Spike Milligan ... The Court Jester
• Julian Orchard ... Julian the Lord Chamberlaine
• Vincent Price ... Wicked Count Voxville
• Ginger Baker ... Himself
• Eric Clapton ... Himself (as Blind Faith)
• Ric Grech ... Himself (as Blind Faith)
• Steve Winwood ... Himself (as Blind Faith)
• Roger Daltrey ... Himself (uncredited)
• Donovan ... Himself (uncredited)
• Marianne Faithfull ... Herself (uncredited)
• Mick Jagger ... Himself (uncredited)

Soundtrack

1. "Don't Forget to Remember" by Bee Gees
2. "Then You Left Me" by Bee Gees
3. "I Was the Child" by Bee Gees
4. "The Lord" by Bee Gees
5. "My Thing" by Bee Gees
6. "Morning of my Life" by Lulu
7. "Mrs. Robinson" by Lulu
8. "Well All Right" by Blind Faith

Home media

The title was briefly released in the U.S. in the early days of home video by the tiny label Video Tape Network, but quickly disappeared from sale, likely due to a licensing dispute. The tape was once cited by Video Review magazine as the rarest commercial release ever, and copies have fetched three figures on the collector's market. It has never since been officially released on home video in any form, though bootlegs have circulated for years.

External links

• Cucumber Castle at IMDb