The only bearable way to watch this film is to fast forward through all of the songs.So then you can watch George Cole before Minder,Hugh Griffith's overacting like mad and Richard Wattis making the most of his cameo and Anthony Andrews in his first film,before his role in Young Churchill.The brutalist architecture of Birmingham is unspeakably bad,like the film.

I love those films you get free in newspapers. I love even more the ones you get free in papers you don't actually read - this one was generously given to me by a neighbour with a lifelong hatred of Sir Cliff Richard. 'Take Me High' ( 1973 ), his last film, re-teamed him with Kenneth Harper, producer of many of his earlier pictures, including the much-loved 'Summer Holiday' ( 1963 ). It is an altogether different sort of picture. There's no Shadows, for instance, nor winsome Una Stubbs or Melvyn Hayes in a hat or Richard O'Sullivan looking like 'Harry Potter'. It is a product of a more cynical age. Cliff is 'Tim Matthews', an ambitious young banker looking forward to promotion to a top New York job. Alas he falls out with girlfriend Vicki ( Maddy Smith ) and not even a new food mixer brings her round. There is more bad news for Cliff ( sorry, Tim ). The New York job has fallen through. Tim is instead bundled off to Birmingham. The film looks as though it is going to be a retread of Lindsay Anderson's 'O Lucky Man!', but then goes in a different direction. Tim has a rival in the shape of slimy Hugo Flaxman ( Anthony Andrews ), who is steadfastly refusing financial help to Sarah Jones ( Debbie Watling ), the owner of a struggling restaurant. Tim not only gives her the money, but a solid gold idea - why not open a new restaurant devoted to one product - the Brumburger?Enlisting the aid of local businessman Hugh Griffith, Sarah gets her restaurant ( which seems to be doing a roaring trade even before it opens ), Hugo gets the New York job, and Tim gets to go to bed with Sarah. Happy ending time! I expected to hate this, but was pleasantly surprised. I cannot think of many musicals about the creation of a new burger, so in that respect it breaks new ground. Cliff is much too nice to be taken seriously as a ruthless banker, but gets by. He looks great throughout. Buxom Debbie Watling was a former 'Dr.Who' companion ( in Patrick Troughton's time ). She too looks great, particularly in that Pink Panther T-shirt. Lucky old Tim. New York? Who needs it? Birmingham with Debbie looks more appealing.Director David Askey worked on L.W.T.'s 'Doctor' series and 'Bless Me Father' amongst other things. The sterling supporting cast features Richard Wattis and George Cole. Griffith's tycoon is a riot though. Watching Cole denouncing him on television, he is so incensed he whips out a gun and blasts the set. He's like one of those eccentrics who inhabits 'The Avengers'.The opening of the Brumberger restaurant has to be seen to be believed. Crowds cheer enthusiastically as Tim and Sarah glide through the streets in an open-topped car. You have never seen so many people excited over a burger in their lives! The 1981 Royal Wedding looks like a back-garden barbecue by comparison. This tosh was penned, amazingly, by Christopher Penfold, author of many great 'Space:1999' episodes. Watling said of the film years later: "everyone knew it was going to be dreadful but didn't say anything!". She is a bit harsh. Yes it is mind-crushingly daft, but pleasantly watchable. The songs are nice too ( if you like this era's music ). The I.T.V. children's programme 'Clapperboard' devoted a two-part special to its making, not an honour bestowed on many movies so Cliff and co. must have gotten something right.A belated Happy 70th birthday, Sir Cliff!

OK so it's Cliff in flares in Birmingham but this film has a charm all it's own. The soundtrack is brilliant, these songs are very good and the storyline is refreshing in that it's based in England. Anthony Andrews and Hugh Griffiths are great and Cliff is, well, Cliff!Watch it enough times and you'll soon have your favourite scenes, lines and even songs. The moral is still relevant today - money and the pursuit of real happiness. There are some good actors in this and George Cole is superb as a hardbitten socialist. Cliff has some great outfits in this, truly 100% 1973 gear and it's an interesting snapshot of life in this country all those years ago. I'd like to add that Gas Street IS in the middle of Birmingham - we did the map fold!!!!!

While his 60s films fit in with the juvenile delinquent and teenage beach movies of the time, this one keeps up with those fans who were now in their 20s. Another romantic comedy with a memorable music score and set in the UK's second city, Cliff now has an office job but he's still a bachelor.It would be a dozen years before Cliff would do the Dave Clark musical TIME in the West End (no longer in the office but a rock star) followed 10 years later by his version of Wuthering Heights. The musical Heathcliff was a life-long ambition of Cliff's (and he played the married, then widowed seriously misunderstood man quite well). TIME was never released in video format but Heathcliff was. Take Me High is also available on video. His voice only got better, so you can't go wrong with any of these releases.