Barbra Streisand almost starred with Cliff Richard in The Young Ones, but was turned down

21 April 2022, 13:48 | Updated: 16 November 2023, 13:59

We were nearly treated to a famous team-up between Cliff Richard and Barbra Streisand, but alas it was not meant to be.

With Sir Cliff turning 80 later this year, it got us reminiscing about his biggest hits and famous movies, including the musical The Young Ones from 1961.

The movie saw a young Cliff, the Shadows and his pals attempt to save their youth club from being taken over by Cliff's dad, played by Robert Morley.

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In the film, Cliff Richard starred opposite actress Carole Gray as his romantic interest. Gray was a successful West End performer who also starred in various TV shows including The Avengers.

Cliff Richard ~ The Young Ones (Film Clip) (1962)

However, Gray was not the first choice. It was actually a certain young singer from the States called Barbra Streisand.

The film's choreographer, Herbert Ross, suggested the New York, and producer Kenneth Harper flew to New York and saw her in a show.

However, amazingly, Harper didn't think that she was suitable for the role!

Another consideration was German actress Heidi Bruhl, while Cliff himself was hoping to star opposite singer Helen Shapiro.

In May 1961, it was announced that 21-year-old West End actress Annette Robinson woul star, but within weeks, the part was given to Carole Gray, with Robinson taking on the smaller role of Barbara.

However, when Carole Gray sings in the film, we actually hear the voice of Grazina Frame, who also provided the singing voice for Lauri Peters in Cliff's next film Summer Holiday.