JUST when we thought we had mentioned every single film that had ever been filmed in Weymouth, it looks as though this one slipped through the net.

We have to thank Philip Nash for pointing out that we missed Melody, 1971 film about schoolchildren in London that was latterly entitled S.W.A.L.K.

Told from the children's point of view, part of it was filmed in Weymouth in 1969 and it starred Mark Lester and Jack Wild of Oliver fame.

Philip said: "It's a charming film about a couple of young children who fall in love and want to get married... immediately but the adults won't let them, so they run off to Weymouth!

"Weymouth only forms a brief part of the film but it includes scenes from the old railway station, on the beach and film of the old funfair next to the Westham railway bridge."

The film's musical montage features Chipperfields amusement park, which was at Westham bridge in Weymouth and had a wild mouse ride which was demolished in 1978.

Many local schoolchildren were able to get paid work as extras, Philip said.

He added: "They were given a week off school and £10 a day in 1969 to film the funfair scenes.

"A colleague of mine was one of the child extras and she told me they were told to get on the rides and scream as they went round.

"But the filmmakers said they didn't scream loud enough first time, so they made the rides go round faster until they all screamed."

Philip added: "Mark Lester and Jack Wild who were reunited after having previously been in the the 1968 version of Oliver, playing Oliver and the Artful Dodger respectively.

"They both then went on to struggle after having been child stars so early on. But Melody certainly is a gem of a film."

*Also at Looking Back we were delighted to hear from Mike Boyce, who remembers the previously mentioned movie The Key being filmed at Portland.

Mike wanted us to know about one of the film's uncredited actors.

He said: "The vessel used during filming was an Admiralty steam tug named Restive. She was used to play the parts of two different tugs in the film.

"Restive was a wartime-built tug constructed by Cochrane & Sons Ltd of Selby, Yorkshire, and was completed in 1940.

"She was 156 and a half feet long with a beam of 35 feet. She was driven by a three cylinder reciprocating steam engine which gave her a speed of 13 knots and a pull, when towing, of 13 and a half tons.

"She was based at Portland Dockyard for target towing duties in 1954, and it was whilst she was at Portland that she took part in the filming of The Key.

"She finished her time here in late 1964, and was then sold to a firm in Cyprus in mid 1965. In Cyprus she was renamed Ventura."

*Do you remember Melody being filmed in Weymouth? Were you were of the schoolchildren extras? If so get in touch with Looking Back on 01305 830973.