The Tommy Steele Story (1957) Tommy Steele, Patrick Westwood, Tom Littlewood Movie Review

The Tommy Steele Story (1957)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Tommy Steele in The Tommy Steele Story (1957)

Tommy's Bubbly Biopic

Having just performed in concert Tommy Steele heads back stage to give interviews to the press. It is there he tells them his life story from the accident during Judo training which left him in hospital temporarily paralysed but where he set about learning to play the guitar. From learning guitar and performing to the other patients Tommy went on to join the Merchant Navy but found his love of performing causing issues and eventually forcing him out. But a lucky break by a generous cafe owner eventually leads to him being spotted by an agent and as they say, the rest is history.

I think prior to watching "The Tommy Steele Story" I could count the things I knew about the singer on one hand. But the one thing I have always thought of Tommy Steele is that he was a cross between Cliff Richard and George Formby, a mix of rock with being cheeky and down to earth but with lots and lots of energy. And that is what you get in "The Tommy Steele Story", an energetic musical walk through the life of the entertainer with Steele's own enthusiasm shining through right from the word go.

Tommy Steele in The Tommy Steele Story (1957)

Now I had better say that whilst I am no expert on the life of Tommy Steele I feel safe in saying that the focus of "The Tommy Steele Story" is on entertainment. As such we are never a few minutes away from a musical scene and when we don't have Tommy Steele singing and bouncing around there is always a Calypso narration performed by Tommy Eytle and his Calypso Band. For fans of Tommy Steele and the music of his era it should entertain although anyone who stumbled across this hoping for more of a biopic may find the focus on musical a little corny.

The thing is that whilst I like my biopics and enjoy learning about the story behind a star I actually quite enjoyed "The Tommy Steele Story". And that all comes down to Steele himself as he comes across as such an enthusiastic, good hearted and generous performer sharing the screen with other acts and seeming happy to do so.

What this all boils down to is that "The Tommy Steele Story" is an experience and probably not one which will entertain everyone. But for those who are fans of Tommy Steele should enjoy his enthusiastic performance in this jaunt through his life and career.


LATEST REVIEWS