Expresso Bongo

A sly, sleazy and unscrupulous music agent, Johnny Jackson (Laurence Harvey) trolls the neon-streaked sidewalks of London's SoHo district in search of fresh meat to exploit. He finds it in a teen-packed coffee bar where a pompadoured rebel (pop star Cliff Richard) is dazzling his peers with his pouty, Presleyish voice and a talent for pounding the skins. Johnny renames the kid "Bongo" Herbert and, with the help of his stripper girlfriend (Sylvia Syms), guides the potential teen idol along the rocky path of fame. Beneath it's deceptively kitschy surface, Val Guest's Expresso Bongo is a potently clever film whose savvy critique of the corruptive values of show biz are reminiscent of that other hardboiled classic, Sweet Smell of Success.

Director: Val Guest
Producer: Jon Penington
Actor: Cliff Richard
Actor: Laurence Harvey
Actor: Meier Tzelniker
Actor: Sylvia Syms
Actor: Yolande Donlan