Don't Let It Get You

Don’t Let It Get You can best be described as a tonic film that doesn’t let the blues get you. When it finishes, you feel as if the time has gone too fast and you leave the theatre wanting to see it all over again.

Don’t Let It Get You, New Zealand, 1966

Producer & director: John O'Shea
Production co: Pacific Films
Photography: Tony Williams
Camera assistants: Michael Seresin, Patrick O'Shea
Screenplay: Joseph Musaphia
Editor: John O'Shea, Tony Williams (music)
Design: Patrick Hanly
Music composed & conducted by: Patrick Flynn
Recording engineer: Brian McElwain
Recorded in the HMV Studios, Wellington

Cast: Howard Morrison, Gary Wallace, Carmen Duncan
With: Harry Lavington, Alma Woods, Tanya Binning, Ernie Leonard, Eric Wood, Anne Sharland

Special guest star: Normie Rowe
Guest artist: Kiri Te Kanawa

And Featuring: Rim D. Paul, Gerry Merito, Herma Keil, Gwynn Owen, Lew Pryme, Eddie Lowe, Eliza Keil, Keri Summers, Paul Walden and the Quin Tikis

B&W, 80 minutes, in glorious mono. G certificate

Watch the Don't Let It Get You trailer (1.6MB; 58 seconds)

A light-hearted comedy with music. Set in Sydney and Rotorua, the story centres around ‘The Rotorua Festival’, a young drummer (Gary Wallace) and his girl Judy Beech (Carmen Duncan). Howard Morrison plays himself and as such comes across on screen as naturally as if he were sitting right opposite you. Rim D. Paul, Eddie Lowe and the Quin Tikis are seen in many mad-cap situations; also more serious ones, as when Eddie Lowe and Kerri Summers sing ‘Why am I Alone Now’. Kiri Te Kanawa is delightful and the expressions on the children’s faces when she sings to them in a Maori meeting house are truly unique. Gerry Merito, Herma and Eliza Keil, Gwynn Owen, Lew Pryme and the Impacts are seen in various zany situations throughout the film. William Broadhead (Harry Lavington) and Mrs. Beech (Alma Woods) are the villains of the story. They join forces to part Gary and Judy. To sum up Don’t Let It Get You can best be described as a tonic film that doesn’t let the blues get you. When it finishes, you feel as if the time has gone too fast and you leave the theatre wanting to see it all over again.

“A fast-moving, tuneful film, made with enough cinematic savvy to reflect, for the eye, the jumpy rhythms that crowd the soundtrack. Don’t Let It Get You is a coup for the director-cameraman team of John O’Shea and Anthony Williams. Locationed mainly in Rotorua, a New Zealand tourist mecca with geysers, boiling mud pools and Maoris (the country’s native Polynesian people) the picture, though shot in black and white, is an interesting eyeful from the opening frames.” — Variety, 23/11/1966

Screenings: Don't Let It Get You screened on 12 September 2004 as part of a musical season selected by film writer Lawrence McDonald; on 16 January 2005; and on 2 November 2005 in a selection made by film maker Florian Habicht. Asked about his selection Habicht replied "Black and white 'road trip to Rotorua' musical staring a young Kiri Te Kanawa and young Howard Morrison (to name a few of the cast.) The film has such a strong smell of Aotearoa, and inspired me to throw some musical numbers into Woodenhead. A real kiwi cult classic for all!"