Al Bowlly - References in Popular Culture

References in Popular Culture

• "My Hat's On the Side of My Head" was prominently featured in the movie Murphy's War (1971)

• "Midnight, the Stars and You" and "It's All Forgotten Now" were featured in the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining (1980).

• Bowlly's music is an integral part of many Dennis Potter teledramas, such as The Singing Detective (1986), Pennies from Heaven (1978) and in particular Moonlight on the Highway (1969). Potter also used Bowlly's song titles for his plays, e.g., Rain on the Roof and Cream in My Coffee.

• In 1978, "Isn't It Heavenly" by Lew Stone and his Band featuring Al Bowlly was used in the award-winning Edward and Mrs Simpson TV series made by Thames Television, starring Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris in the lead roles. The couple are seen dancing in their Hotel suite ca. 1935. It is a touching moment as they romantically live Al Bowlly's song message. There were two recordings of this song for Decca Records on 1 August 1933 and 25 October 1933 respectively, listing Lew Stone and the Monseigneur Band. It is not known which recording was selected for the TV series.

• In 1986, British singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson paid tribute on his album Daring Adventures with the song "Al Bowlly's in Heaven", about a veteran who reminisces about the days when he used to see Bowlly sing in the clubs of London.

• "Midnight, the Stars and You" has been the signature piece and the final music cut since 2001 on the John Batchelor Show, an American national radio program.

• Played by Danny Huston, Bowlly comes to life as a fantasy character in the 2007 film I Really Hate My Job.

• Bowlly is portrayed by Graham McPherson in the 2008 film The Edge of Love. Also, Bowlly's version of "My Hat's on the Side of My Head" is heard later in the film.

• Bowlly's recording of "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" was used in Steven Spielberg's 1987 film Empire of the Sun.

• Al Bowlly's "Guilty" was featured in the soundtrack for the French film Amelie.

• The song "Guilty" was used by the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2000, playing over the end credits instead of the programme's usual title music to signify the final appearance of character Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) who had persuaded her friend Dot Cotton (June Brown) to help her die.

• His rendition of "Love is the Sweetest Thing" was used in the 2004 adaptation of Death on the Nile in the series Agatha Christie's Poirot.

• In 1997, Bowlly's "My Woman" was sampled by the British one-man band White Town, appearing in the song "Your Woman."

• The song "Hang Out the Stars In Indiana" was featured in the cult comedy film Withnail and I.

• In December 2009, Al Bowlly - Megaphone to Microphone had its first performance at the Jermyn Street Theatre.

• Suspense novelist Jack Higgins regards Al Bowlly highly in many of his novels.

• He is mentioned in the novel White Lies by Raymond Wacks, set in the 1960s in South Africa.

• An Al Bowlly version of "Empty Saddles" figures prominently in the novel A Good Clean Fight by Derek Robinson.

• Bowlly's song "Shout For Happiness" was used in the 2010 film The King's Speech.