Sailing Along

Thanks to Robert Osborne and Turner Classic Movies for showcasing another wonderful performer who seems to be largely forgotten today. I thought I had a fair knowledge of movies, but I had never heard of Jessie Matthews until a recent showing of "Evergreen" on one of "Robert's Picks" nights. I read the description in the TCM guide and thought I would take a look, not expecting too much. After watching it, I wondered why I had never heard of this lovely and talented lady? I was captivated from her first scene and have eagerly awaited more ever since. This was the third movie I have seen with her, and I am a bigger fan than ever. She was a real charmer, and unlike most stars of the time, she wasn't afraid to look silly or unglamorous for a laugh. She appears in a plain or messy state in much of this movie, but comes off as appealing and lovely as any of the well-known stars of the 30's. It's our loss that she didn't make more movies, especially if it's true there were once plans to pair her with Fred Astaire. That would have been a wonderful combination.

Anyone who loves a 1930s comedy musical will love this chic, classy hour and a half of silliness.

You would never guess that this was made by the very bankrupt Gaumont-British (in the process of being subsumed into Rank). The production standards and sumptuous sets look amazing. The final number for example, filmed in one take, needed two sound stages and involved a whole mile of dancing. This impossible number was meant to be part of a what's being seen on a stage and Buddy Bradley's flight of fancy choreography is reminiscent of how Busby Berkeley made us believe an entire New York street was on the stage in 42ND STREET.

This was Sonnie Hale's last go at directing. He didn't stop because he wasn't any good at it - he actually delivers an energetic and engaging picture. The trouble was that he blamed his career on destroying his marriage. He was married to Jessie Matthews and apparently their professionalism was too much to allow either of them to leave their work back at the studio. .....well that and the fact that Jessie found out her husband was having numerous affairs. If you're familiar 1) with what Sonnie Hale looked like and 2) that he was married to the sexiest, most gorgeous English film star of the 1930s you'll think this is impossible - was he mad?

This is not quite one of Jessie Matthews' best films but it's still brilliantly entertaining and filled with a mix of silly and uniquely subtle humour that you only find in an English film. There's never a dull moment in this, the script is witty and Hale directs this as though he'd been doing it for years. Jessie Matthews is fabulous, she's both graceful and funny, authentic and endearing. She brings such a warmth presence to every minute she's on screen, she's somehow instantly loveable.

This film also benefits from a superb supporting cast especially Roland Young, who has never been funnier. I wasn't convinced however that Barry MacKay, with his cut-glass accent was believable as a grimy Thames barge man which is odd because Jessie Matthews with her own cut-glass accent is believable - maybe that just shows what a very talented actress she was.

Sailing Along casts Jessie Matthews as a girl brought up on a Thames River barge by Frank Pettingell. His natural son Barry MacKay thinks of Jessie as a sister, but that's starting to change.

Her natural musical talent is discovered by millionaire Roland Young who gets her started on a musical career. He also helps MacKay indirectly get the schooner he's always wanted.

But as for getting Jessie, there's the matter of visiting American musical comedy star Jack Whiting who's putting the moves on Jessie, seeing her as a stage and maybe a life partner. But then again Whiting's gone through a few of each variety.

The film is a great showcase for the singing and dancing talents of Jessie Matthews. It was the dream of many on both sides of the pond to pair her with Fred Astaire. Unfortunately that deal never was made for a variety of reasons.

Jack Whiting made very few films, but he was a popular leading man on Broadway and this film is a rare chance to see his style and talent. He was also married to the former wife of Douglas Fairbanks and consequently the stepfather of Doug, Jr.

I probably would have liked this film a lot better had the ending not been so ridiculous. You'll have to see Sailing Along to find out what I mean.

I have seen all of Jessie's movies that have been restored to DVD, but as Sailing Along was the last one I happened to view I cannot help but to compare it with the rest of her catalogue rather than review it on its own merits. I should also point out that I have long considered Jessie to be one of the most beautiful and charming women to have ever been on screen, so the objectivity of my views will no doubt be compromised by this aspect.

With that having been said, I found Sailing Along to be an odd mix of character inconsistency and absurd story lines, balanced by wonderful comedic moments and bursting with charm from several leading players.

Roland Young provides much of the comedy and he had me laughing out loud more than once, but he is well supported in this venture by the always great Alastair Sim. But his obsession with discovering 'genius' makes him too big a twit for any of the other characters to take seriously, and this makes the basis of the story seem more improbable.

His wife's character - played by Athene Seyler - is unfathomably inconsistent as she is prepared to leave the house one minute when Jessie is presented as the next 'genius', but then a moment later becomes Jessie's strongest supporter after a predictably miserable failed audition.

Another strange aspect of this movie is the way in which the marriage between Jack Whiting and Margaret Vyner is presented. It is apparently completely acceptable for each to declare love for other people, and at a moment's notice. This aspect is so odd that it provided this viewer with confusion over the story-line on a few occasions, and seemed out of place with 1930s attitudes.

But the film is swooped up from these potentially damaging issues by the irresistibly charming Jessie Matthews, who shines throughout every scene. She dances, dives, pouts, cries, punches, head-butts, ballets, flirts, sings and laughs her way through a totally captivating performance incomparable with any of her other films. If she once said that making this movie was very difficult, it certainly does not show on the evidence the footage presents. In fact, her dance scene for a trio of male milk-drinkers is so full of flirtatious fun that she appears to be enjoying her role more than usual. Their mesmerized attentions to her performance seem silly at first, but by the end of the two or three minutes I could only imagine myself sitting right along side them, every bit as enchanted as they were.

Perhaps my score of 6 is a little harsh and it may actually deserve a 7, but then again I am comparing it with other favourites like Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia or My Fair Lady, so with that in mind I think a 6 is actually a pretty good score.

To sum up, if you like old movies then this one is well worth watching, but if you are a fan of Jessie Matthews herself, Sailing Along is positively indispensable!

I had a friend who lived on a boat on the River Thames in Richmond - just along from the Who's guitarist Pete Townsend whose daughter Emma fancied me big time back in the 1980s. She was a bit of a big-head. Anyway, I learned about life on the water and was made aware of a section of society that most people are unaware of - there is a river community. This involves regulars dropping by on each other in their small speedboats to drop off drugs, say hello, etc. Well, it looks like Jessie Matthews (Kay) favours this lifestyle as she is brought up living and sailing along the Thames with skipper Frank Pettingell and his son Barry MacKay (Stevel). Matthews and MacKay constantly bicker at each other whilst pursuing their individual dreams away from the water.

The rivalry between Matthews and Mackay is not at all convincing - they are pretty horrible to each other - and both actors can be irritating, Matthews with her pronunciation and her singing, and MacKay with his temperament. However, the script can be funny, the supporting cast are quite good, the dancing numbers are entertaining and the film keeps you watching. Forget the songs, though. Jack Whiting (Randall) plays an already successful entertainer and his singing is far superior to Matthews. Alastair Sims (Sylvester) has a good part as an abstract artist.

Whilst watching the film, it struck my wife and I how similar in looks Matthews is to Sarah Brightman. I bet Jessie Matthews is the favourite actress of Andrew Lloyd-Weber. Also, more creepily, I bet if he was around at the same time, he would be hanging around her dressing room, writing terrible songs for her to perform and trying to get a date. Matthews must be relieved that he wasn't around, although she would have murdered any of the bland tunes that he came up with by performing them in that terribly old-fashioned singing style.