This is the first of the 2 films starring Harry Roy and his then wife Princess Pearl of Sarawak's,who is billed as Mrs Harry Roy.The acting and the plot are quite irrelevant to consideration of this films merits.It is of course the musical numbers.This features no less than 8 in its 75 minutes running time.They are all very engaging numbers with some very reasonable production values.Whilst not up to Berkley standard nevertheless they are well above what you would get in a Hollywood B musical of the time.Although not an actor in the strict sense Harry Roy does have an engaging personality.On a personal note his real name was Roylanski and my mum knew his family when they lived in Stamford Hill.
4 Reviews
Not Everything, But Enough
boblipton20 April 2019
Harry Roy (nee Lipman) and his band go from zero to wildly successful in the first ten minutes, and then he has to court his real-life wife, who's a Monrovian Princess who's supposed to marry a plump royal. When word of their romance reaches the court, she's ordered home.
Musically I found it pleasant, although not particularly original, between tunes that started off like "Doing the New Low Down", and orchestrations that might sound like Cab Calloway efforts or Kay Kaiser. Clearly the intent was to provide a variety of styles of then-current band music. Director Alf Goulding, who arose in silent comedy, offers some nice, imaginative staging, including one nice special effects piece in which Roy appears in miniature on the keys as his piano player runs through a number, and another in which he bribes a waiter to let him serve the Princess.
Although there's no sign of great acting, the low-key efforts are pleasant enough and it's a nice mid-decade British musical. Mabel Mercer sings a song as a happy bonus.
Musically I found it pleasant, although not particularly original, between tunes that started off like "Doing the New Low Down", and orchestrations that might sound like Cab Calloway efforts or Kay Kaiser. Clearly the intent was to provide a variety of styles of then-current band music. Director Alf Goulding, who arose in silent comedy, offers some nice, imaginative staging, including one nice special effects piece in which Roy appears in miniature on the keys as his piano player runs through a number, and another in which he bribes a waiter to let him serve the Princess.
Although there's no sign of great acting, the low-key efforts are pleasant enough and it's a nice mid-decade British musical. Mabel Mercer sings a song as a happy bonus.
Keeping everything in rhythm.
morrison-dylan-fan18 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Charmed by Over the Garden Wall,I took a look at the other titles in Network's 2nd Musical box set. Looking at the run times, I spotted another short & sweet sounding flick,which led to me trying to keep to the rhythm.
The plot:
After playing a show conductor/singer Harry Wade goes back stage and crosses paths with royal Princess Paula. Falling for each other, Wade and Paula find their class to tear their romance apart. Going on tour, Wade starts thinking about how to get his love for Paula into a romantic rhythm.
View on the film:
Unlike the slightly dusty transfer to Garden, Network deliver a spot-on transfer, with the image being clean, and the soundtrack hitting the high notes. Stringing the film round the Musical numbers, the screenplay by Jack Byrd and Syd Courtenay make the romance between Wade and Paula one that is too bare to hit a chord, with the minimal scenes they share together, causing their separation to lack any mood of longing love.
Whilst not able to bring sparks to the romance, director Alfred J. Goulding & cinematographer Ernest Palmer still flash some style in the Musical numbers, with a loop the loop ending allowing the movie to finally soar. Appearing uncomfortable when not singing, Harry Roy gives an ill at ease performance as Wade,which is evened out by the relax, breezy performance from Roy's then-wife Princess Pearl as Paula, who keeps all in rhythm.
The plot:
After playing a show conductor/singer Harry Wade goes back stage and crosses paths with royal Princess Paula. Falling for each other, Wade and Paula find their class to tear their romance apart. Going on tour, Wade starts thinking about how to get his love for Paula into a romantic rhythm.
View on the film:
Unlike the slightly dusty transfer to Garden, Network deliver a spot-on transfer, with the image being clean, and the soundtrack hitting the high notes. Stringing the film round the Musical numbers, the screenplay by Jack Byrd and Syd Courtenay make the romance between Wade and Paula one that is too bare to hit a chord, with the minimal scenes they share together, causing their separation to lack any mood of longing love.
Whilst not able to bring sparks to the romance, director Alfred J. Goulding & cinematographer Ernest Palmer still flash some style in the Musical numbers, with a loop the loop ending allowing the movie to finally soar. Appearing uncomfortable when not singing, Harry Roy gives an ill at ease performance as Wade,which is evened out by the relax, breezy performance from Roy's then-wife Princess Pearl as Paula, who keeps all in rhythm.
The Quality of Mercer
writers_reign27 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The sole reason to see this film is the three or four minutes screen time allotted to Mabel Mercer though not everyone will agree. In fact most people will never have heard of Mabel Mercer, who was, in fact, born in Burton-on-Trent in 1900 but sealed her reputation first in Paris and subsequently in New York. She was, undoubtedly, the doyenne of cabaret performers and headliners as diverse as Sinatra and Peggy Lee have credited her with teaching them all they know about putting over a song. Not too much evidence of that here but on the other hand she still had a voice in 1936 and uses it to good effect in Black Minnie's Got The Blues. The plot would embarrass Barbara Cartland but there are several half- decent songs for which no one apparently wanted credit or if the did they didn't get it. Harmless time-passer.
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