The story of a 19th century English music hall (vaudeville) performer and life behind the scenes.The story of a 19th century English music hall (vaudeville) performer and life behind the scenes.The story of a 19th century English music hall (vaudeville) performer and life behind the scenes.
Bill Shine
- Mogador Stage Manager
- (as Billy Shine)
Andreas Malandrinos
- Gatti
- (as Andrea Malandrinos)
Peter De Greef
- Lord Petersfield (His Son)
- (as Peter De Greeff)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFilm debut of Hazel Court, who had one line of dialogue.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: In the year of Grace 1860, two brothers set out from the mining village of Leybourne for London Town . . . .
- ConnectionsFeatured in Those British Faces: A Tribute to Stanley Holloway (1997)
- SoundtracksThe Man on the Flying Trapeze
(uncredited)
Music by Alfred Lee
Lyrics by George Leybourne
Arranged by Ernest Irving
Featured review
Music of the era
This must be the first time since the nineteenth century that the audience for a show could be heard to leave the building still humming 'Champagne Charlie' :-) (In fact, I did wonder if we were going to get some audience participation at one point -- I was on the verge of it myself -- and am curious as to whether sing-alongs ever happened during the original screenings.) This is a wonderful experience, with Tommy Trinder clearly in his element as music-hall entertainer George Leybourne: his singing voice clearly doesn't equal that of Stanley Holloway, but he can put over the songs so well that you can credit him as a serious competitor... if one can ever describe either of these two as 'serious'! Betty Warren is magnificent in every sense of the word, the very image (and figure) of a Victorian stage star, brimming with coquetry, charisma and sound business sense, and it's a pity that the only number featuring these three together gives her so little to do. A host of minor, unnamed but recurring characters bring the genial, raucous world of the music hall to life, with its flickering stage flares, its haze of smoke and its plentiful supply of drink.
But the true stars of the picture are surely the composers and lyricists who contributed the host of songs that enliven the soundtrack, the new music fitting seamlessly with such genuine period hits as "Champagne Charlie" and "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze". The plot requires the rival stars to cap one another with song after song on the theme of alcohol, every one of which has to be a credible smash hit: with writers like Billy Mayerl and Noel Gay involved, plus the bravura delivery of the two vocalists, the audience both offscreen and on are completely convinced.
But the true stars of the picture are surely the composers and lyricists who contributed the host of songs that enliven the soundtrack, the new music fitting seamlessly with such genuine period hits as "Champagne Charlie" and "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze". The plot requires the rival stars to cap one another with song after song on the theme of alcohol, every one of which has to be a credible smash hit: with writers like Billy Mayerl and Noel Gay involved, plus the bravura delivery of the two vocalists, the audience both offscreen and on are completely convinced.
helpful•70
- Igenlode Wordsmith
- Aug 28, 2009
Details
- Runtime1 hour 12 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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