I admit I only saw this picture as second choice to "Of Human Bondage", which was booked out by the time I got to the cinema; but it turned out to be a thoroughly good-humoured and enjoyable little comedy that drew laughter from across the audience. Edmund Gwenn and Jimmy O'Dea shine as a double-act of the captain of a Liverpool tugboat with a wimpish whistle and his happy-go-lucky Irish first mate, and a selection of formidable womenfolk give them something to think about at home, from the captain's daughter (Betty Driver), to the widow he's courting and the sanctimonious Aunt Agnes. The humour is by and large undemanding without ever becoming crude, with the exception of a couple of pure slapstick moments; and there are many jokes made by sight gags alone without labouring the point, as when the embarrassed Captain Higgins encounters first the glare of a hostile child and then, turning away in confusion, the glassy stare of a large dead fish. It rarely puts a foot wrong or over-emphasises a joke for fear the audience might miss the point -- indeed, if anything it errs the other way, for the heavy local accents and tinny recording meant that some of the lines (and laughs) only came through belatedly when the wording became evident from the reply.
I'm not clear whether this was meant to be a musical or not; it features a number of fairly gratuitous musical numbers which I felt on balance to be a misjudgement, especially those sung (or lip-synched) by Betty Driver. A contemporary reviewer described the unfortunate Miss Driver as "a spirited young woman with a voice translated by either recording or reproduction into the accents of an electric saw", and while unkind, the description is a little too accurate for comfort. Her performance as an actress is competent without being outstanding, although again her voice can be difficult to follow.
Jimmy O'Dea as Pat, the little Irishman, also performs a song on demand, which comes across rather better due to the sentiment being so utterly at odds with the character's demeanour: it's played for laughs, whereas Betty Driver's ballads are apparently intended to be taken at face value. His was definitely the most memorable performance among the cast, although Edmund Gwenn in the lead role also gives good value.
"Penny Paradise" is not a big-budget production (although the period scenes of location work on the Mersey are nowadays fascinating), but it enjoys a good script and admirable actors, which generally counts for more, and the pacing is generally excellent. And everyone gets exactly what they deserve in the last reel, which is always a satisfying experience!
