This is a typical quota quickie turned out by Julius Hagen at Twickenham studios.Renee Ray is the owner of a pet shop who is behind in her rent and faces eviction.John Garrick is a strolling musician who takes a shine to her.He offers to help her out with the landlord so that she can avoid being evicted.However the money is his share of a robbery carried out with Wally Patch.Garrick is trying to get an audition with a band leader at Broadcasting House who looks rather like Henry Hall.Somehow he manages to burst into a live broadcast and sing the vocal refrain.However as he wants to help out Ray he agrees to go on another job with Patch.Patch leaves the loot in the pet shop.The police find it.Garrick is arrested.however Patch confesses to the police and Garrick gets a job with the band leader.We fade out on Ray looking joyfully at the radio as we hear Garrick.s vocalising.All this in just over an hour.Reasonably entertaining and quite well made.Made to go out on the bottom half of an RKO double bill.
3 Reviews
Julius Hagen + John Garrick = A Musical
trimmerb123419 July 2016
One in the entertaining series which Hagen produced and in which Garrick sang and starred. If you enjoy traditional music or popular music of the time well sung and played, you might well enjoy it. Garrick had a pleasant tenor voice and pleasant features which ensured he was both leading man and romantic lead. Here though unusually he has turned villain, redeemed however by a woman's love, then to live happily ever after.
Quite entertaining story, amusing moments, rather more sentimental than usual: pretty young widow, sick young son, appealing clever pet dog and the redoubtable Wally Patch with a good role as the hardened villain associate who nevertheless is forced to shed a tear (Wally Patch reminds of Oliver Hardy: the "kiss curl" on his sweaty forehead and the trick with the bowler hat: flicked and spun with the forearm then caught and placed on the head - one of Hardy's more minor accomplishments)
The main song, perhaps entitled "My Street Song" is attractive and memorable. I cannot however identify it. Nowhere near as musically ambitious as Lily of Killarney nevertheless very proficiently made and enjoyable. A 6.5
Quite entertaining story, amusing moments, rather more sentimental than usual: pretty young widow, sick young son, appealing clever pet dog and the redoubtable Wally Patch with a good role as the hardened villain associate who nevertheless is forced to shed a tear (Wally Patch reminds of Oliver Hardy: the "kiss curl" on his sweaty forehead and the trick with the bowler hat: flicked and spun with the forearm then caught and placed on the head - one of Hardy's more minor accomplishments)
The main song, perhaps entitled "My Street Song" is attractive and memorable. I cannot however identify it. Nowhere near as musically ambitious as Lily of Killarney nevertheless very proficiently made and enjoyable. A 6.5
Singing for His Supper
richardchatten15 July 2020
Fifty years later Bernard Vorhaus had had enough after twenty minutes of this twee Twickenham Studios potboiler and walked out. But sick kids with cute dogs were hardly his stock in trade...
It all looks positively Dickensian today, but Wally Patch - as a spiv with a jaunty way with a hat - lived long enough to work with Ken Loach, which brings us to the 21st Century!
It all looks positively Dickensian today, but Wally Patch - as a spiv with a jaunty way with a hat - lived long enough to work with Ken Loach, which brings us to the 21st Century!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
