The Street Singer

One couldn't say Arthur Tracy was a great actor but he certainly had an interesting, unique voice, and this film allowed him to show it off a few times. This movie has some funny moments, and Margaret Lockwood is pretty to look at, but the script is rather trite and silly, and the editing was poor. Passable early British film entertainment; watch it on tv some rainy Sunday afternoon.

Arthur Tracy,known as The Street Singer,made 5 films during the period 1937-8.What they proved was that he might be a fine singer but he certainly wasn't an actor.On the other hand,Margaret Lockwood was a fine actress,but not a singer,as her singing voice is clearly dubbed.This film has a plot familiar to film goers of the 1930s,namely an untried actress taking a star part at a moments notice.Apart from the classic 42nd Street,there comes to mind Jesse Matthews in "Its Love Again" and Gracie Fields in "Queen Of Hearts".This film is not as good as any of those and has a less lavish production.However the film does have a certain charm and there is a funny climax at the theatre with a continually revolving turntable,giving the audience alternate glimpses of an elaborate chorus number and a double pianist act.So a reasonably entertaining watch.

I grew up hearing Arthur's songs on BBC requests so it was nice to see this film. Many knock Arthur as rubbish actor and the film as cheap and dull but UK in 1937 was a grim dirty poverty stricken place where the peasants starved in cold damp hovels while the upper classes and royalty lived in luxury! The film was made under the quota laws - a vain dream that movies show in UK weather and gloom with dirty streets and railways as backdrops could hope to compete with those shot under Hollywood's daily glorious sunshine! It compares well with the overhyped pretentious rubbish turned out by Hitchcock. I watched it while stuck at home under Covid lockdown but it would be better viewing than any of the grim British soap operas.