London Melody (1937)
Jacqueline intrigues a diplomat, so unbeknown to her he finds her an apartment and finances her musical training. She ends up falling in love with one of his underlings. It turns out that he is no good, will the diplomat save her?
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Very disappointing...
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
Nice little film patterned after "Daddy Long Legs" (not "Pygmalion")in which a street singer (Anna Neagle) bumps into a diplomat (Tullio Carminati) outside a night club. One of her cohorts picks his pocket. When she discovers the theft she goes to a priest and they take the item back to the diplomat. He's charmed by the crude but beautiful Neagle (now working as a maid) and arranges with the priest to send the girl to dancing lessons. She lands a job in a night club and eventually rises to stardom. Her boy friend (Robert Douglas) is an underling to the diplomat and is sent away to Shanghai where he screws up. The diplomat takes the blame and loses his position. Will Neagle give up her career when she finds out about his sacrifice? Will they get together? Neagle is excellent, displaying her singing and dancing talent, especially in the campy "Jingle of the Jungle" number. There's also a nice montage sequence showing her dancing lessons (including ballet). Carminati, who had been in films since 1914, is solid as the diplomat, and Douglas handles his unlikable character well.Horace Hodges is good as the old priest, and Davina Craig and Joan Kemp-Welch are funny as the house maids.
The main point of interest of this film is that it was the first film made at Pinewood.It was also to mark a sea change in Anna Neagles career.After this film she went on to pay Quuen Victoria in 2 films and Nurse Edith Cavell.On the strength of her performance in this film one can see why.Her singing is off key and when she is dancing she makes Ruby Keeler look like Eleanor Powell.In any event the screenplay is a direct piece of larceny as it is "My Fair lady" by any other name.Neagle starts with the most ridiculous cockney accent and ends up with what in those days would be called a Mayfair accent.Quite frankly the convoluted plot is so ridiculous that you wonder if they were serious when they made this film.It is strictly for fans of Anna Neagle before she became a royal.