Things Are Looking Up

If you keep your eyes peeled, you can't miss spotting Miss Leigh in this, one of her very first roles. She even had one line of dialogue - "If you are not made headmistress, I shan't come back next term." Contrary to many sources, this line was NOT cut from the final print, as I just heard and saw it with my own eyes.

Things Are Looking Up is a delightful romp with non-stop laughs. Cicely Courtneidge is Cicely Fytte, a circus-owner, and also her identical twin sister Bertha Fytte, a strict schoolmistress. When Bertha runs away to elope with "the Big Black Fox", their younger sister Mary summons Cicely to help out - in effect, taking Bertha's place as teacher. Now Cicely doesn't know geometry, nor does she play tennis, but she manages to wade through everything in her own unique way. Don't eat anything during the Wimbledon scene, unless you want to end up wearing it!

An easy 10/10 and definitely worth it for other Vivien Leigh fans!

This film is a fun romp and a perfect vehicle for Ms. Courtneidge's talents- mugging of the grand school ala Marie Dressler - both coming from the vaudeville training of broad comic gesture and both homely, matronly but lovable.

The title tune is quite infectious and well done. Note the continuity error in the Wimbledon audience. The fellow in the front row bottom right of screen sometimes wears a hat and sometimes not.

Vivien Leigh is most noticeable in three scenes- she is behind the girl in the geometry class who gives Cicely a hard time; she is in front row of third window scene during the title tune production number; she has her one line towards the end in a checkered dress as she tells Courtneidge she won't return to the school if the latter isn't elected headmistress.

Do make an effort to see this- much fun.

A typically nice Cicely Courtneidge film - exuberance and nonsense in varying amounts, amusing and irritating in turn. It was a single song musical - but what a song, one of Noel Gay's finest tunes!

Cicely plays identical twin sisters, the prim one is a girls school mistress, the lively one a circus proprietor - the lively one steps into the breach when the prim one debunks with her lover for Africa. It's occasionally very funny but also very dull at times, with long stretches of childish slapstick. However my favourite bit is the "composing" of the song Things Are Looking Up by Cicely and Bill Gargan which I've seen so often over the years it's now part of me, classic and catchy corn indeed. On a side note the great Max Miller had a few snappy lines but was sadly underused.

I've always enjoyed Cicely's films and music - her careless vitality still appeals to me in today's more colourful and wiser world, this world where imposters can't thrive at girls schools, circus animals are banned, and people spreading positive messages and harmlessness are derided.

Max Miller has second billing but has far less screen time than Courtneidge. William Gargan has more scenes.

I find Courtneidge rather exhausting to watch. A little of her goes a long way.

The film seems to use some of Will Hays classroom gags but to lesser effect.

Tiny role for Leigh...first film.'

"Things Are Looking Up" is a comedy where you really have to suspend disbelief. In other words, don't think too much about the improbable plot...just enjoy.

Bertha an Cicely are sisters who look almost exactly the same (though the film says they are NOT twins). Bertha is a humorless school teacher and Cicely is the opposite...a circus owner who knows how to enjoy life.

Quite uncharacteristically, Bertha drops everything to run off with a man. Her friends think it's just a passing fancy, so they ask Cicely to fill in and pretend she is Bertha. Amazingly enough, no one notices the ruse...even though their personalities are so different. What is next? What sorts of problems does Cecily deal with apart from not letting folks know who she really is.

Again, this is essentially a turn off your brain and enjoy sort of picture...fun and also quite silly. But I do recommend you see it and if you do, keep your eyes open for a young Vivien Leigh as one of the students...and she delivers just one line in this, her debut film.