OMG. Have you ever seen this kid's movie from 1971?- Mark Lester & Jack Wilde star, called S.W.A.L.K (aka Melody)

Trailer

It should always be said that Mark Lester is the alleged father of MJ’s offspring.

Yes, I loved the cinematoraphy and the soundtrack. The story was so so, but the camera really looks at London in the late 60's from a child's point of view.

Don't remember this.

Mark Lester was a big child star when I was a kiddie off the back of Oliver.

I remember him in a sad little film called Run Wild Run Free, in which he played a deaf child and there was a horse he loved or something. Real tear jerker material.

I haven't heard of that one. Reminds me of a London set coming of age movie from that era I watched a while back called Deep End (1970). Interesting film set in a swimming baths with Jane Asher and the very pretty John Moulder-Brown. There is something about British films of that time that I'm drawn to.

and I think Jack Wilde went to America and was a star there.

Oops. Link for Deep End trailer.

[quote] There is something about British films of that time that I'm drawn to.

Me too. Same thing American/New York films of the 70s. Even the shit ones. Remember Jeremy (1973)?

[quote]It should always be said that Mark Lester is the alleged father of MJ’s offspring.

Yes, lest you forget.

[quote]Yes, I loved the cinematoraphy and the soundtrack.

The Bee Gees.

I was somewhat shaken when I read recently that his singing voice was dubbed in OLIVER!

I don't know why ... I just was.

Americans of a certain age are very nostalgic for Jack Wilde because of H.R. Pufnstuf.

OMG - Jack Wilde >

Wild not Wilde.

here he is with Richard Lester (avec perm) in 1981

Jack Wild was ,my first crush as a kid. I do know he sang the theme song which somehow i can sing along to, though I have never seen the film.

Speaking of MJ... I hesitate to post this but it's on youtube so hopefully okay. I always heard Jackson considered Mark Lester the model for child beauty and that's why he asked him to donate sperm. Wonder if he ever saw this. Definitely a different time. (Watch around 52 minute mark). Odd scene with a naked Franco Nero that mirrors it right before.

Nero scene at 50 minute mark, fyi,

Funny...I had always thought that Jack Wild had died of a drug overdose in the 70s...urban legend? Mandela effect?

Jack Wild died in 2006. He had oral cancer and had had part of his tongue and his vocal cords removed. He was 53.

The moment when Daniel (Lester) ditches Ornshaw (Wild) at school to run off with Melody bloody Jones always hits against a tender part of my gay soul.

Jack was adorablly roguish and charming in this film, total puppy-crush material.

You can get a cheap copy on DVD from S. Korea on ebay. Those Korean dvds, often of out of print titles, are actually really good.

Lester is Paris' bio father. Prince's is the doctor, Klein, which is really obvious. Even Lester has said he is pretty sure Paris is his.

Now I want to watch it. Is there somewhere aside from Ebay to view or purchase these kind of forgotten 70s films?

Thank you for posting, OP.

R22 do you have a website link for the dvd’s? Are the USA formatted?

Yes, they play all regions and are good prints. They have Korean subtitles but they turn off -- and English if it's a foreign film. Only time I had an issue was "Mephisto" which came only with Korean subtitles. They just refunded me, didn't have to return. Arrive in a couple of weeks and they are meticulous as a culture so always in good clean shape.

I will find an ebay seller and link you to them here (there are many though so you can do a google search for the title you want and all the S. Korea sellers come up. As low as 4 bucks but often more like 8 plus four bucks shipping. I had to order "Melody" from Thailand, though, for more because the Korean ones were gone. (This thread maybe, ha).

You can also get really cool steelbooks (they call them Full Slip for some reason) with lots of cool extras and stuff for more money. Good for films you love, in my case a cool one of "Isle of Dogs" and a REALLY cool one of "Nightcrawler". These DVDs even play on my blu-ray, fyi, so not cheaply made on demand. I think they are the ones sold there but for some reason we are on same region for playback.

Here is one but,. again, there are lots of others. The lower priced DVDs are down the list, at least as I have them filtered.

Here's a cool "Star is Born" for diehard fans. Hit SEE OTHER ITEMS or VISIT STORE for more.

This one has more choices.