Not part of a collection.
Elstree Calling
A series of 19 musical and comedy "vaudeville" sketches presented in the form of a live television broadcast hosted by Tommy Handley (as himself).
- Original title
- Elstree Calling
- Language
- EN
- Country
- GB
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
CinemaSerf
Aug 29, 2022 · via TMDB
A distinctly off-form Tommy Handley introduces this rather curious piece of cinematic entertainment that features a variety of stars from the British stage at the end of the 1920s. The mixture of musical, comedy and magical turns illustrates well just quite how a real pot-pourri of acts took to the stage in theatres up and down the UK - but there is no audience. Without the engagement, even applause, from those watching the whole thing comes across as a rather sterile collection of concert performances, as if filmed in an empty television studio. It has a couple of rather tenuous continuing threads that try to hold it together - one features a fellow with an elementary television trying, unsuccessfully usually, to catch some of the performance on his set. The other, has a more contrived Shakesperian theme to it that coupled with a lot of Handley's equally over-cooked links make this all rather a disjointed, and frankly rather staccato film to watch. As a curiosity, it is certainly worth a watch - but mainly just as a bit of nostalgia.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Tommy Handley
The Host
Donald Calthrop
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Jack Hulbert
Himself
Lily Morris
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Will Fyffe
Himself
Cicely Courtneidge
Herself
John Longden
Himself
Anna May Wong
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Bobbie Comber
Herself
Gordon Harker
George
Hannah Jones
George's Wife
Jameson Thomas
—
John Stuart
—
Adrian Brunel
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Director
André Charlot
Director
Jack Hulbert
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Adrian Brunel
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