Dir: Victor Saville
UK 1934, 91 minutes
It wasn't only MGM making musicals in the 1930s, and this sparkling Jessie Matthews vehicle was one of Britain's best efforts. Adapted from a hit stage show and directed and produced by two old Birmingham friends of Oscar Deutsch (Victor Saville and Michael Balcon), it's the fanciful tale of a young hopeful who rises to the top by impersonating her mother.
Before the main feature there's Another Happy and Interesting Day (dir: David Naden, 1982), set in the same period. Using extracts from the diaries of Sam Clayton, it's a vivid snapshot of a Willenhall couple who did their courting at movies like Evergreen.
With thanks to the Media Archive for Central England.
© Flatpack Festival 2010