Billy Liar

[Dave Rattigan]

Billy Liar (1963) and Odd Man Out (1947) tie for me as my all-time favourite films.



Billy Liar I have watched since I was a child, when I identified strongly with Billy's imaginative nature. Ironically, I saw him as a hero. It has remained my number one film fairly consistently throughout my adult life.

[samkydd]

I watched my free with a newspaper DVD Billy Liar the other night for the first time and really enjoyed it, the last time I saw the film was when I was a lad. The cast was very good indeed and the film seemed to capture the era quite well. When I first saw the film I was full of youthful dreams and ambitions of doing something interesting in life and hoping to break away from the drudgery of school and living at home, but now watching it thirty years later I sometimes wish I could go back to those days.



I was particularly impressed with Wilfred Pickles as Billy's Dad, who was so much like my father in his attitude, well not quite as bad as my father, that I felt quite scared like I was encountering a flashback to childhood. The funeral parlour where Billy worked was almost Dickensian, as were Shadrack and his partner, and it was no place for three young men to work!



I am interested in discovering the locations for the film, in particular the road the Fisher's house was in. That style of house could almost be the subject of a John Betjeman poem!

[NappieB]

I loved the movie - samkydd's comments about a period piece are spot on!



I hated the subsequent (1970s) TV series!

[Mark O]

[James Fox]

One of my all-time favorite films.

[steereomono]

Billy Liar's an all-time fave of mine too.



Terrific opening credit sequence and so many, many stand-out comedy moments and performances by the supporting cast especially Rossiter, Pickles, Randall, Christie & Bewes.

I like particularly, Billy's "Shaddy-Shaddy-Addy" over the mic at his work. With it taking place over one day and night, it sums up for me that feeling of going in on a Friday to work, praying for 5 o'clock so you can go out and spend your wages. Despite it being a comedy the ending is very downbeat and the better for it.



The TV series pales in comparison. ITV confined it to the graveyard slot after 'News at Ten' and on a school night too!



The follow-up book 'Billy Liar on the Moon" is worth a read though.

[716Jones]

I watched my free with a newspaper DVD Billy Liar the other night for the first time and really enjoyed it, the last time I saw the film was when I was a lad. The cast was very good indeed and the film seemed to capture the era quite well. When I first saw the film I was full of youthful dreams and ambitions of doing something interesting in life and hoping to break away from the drudgery of school and living at home, but now watching it thirty years later I sometimes wish I could go back to those days.



I was particularly impressed with Wilfred Pickles as Billy's Dad, who was so much like my father in his attitude, well not quite as bad as my father, that I felt quite scared like I was encountering a flashback to childhood. The funeral parlour where Billy worked was almost Dickensian, as were Shadrack and his partner, and it was no place for three young men to work!



I am interested in discovering the locations for the film, in particular the road the Fisher's house was in. That style of house could almost be the subject of a John Betjeman poem!

This is a late response to the above, but imdb lists locations for filming, various places in West Yorkshire. The road that Billy's house was in was Hinchcliffe Avenue, Baildon. Baildon hasn't changed much since then, either!

[tavistock]

When they are canoodling in the park, after the dance hall scene- that section was filmed on Hampstead Heath London, you can see East Heath Rd in the background. They lit the scene from my bedroom and to my mother's dying day she was narked as they didn't pay for the electricity!

[Rick C]

BBC Radio 4 documentary coming up this week on the novel behind "Billy Liar" with Keith Waterhouse, the author, as a focus.



BBC Radio 4:Thursday 6th August @ 11.30 am. No repeat as yet scheduled.



*Readers of this post might like to look in on a current 'Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' thread which became a companion piece in the early 1960's along with 'Billy Liar', 'Room at the Top', 'This Sporting Life' etc in Northern England Social Realism (when Ive got back there later today with my latest posting!)

[steereomono]

Keith Waterhouse: That b****y liar was the making of me! | Mail Online

[marguerite]

This is a late response to the above, but imdb lists locations for filming, various places in West Yorkshire. The road that Billy's house was in was Hinchcliffe Avenue, Baildon. Baildon hasn't changed much since then, either!

This is a very late response as I have only just found this forum. I lived in Midland Road, Baildon at the time the film was being made. There was great excitement and for a time we thought our house was going to be chosen as Billy's home as it had extensive views across the valley to Thackley rather than straight down Midland Road. As it turned out, our neighbour's house in Hinchcliffe Ave was chosen instead, but our house (number 42) is nicely framed in the end shot of the film. In the scene where Billy comes out of his house and speaks to a man clipping his hedge, my family were all concealed behind it watching the proceedings and half the neighbourhood was standing outside watching the scene where Rita (Gwendoline Watts) comes to the house and argues with Billy. Of course it was very exciting rubbing shoulders with the famous stars of the day such as Tom Courtenay and Wilfred Pickles and I still have their autographs. I was just 13 at the time so this was a very special time for me.

[whitstablejim]

One of my all-time favorite films.

A great film, they don't make them like that anymore.

[SwingingLondon]

This is a very late response as I have only just found this forum. I lived in Midland Road, Baildon at the time the film was being made. There was great excitement and for a time we thought our house was going to be chosen as Billy's home as it had extensive views across the valley to Thackley rather than straight down Midland Road. As it turned out, our neighbour's house in Hinchcliffe Ave was chosen instead, but our house (number 42) is nicely framed in the end shot of the film. In the scene where Billy comes out of his house and speaks to a man clipping his hedge, my family were all concealed behind it watching the proceedings and half the neighbourhood was standing outside watching the scene where Rita (Gwendoline Watts) comes to the house and argues with Billy. Of course it was very exciting rubbing shoulders with the famous stars of the day such as Tom Courtenay and Wilfred Pickles and I still have their autographs. I was just 13 at the time so this was a very special time for me.

Thanks for the memories, Marg' Really interesting.





I once travelled up to Bradford and made a point of finding Billy's house.

I loved Bradford. It was full of atmosphere and just how I imagined a Northern City. I grew up in London in the 60s and 70s and Yorkshire was often used as a film and TV location, so being there is always exciting for this film buff.



I love the film Billy Liar, in fact several of John Schlesinger films of the 60s are in my top ten list.

The opening shots of Julie Christie arriving in Bradford were shot in Tottenham Court Road, London.



I have an American DVD of the film with commentaries from the director, Julie Christie and Tom Courtney that's as interesting to watch as the film.

It made Julie Christie into a star. She couldn't believe how well her short performance in the film was received at the time.

[tartanfilm]

John Schlesinger was a truly remarkable film maker.............His take on Coral Brownes story, An Englishman Abroad is such a well thought out and crafted film. It makes the Hollywood films of hours of CGI to entertain the nonsense that so often can be. This was only one hour long.....so very good.

[SwingingLondon]

John Schlesinger was a truly remarkable film maker.............His take on Coral Brownes story, An Englishman Abroad is such a well thought out and crafted film. It makes the Hollywood films of hours of CGI to entertain the nonsense that so often can be. This was only one hour long.....so very good.

I agree, I saw it again recently it has stood the test of time. Alan Bennett wrote the screenplay.

[Dave Rattigan]

Thanks for sharing those memories, Marguerite.



I made a bit of a pilgrimage to Bradford last summer to check out all the locations, include Hinchcliffe Ave/Midland Road in Baildon. I'm sure I posted all the pics here somewhere, but I'll post them again here so you can have a gander.

[Dave Rattigan]

[Rick C]

Thanks for the memories, Marg' Really interesting.





I once travelled up to Bradford and made a point of finding Billy's house.

I loved Bradford. It was full of atmosphere and just how I imagined a Northern City. I grew up in London in the 60s and 70s and Yorkshire was often used as a film and TV location, so being there is always exciting for this film buff.



I love the film Billy Liar, in fact several of John Schlesinger films of the 60s are in my top ten list.

The opening shots of Julie Christie arriving in Bradford were shot in Tottenham Court Road, London.



I have an American DVD of the film with commentaries from the director, Julie Christie and Tom Courtney that's as interesting to watch as the film.

It made Julie Christie into a star. She couldn't believe how well her short performance in the film was received at the time.

Its the legend on the official poster for "Far From the Madding Crowd" that it was "Darling(which) made Julie Christie a star, but Far From the Madding Crowd makes her unforgettable". But we know different, don't we?

[SwingingLondon]

Superb then and now shots. Thanks for posting them.

[davec25]

One of my all time favourite films! Thanks for the memories and location shots.



"You and your bloody oranges..."