Rent The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.5 (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. 'Showcasing' some of the era's finest cinema talent including Michael Redgrave, Alastair Sim, director Carol Reed, actor/director (and Matthews' husband) Sonnie Hale and art director Alfred Junge the two films in this set are presented as transfers from the original film elements, in their original theatrical aspect ratios.
Gangway (1937)On the trail of a jewel thief, a dashing detective meets a young reporter masquerading as a film star's maid - and soon believes she is none other than the elusive felon!
Climbing High (1938)
Carol Reed directs a madcap comedy revolving around a young West End model, the wealthy young playboy who loves her - and his mercenary would-be fiancee!- Actors:
- Jessie Matthews, Barry MacKay, Nat Pendleton, Alastair Sim, Olive Blakeney, Noel Madison, Patrick Ludlow, Liane Ordeyne, Graham Moffatt, Danny Green, Edmon Ryan, Lawrence Anderson, Blake Dorn, Peter Gawthorne, Henry Hallett, Warren Jenkins, Michael Rennie, Doris Rogers, Michael Redgrave, Margaret Vyner
- Directors:
- Sonnie Hale, Carol Reed
- Producers:
- Michael Balcon
- Voiced By:
- Terry-Thomas
- Writers:
- Lesser Samuels, Dwight Taylor, Marion Dix
- Aka:
- Gangway / Climbing High
- Studio:
- Network
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy, Music & Musicals
- Collections:
- Films to Watch If You Like..., What to Watch Next If You Liked Scrooge
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Reviews (1) of The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.5
on both films... - The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.5 review by Steve
GANGWAY
Cheerful Jessie Matthews musical which doesn’t offer anything new, but... well, that’s some of the attraction! It’s not even her first character to pose as a maid. She plays a theatre critic who wants to do real news stories. Working undercover to expose some showbiz gossip, she gets snagged up with the Chicago mafia…
This was made with Gaumont-British in liquidation, but there’s quite a lavish production, even if the musical numbers feel a bit perfunctory. Jessie gets to dance in a variety of styles. The songs are of variable quality, though Lord and Lady Whoosiz is a big personal favourite. Okay, it rips off Makin’ Whoopee, but I prefer the cheap copy.
Barry Mackay is a bit of a stiff as the posh police inspector who romances Jessie onboard the Atlantic crossing. There’s a decent support cast playing the usual roles, with Nat Pendleton as a dumb gangster. Alastair Sim is best as an incompetent private eye on the trail of stolen pearls.
This is a decent vehicle for Jessie's many talents... until they dock in New York, where inspiration runs out. There’s a really witty script with some genuinely funny gags. The standard screwball scenarios work yet again. It’s a peak period Jessie Matthews comedy, and there are far too few of those. Such a happy film.
CLIMBING HIGH
The first collaboration between Carol Reed and Michael Redgrave (Kipps, The Stars Look Down) is a side issue. This is primarily a vehicle for Jessie Matthews in the last of her star roles for Gaumont-British, just as the studio finally collapsed. The budget is meagre and the musical numbers were cut. But it’s still a decent screwball comedy.
Jessie plays a lingerie model who keeps on meeting cute with a wealthy, accident prone socialite (Redgrave) who the gossip columns insist is engaged to a hardup aristocrat (Margaret Vyner). And that’s it, save a truly dreadful climax in the Alps with Francis L. Sullivan as a psychopathic opera enthusiast.
It doesn’t attempt to reinvent the genre. The two stars quarrel, then reluctantly fall in love. People pretend to be what they are not. There is a mix of slapstick and innuendo. Redgrave is likeable and Jessie makes a delightful fast talking dame. Often in her scanties, given her occupation. And maybe the budget…
There is quite a lot about class, with both the workers and the aristos doing badly in the depression. Alastair Sim is a workshy Communist, Mary Clare an unscrupulous blueblood. It evokes the contemporary New Deal comedies of Frank Capra. Of course, this isn’t as good, but at least Jessie’s stardom fades out still somewhere near her peak.