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"SOFT LIGHTS AND SWEET MUSIC" GB 1936

GB 1936 British Lion ... Dir:Herbert Smith ... Prod:S.W. Smith ... Phot:Charles Van Enger, Harry Rose
....................................... Art Dir:Norman Arnold ... Sound: Harold V. King
A slim story about television experiments provides the linking material for a series of musical and variety items.

This film appears on 9.5mm optical sound as a 6 reel feature with the same name, T.9347 (issued on 9.5mm March 1941), other musical clips appear in "Pathe Vox Review Number 4" T.9601 (issued Oct 1940), "Pathe Vox Review Number 5" T.9602 (issued Nov 1940) and "Pathe Vox Review Number 7" T.9604 (issued March 1941).

9.5mm sound reconstructed print:- (runs 53.5 minutes)

The film opens at Cowbridge College (for mature students!) with theme tune
 being played by Ambrose and his band, followed by:-
 "We're Tops On Saturday Night" sung by Jack Cooper  (Vox Review 4).
Then to the Assembly Rooms where the presentation of diplomas takes place by Harry Tate,
 principal, and introduces the Western Brothers who have perfected a television apparatus,
 which provides the link for various variety presentations to follow.

At The Supertone Gramophone & TV Company we first see:
 "The Five Charladies" with a novelty number, then via a Western Brothers TV experiment,
 we see Ambrose with Evelyn Dall singing "Lost My Rhythm, Lost My Music, Lost My Man".
Next they try their equipment in a car and we see the London East End with a brief look at
 Sandy Powell's Harmonica Band followed by:
 Max Bacon accompanied by Ambrose and Orchestra singing "Cohen the Crooner".

Over to the Majestic Theatre to see Elisabeth Welch singing "Yesterday's Thrill" and
 onto the BBC for:-
 "Riding Up the River Road" from the Rhythm Brothers (Vox Review 5)
 and "Tiger Rag" also featuring the Rhythm Brothers; then
 Wilson, Keppel & Betty doing a sand dance number (shortened by Pathescope), and the
 wild woolly west where we have a monologue from Billy Bennett "The Shooting of Dan McGrew"
 followed by:- "A Motoring Sketch" by Harry Tate & Western Brothers (Vox Review 7).

A quick visit to Paris to see apache dancing by "Karina & Co." before
 Ambrose's big cabaret show including dancing from The Hollywood Beauties;
 acrobatics from The Four Robinas; The Four Flash Devils dancing to "Nola";
 "I'm All In" sung by Evelyn Dall; Turner Layton at the piano singing "My SOS To You";
 Donald Stewart with a rhumba "South American Joe";
 Hawaiian dancing from The Hollywood Beauties (Dorchester Girls) and 
 finally a concert arrangement of "Limehouse Blues" featuring Ambrose and his Orchestra.

On 9.5mm, Pathescope have shortened many numbers, whilst "Madonna" by Ambrose
 and other Western Brothers items are totally missing.
 (Original running time was 86 minutes)           

The 35mm print recovered by a collector and now in the BFI vaults is missing
 Billy Bennett monologue, Harry Tate motoring sketch and Donald Stewart number
 - we've got these bits on 9.5mm sound! 
 It also ends just as Ambrose does his bow - very abruptly! 
 The missing items have now been blown up from 9.5mm & may be edited back into the BFI print.


gln 12/02/99  (With grateful thanks to Maurice Trace for much of the information)

"SOFT LIGHTS AND SWEET MUSIC" GB 1936

9.5mm sound reconstructed print:- (runs 53.5 minutes)

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