London Town is a
1946The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
musical filmThe musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. The songs are usually used to advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but some musical films simply plop the songs in as unrelated "specialties" - as with Carmen Miranda's...
, generally regarded as one of the most infamous flops in the history of
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
cinemaFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
.
The screenplay by
Sig HerzigSig Herzig was an American screenwriter and playwright.Born Siegfried Maurice Herzig in New York City, Herzig began his career as the director of the comedy short Husband and Strife , but he switched gears to create plot lines for more than three dozen silent films...
,
Val GuestVal Guest was a British film director, best known for his science-fiction films for Hammer Film Productions in the 1950s, but who also enjoyed a long, varied and active career in the film industry from the early 1930s up until the early 1980s.-Early life and career:He was born Valmond Maurice...
, and
Elliot PaulElliot Harold Paul , was an American journalist and author.-Biography:Born in Linden, a part of Malden, Massachusetts, Elliot Paul graduated from Malden High School then worked in the U.S...
, based on a story by director
Wesley RugglesWesley Ruggles was an American film director.He was born in Los Angeles, a younger brother of actor Charles Ruggles...
, revolves around comedian Jerry Sanford (
Sid FieldSid Field was an English comedy entertainer. He was born Sidney Arthur Field in Ladywood, Birmingham, son of Albert and Bertha . Field spent most of his childhood at 152 Osborn Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham.Field had entertainment in his blood from an early age...
), who arrives in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
believing he has been hired as the star of a major stage production, when in fact he's merely an understudy. Thanks to his daughter Peggy (
Petula ClarkPetula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, already a screen veteran at age fourteen), who sabotages the revue's star Charlie de Haven (
Sonnie HaleSonnie Hale was an English theatre and cinema actor and director.John Robert Hale-Monro was born in London, the son of Robert Hale and Belle Reynolds. His father and sister, Binnie Hale were actors. He worked chiefly in musical and revue theatre, but also acted in several films with occasional...
), he finally gets his big break.
London Town is a
1946The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
musical filmThe musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. The songs are usually used to advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but some musical films simply plop the songs in as unrelated "specialties" - as with Carmen Miranda's...
, generally regarded as one of the most infamous flops in the history of
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
cinemaFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
.
The screenplay by
Sig HerzigSig Herzig was an American screenwriter and playwright.Born Siegfried Maurice Herzig in New York City, Herzig began his career as the director of the comedy short Husband and Strife , but he switched gears to create plot lines for more than three dozen silent films...
,
Val GuestVal Guest was a British film director, best known for his science-fiction films for Hammer Film Productions in the 1950s, but who also enjoyed a long, varied and active career in the film industry from the early 1930s up until the early 1980s.-Early life and career:He was born Valmond Maurice...
, and
Elliot PaulElliot Harold Paul , was an American journalist and author.-Biography:Born in Linden, a part of Malden, Massachusetts, Elliot Paul graduated from Malden High School then worked in the U.S...
, based on a story by director
Wesley RugglesWesley Ruggles was an American film director.He was born in Los Angeles, a younger brother of actor Charles Ruggles...
, revolves around comedian Jerry Sanford (
Sid FieldSid Field was an English comedy entertainer. He was born Sidney Arthur Field in Ladywood, Birmingham, son of Albert and Bertha . Field spent most of his childhood at 152 Osborn Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham.Field had entertainment in his blood from an early age...
), who arrives in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
believing he has been hired as the star of a major stage production, when in fact he's merely an understudy. Thanks to his daughter Peggy (
Petula ClarkPetula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, already a screen veteran at age fourteen), who sabotages the revue's star Charlie de Haven (
Sonnie HaleSonnie Hale was an English theatre and cinema actor and director.John Robert Hale-Monro was born in London, the son of Robert Hale and Belle Reynolds. His father and sister, Binnie Hale were actors. He worked chiefly in musical and revue theatre, but also acted in several films with occasional...
), he finally gets his big break. The premise allows for a variety of musical numbers and comedy sketches performed by, among others,
Kay KendallKay Kendall was a British actress.Kendall began her film career in the 1946 musical London Town. Though the film was a financial failure, Kendall continued to work regularly until her appearance in the comedy Genevieve brought her widespread recognition...
and
Tessie O'SheaTeresa “Tessie” O'Shea was a Welsh entertainer and actress.Born in Cardiff, O'Shea was raised in the tradition of British music hall, appearing on stage as "The Wonder of Wales", beside her cousin Adam Dionne, as early as the age of six...
.
The critical and financial failure of the extravagant film, Britain's first major
TechnicolorTechnicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation , now a division of Thomson SA. Technicolor was the second major color film process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color motion picture process in Hollywood...
musical, is part of British film legend. Financed by the
Rank OrganisationThe Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. Its film division once distributed Universal Pictures releases in the UK...
at a time of rationing and shortages of materials in the period immediately after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it was filmed in the shell of "Sound City Shepperton," which had been made available as a film studio after being requisitioned during the war as a factory for aircraft parts. (The studio was later renamed
Shepperton StudiosShepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931. A part of the Pinewood Group along with Pinewood and Teddington Studios, it has produced many notable films.-History:...
and is still used for film production.)
Musical hall performer Field had cheered up wartime London audiences with his hugely successful stage variety shows, including
Strike a New Note (1943),
Strike it Again (1944), and
Piccadilly Hayride (1946), so he seemed a natural for the lead. As he was of the opinion that no British director was capable of making a good musical, he insisted on having an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the helm, and the task fell to Wesley Ruggles, who produced as well.
Given that Ruggles had no experience with the genre – his best-known films at that point were the
Academy AwardThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
-winning
WesternThe Western is a fiction genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States , but also in Western Canada, Mexico , Alaska The Western...
epic
Cimarron (1931) and the
Mae WestMae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol.Known for her bawdy double entendres, West made a name for herself in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York before moving to Hollywood to become a comedienne, actress and writer in the motion picture industry...
comedy
I'm No AngelI'm No Angel is Mae West's third motion picture. West received sole story and screenplay credit. A young Cary Grant plays the male lead. This was one of the few Mae West films that was not subjected to heavy censorship. Ms...
(1933), both more than a decade old – and his Hollywood career was on a downslide, he was an odd choice indeed.
J. Arthur RankJoseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc.- Family business :...
spent large sums of money for American songwriters (Jimmy Van Heusen and
Johnny BurkeJohnny Burke was a lyricist, widely regarded as one of the finest writers of popular songs in America between the 1920s and 1950s.-Biography:...
), musicians (
Ted HeathGeorge Edward "Ted" Heath was the most famous English bandleader of the 40s, 50s and early 60s.Heath was born at 76 Atheldene Avenue, Wandsworth, South London; he started playing the trombone at the age of fourteen, and his early career involved stints with Bert Firman, Jack Hylton, Ambrose, Sid...
and his orchestra), and costumes by the legendary designer
Orry-KellyOrry-Kelly was the professional name of Orry George Kelly , a prolific Hollywood costume designer....
, while at the same time re-equipping the studio from the ground up. He was confident that box-office business was booming at the time and that demand for a flashy musical entertainment would be such that he would make a healthy profit, so his financial controls were slack.
So much was spent on production that the film needed to perform better than possible just to break even but, dismissed by critics (who described it as "tacky" and "tasteless") and ignored by audiences, it was a legendary flop. In hindsight however, especially for nostalgia fans, many of its kitschy aspects make it fascinating, and film historians consider it an interesting record of the times in which it takes place. Following Britain's victory in the war, it can be seen as a tribute to London and its residents, and as a celebration of popular
CockneyThe term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
culture, especially its music hall traditions.
Songs in
London Town include "You Can't Keep a Good Dreamer Down", "The 'Ampstead Way" (most definitely inspired by "The Lambeth Walk" from the earlier stage production
Me and My GirlMe and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth....
), "Any Way the Wind Blows", a medley of Cockney songs ("Knock 'em in the Old Kent Road"/"Any Old Iron"/"Follow the Van"), "Don't Dilly Dally on the Way" (sung by
Charles CollinsCharles Collins was an American singer and actor of the stage, television, and film. He was particularly known for his work within musical comedy.-Biography:...
), and "My Heart Goes Crazy," which was the title under which an abridged U.S. version of the film was released by
United ArtistsUnited Artists Entertainment LLC is an American film studio. The current United Artists was formed in November 2006 under a partnership between producer/actor Tom Cruise and his production partner, Paula Wagner, and Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Studios Inc., an MGM company...
in 1953.
Oddly Clark, who had started her career singing for the troops on the BBC, performed in none of the film's musical numbers. In September 2006, the film's soundtrack - plus bonus tracks including four early studio recordings by Clark - was released on CD by Sepia Records.
The original three-hour version, which never was released commercially, is now available for viewing at the archives at the
BFI SouthbankThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/article-23387888-details/Look%20what%20they've%20done%20to%20the%20NFT/article.do.