St. Martin's Lane is in the heart of the theatre district in London's West End. The lane itself is just a few blocks long, so it hardly resembles Broadway in New York City. But, just as with Broadway, it has theatres on adjacent and surrounding streets. St. Martins Lane was the U. K. title of this film, "Sidewalks of London." This is a good example of when the different titles work best for the respective audiences. People in England would know that "St. Martin's Lane" is a story in the theatre district. Audiences in America and elsewhere would think "Sidewalks of London" is about things taking place on London sidewalks. Put the two together, and one has the plot in full for this film.
This is a very good comedy about the buskers who scratch out a living by entertaining the theatre crowds in waiting. They sing, dance, play instruments and recite plays for the folks waiting in the queues to enter theatres. I don't there's ever been anything quite like that on Broadway or anywhere else. The term, busker, comes from the mid-19th century, and refers to someone who entertains in a public place for donations. While that is common in many cities around the world, it's usually in city parks, on street corners, or public transport terminals. But, busker individuals and teams are regular phenomena who performed on the theatre district sidewalks for a living.
The cast for this film include some top names and many other established actors who won't be familiar to most movie fans beyond the mid-20th century. Charles Laughter is very good as Charles Staggers. He and two friends performed regularly as buskers. Vivien Leigh is a young lass who makes her way by picking pockets. Charles wants her to go straight and he brings her into their small group as a dancer. When producer Harley Prentiss (Rex Harrison) sees them perform, he thinks he can make a star out of Leigh, whose name is "Liberty."
Sure enough, she becomes famous, and forgets her former friends. Charles leaves the guys and disappears. After some time of hitting the bottle, getting into scrapes, and going sober, he and Liberty reconcile. Leigh and Harrison are still young In their careers, and the only notable acting is by Laughton.
One special note about this film is the appearance of Larry Adler as Constantine Dan, a musician who works with Harrison's Prentiss. Adler was one of the greatest harmonic players of all time, and is credited with raising the mouth harp as a legitimate instrument of music. He does some remarkable harmonica playing in this film.
Here's a line by Laughton's Charles Staggers, in the film. "You're after justice and logic. There ain't no justice and there ain't no logic. The world ain't made that way. Everything's luck, see. And good temper And, if you can take a joke. The whole of life's a joke"
Oh, yes, there's also a record that London's theatre district has over New York. While Broadway has had some very long-running plays and shows, it doesn't come close to St. Martin's Lane. To see the longest-running play in the world, one has to go to St. Martin's Theatre. That's where Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" is playing. It has been playing in London since 1952.
This is a very good comedy about the buskers who scratch out a living by entertaining the theatre crowds in waiting. They sing, dance, play instruments and recite plays for the folks waiting in the queues to enter theatres. I don't there's ever been anything quite like that on Broadway or anywhere else. The term, busker, comes from the mid-19th century, and refers to someone who entertains in a public place for donations. While that is common in many cities around the world, it's usually in city parks, on street corners, or public transport terminals. But, busker individuals and teams are regular phenomena who performed on the theatre district sidewalks for a living.
The cast for this film include some top names and many other established actors who won't be familiar to most movie fans beyond the mid-20th century. Charles Laughter is very good as Charles Staggers. He and two friends performed regularly as buskers. Vivien Leigh is a young lass who makes her way by picking pockets. Charles wants her to go straight and he brings her into their small group as a dancer. When producer Harley Prentiss (Rex Harrison) sees them perform, he thinks he can make a star out of Leigh, whose name is "Liberty."
Sure enough, she becomes famous, and forgets her former friends. Charles leaves the guys and disappears. After some time of hitting the bottle, getting into scrapes, and going sober, he and Liberty reconcile. Leigh and Harrison are still young In their careers, and the only notable acting is by Laughton.
One special note about this film is the appearance of Larry Adler as Constantine Dan, a musician who works with Harrison's Prentiss. Adler was one of the greatest harmonic players of all time, and is credited with raising the mouth harp as a legitimate instrument of music. He does some remarkable harmonica playing in this film.
Here's a line by Laughton's Charles Staggers, in the film. "You're after justice and logic. There ain't no justice and there ain't no logic. The world ain't made that way. Everything's luck, see. And good temper And, if you can take a joke. The whole of life's a joke"
Oh, yes, there's also a record that London's theatre district has over New York. While Broadway has had some very long-running plays and shows, it doesn't come close to St. Martin's Lane. To see the longest-running play in the world, one has to go to St. Martin's Theatre. That's where Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" is playing. It has been playing in London since 1952.