Dateline Diamonds

Dateline Diamonds is a 1965 British music-film. The film was shot in black and white. The "pop and cop" genre of film was a popular concept in the UK during the early 1960s to highlight young music talent and was geared to appeal directly to the young teenage market. The film was a low-budget B movie and released to support the main feature film Doctor in Clover starring Leslie Phillips.[1][2]

Dateline Diamonds
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJeremy Summers
Produced byHarry Benn
Written byTudor Gates
(based on an original idea by Harold Shampan)
StarringMusical guests:
The Small Faces
The Chantelles
Kiki Dee
Mark Richardson
Acting roles:
William Lucas, Kenneth Cope, Conrad Phillips, Patsy Rowlands, Kenny Everett
CinematographyStephen Dade
Distributed byRank Organisation
Release date
3 April 1966
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Major Fairclough is linked to an international criminal gang, which uses the MV Galaxy (the ship which was the home of 1960s pirate radio station Radio London) to smuggle stolen diamonds from the UK to Amsterdam. Fairclough blackmails Lester Benson, the fictitious manager of The Small Faces, into aiding and abetting his crimes.[3]

Production

The film features the original lineup of British band Small Faces (Jimmy Winston was replaced in 1966 by Ian McLagan). Band manager Don Arden arranged for Small Faces to appear in the film as a promotional vehicle for "I've Got Mine", the follow-up to their debut hit single "Whatcha Gonna Do About It". However, the film's release was delayed and the band received no other publicity for their single, which failed to chart. The final sequence, showing Ray Anton and Pro Forma, Mark Richardson and the Small Faces performing on stage, was filmed during a genuine Radio London night at the Rank Ballroom in Watford. The film also features a young Kiki Dee and the British vocal group the Chantelles.

Dateline Diamonds was released on VHS and is currently available on DVD format.

Cast list

with brief appearances by Phillip Birch, Earl Richmond and Ben Toney

References
  1. Supporting Doctor in Clover Radio London, Retrieved 11/10/07
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Doctor in Clover Retrieved 11/10/07
  3. Film review Retrieved 11/10/07
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