Hold On! is a 1966 musical comedy film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Herman's Hermits.
When U.S. astronauts' children vote to name NASA's latest space capsule "Herman's Hermits," government officials worry that putting a British band's name on an American rocket will make America look like a colony, so NASA scientist Ed Lindquist (Herbert Anderson) is sent to follow the band around during their tour stop in Los Angeles to learn as much about them as possible.
He encounters Cecilie Bannister (Sue Ane Langdon), a publicity-obsessed aspiring actress who pretends to be a close friend of the band, and she feeds Lindquist false information about them, which he repeats to his superiors. Meanwhile, Herman (Peter Noone) rebels against the Hermits' manager Dudley (Bernard Fox), who is trying to prevent them from interacting with the public, then meets — and falls in love with — Louisa Page (Shelley Fabares), whose mother is organizing the group's benefit concert at the Rose Bowl.
Hold On! contains examples of:
- Fainting: Dudley hires three women to pretend to faint at the Hermits' concert. Lindquist faints for real. He does so again later on when fans mob a private concert.
- Groupie Brigade: Dudley tries to keep the Hermits in the hotel to protect them from their huge crowds of fans.
- Imagine Spot: Herman sees a woman on television advising girls to wait for their knights in shining armor. A minute later, he hears Louisa singing on the beach. He imagines Dudley trying to drown her and two other girls, and himself as a knight rescuing them. Later, he imagines himself and Dudley in a space shuttle with his bandmates floating around it while they play a song.
- Non-Actor Vehicle: Yet another '60s pop group take their crack at the silver screen.
- Outside Ride: Herman falls out of a roller coaster and hangs onto the outside of the front car until the ride ends.
- Running Gag: Lindquist has a drink dumped on him on four different occasions: twice because he fainted, once because Herman tripped while carrying water, and once because someone on the beach wanted to prank him.
- Waving Signs Around: The Hermits' fans wave signs that include "Herman's Hermits in Space" and "We Luv 'Erman."
