We want to get to know you more to help improve our service. Please take 2 minutes to fill out our survey here. Thank you! test2

Discover content and watch films on our latest and improved iOS app. Download it here!

This film is currently unavailable

This film is not rated

I accept this guidance

Title of error

See Help

Cool for Cats

The only known existent edition of this long-running 1950s ITV pop show features songs by Tommy Steele, Paul Anka and Connie Francis.

1958 26 mins Not rated

Director: Brian Taylor

Rent for £1.00

Overview

Possibly aimed at older viewers, Cool for Cats seems rather more laid back than other pop shows of the era. Certainly one suspects that presenter Kent Walton preferred what he calls 'true jazz' to 'gimmicky songs and pops'. All the same, this fascinating musical time capsule is full of delights, including a studio performance from Mike Preston and dance routines choreographed by Dougie Squires.

Kent Walton (in his forties when this edition was filmed) doesn't seem much inclined towards teenage tastes in music, and describes Tommy Steele's novelty number 'I Puts the Lightie On', played here with cartoons as visual accompaniment, as 'nonsense'. As this song was the flipside of Steele's Top 20 hit 'The Only Man on the Island', it's a puzzle why the stronger A-side, which might just have held more appeal for Kent, wasn't played instead. Despite its title, Cool for Cats probably wasn't the coolest pop show on television, but it was certainly a long-running one - it was broadcast from 1956 until 1961.

Director

Brian Taylor

Featuring

Ker Robertson , Kent Walton and Mike Preston

Certificate

Not rated

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rent for £3.50

Whitney: Can I Be Me Whitney: Can I Be Me

Documentary 2017 101 mins Director: Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal

Documentary titan Nick Broomfield turns his gaze to the troubled pop star whose sensational voice masked an inner identity crisis.

Rent for £3.50

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami

Documentary 2017 115 mins Director: Sophie Fiennes

Grace Jones is laid bare in this intimate and electrifying insight into the fascinating world of a pop-cultural phenomenon.

Rent for £3.50

The Man from Mo'Wax The Man from Mo'Wax

Documentary 2018 116 mins Director: Matthew Jones

The exhilarating, no holds-barred story of Mo'Wax records founder James Lavelle, one of the most enigmatic yet influential figures in British music culture.

Rent for £3.50

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

Documentary 2017 101 mins Director: Stephen Schible

A graceful, intimate study of the legendary Japanese musician, composer, actor, writer and activist.

Rent for £3.50

Whitney Whitney

Documentary 2018 120 mins Director: Kevin Macdonald

Stunning revelations and captivating reminiscences paint a picture of the extraordinary life of singer Whitney Houston, in this in-depth portrait by acclaimed filmmaker Kevin MacDonald (Touching the Void, Marley).

Rent for £3.50

Bros: After the Screaming Stops Bros: After the Screaming Stops

Documentary 2018 97 mins Director: David Soutar

Matt and Luke Goss take on the big screen – and each other – in this candid documentary charting the reunion of 80s pop sensations Bros; an affectionate portrait that generates more than a touch of Spinal Tap-esque hilarity.

Rent for £3.50

Small Town Story Small Town Story

Gangster 1953 68 mins Director: Montgomery Tully

Can Bob Regan thwart a devious businessman and a manipulative ex-girlfriend to save Oldchester United? Maybe, with the help of friend Denis Compton!

Rent for £3.50

South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic

Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley

An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.

Rent for £4.50

Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)

Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami

A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.

Rent for £3.50

The Ballymurphy Precedent The Ballymurphy Precedent

Documentary 2018 108 mins Director: Callum Macrae

John Pilger's film on the conflict in Northern Ireland is a skilful mix of investigative journalism, documentary storytelling and reflections on contemporary history.