A Guilty Pleasure Emerges From The Schlock

Last summer I wrote a piece about a cheesy movie called Mondo Cane, which proudly referred to itself as a ‘shockumentary’ but had the saving grace of introducing a memorable song, “More.” But that movie wasn’t the only one to feature a pretty much unrelated song that would enjoy a measure of popularity of its own.

Depending on your point of view, the 1960 British film Circus Of Horrors was either a colorful example of a slasher movie or a schlocky cult curiosity. It was about a crazy plastic surgeon who takes over a circus, and is actually pretty tame when compared to today’s gruesome films. But it did introduce a song that might not have reached the heights of “More,” but still did very well — and would qualify as a ‘guilty pleasure’ for some of us.

On the film’s soundtrack, “Look For a Star” was performed by British pop singer Garry Mills and it would end up as his biggest hit. The song was written by Tony Hatch, who would go on to a long career as one of the most successful songwriters around, and it would eventually be covered by a number of performers.

The most familiar version for U.S. listeners would probably be the one recorded by the similarly-named Gary Miles (who had until then been known as Buzz Cason) or Deane Hawley. As for me, I think my favorite in the instrumental by the ol’ master, Billy Vaughn.

Billy Vaughn & Orchestra – “Look For a Star”