Rent The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.4 (1938)
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- Synopsis:
Throughout the 1930's Jessie Matthews was Britain's best-loved musical film star, her dynamism and gamine charm beguiling audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. With a string of box-office hits spotlighting her unique talent, it's easy to see how she became so popular - and why she remains so to this day.
The Good Companions (1933)
Jessie shares a bill with John Gielgud and Edmund Gwenn in JB Priestley s famous tale of a failing concert party and the three 'angels' who come together by chance to rescue it.
Sailing Along (1938)Kay is a star-struck young woman working on a Thames barge. When she s spotted by a producer her dream of fame comes true but will she still have time for her boyfriend? - Actors:
- Jessie Matthews, Edmund Gwenn, John Gielgud, Mary Glynne, Percy Parsons, A.W. Baskcomb, Florence Gregson, Frank Pettingell, Lawrence Hanray, Annie Esmond, George Zucco, Harold Meade, J. Fisher White, Muriel Aked, Arnold Riches, Mignon O'Doherty, Daphne Scorer, Harry Crocker, Margaret Yarde, Gilbert Davis
- Directors:
- Victor Saville, Sonnie Hale
- Producers:
- Michael Balcon, T.A. Welsh
- Writers:
- Ian Dalrymple, Edward Knoblock, W.P. Lipscomb, Angus MacPhail, J.B. Priestley, Sonnie Hale, Selwyn Jepson, Lesser Samuels
- Aka:
- The Good Companions / Sailing Along
- Studio:
- Network
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy, Drama, Music & Musicals, Romance
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Cinema Afloat: Part 3, Films to Watch If You Like..., A Brief History of Film..., What to Watch Next If You Liked Scrooge
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Reviews (1) of The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.4
on both films... - The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.4 review by Steve
THE GOOD COMPANIONS.
Charming, optimistic musical-comedy from the popular novel by JB Priestley, which made a star of the adorably peppy Jessie Matthews. Several enterprising regional caricatures are blown together by circumstance, and assemble in a concert party, putting on shows in the seaside towns of England.
There was some allegorical intent from Priestley which the scriptwriters retain. We are introduced to three of the characters in their prior lives in the provinces, trapped by convention in a land where everyone knows their place. They find freedom on the road with the theatre company, which is a co-operative, unencumbered by class.
But the politics is lightly sketched. The companions are an oasis of make believe, a sanctuary from the realities of the depression. There is an ensemble cast: John Gielgud is disappointingly inert as a frustrated schoolteacher who turns to songwriting; Edmond Gwenn is likeable but quite broad as a middle aged factory worker seeking a second act.
Jessie gradually commands the spotlight, more for her comic appeal than the modest song and dance numbers. This is an idealistic, uplifting film in which fortune favours the eccentric misfits and good-hearted strivers roaming the hotels, theatres and inns of England; the eternal haunts of the footloose traveller.
SAILING ALONG.
This is an assembly of familiar setups borrowed from Hollywood musicals. But it’s still delightful, and with many positives. Mainly, there’s Jessie Matthews in an all singing/all dancing performance as a tomboy brought up on a river barge on the Thames, who dreams of becoming a star of the west end theatre.
The negative is Barry MacKay as the love interest, who has zero charisma. But there is a better support cast than usual for a Gaumont musical, with Roland Young as the eccentric millionaire who aims to promote Jessie into the big time, and Athene Seyler as his capricious, spinster sister. Plus Alastair Sim as a boho disciple of modern art.
The bonus is Broadway musical stalwart Jack Whiting who- for once- gives Matthews an equal partner for the many dance numbers, particularly the long, ambitious finale, My River. The songs are so-so but there is a grand production with swanky studio sets and fabulous gowns for Jessie.
The dialogue doesn’t really sparkle. And the plot is idiotic, though that’s standard for a musical. Jessie was nearing the end of her reign as the superstar of '30s British musicals, which seemed to fade away with her. Her incredible vivacity transcends the lightweight escapism of her pictures.