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Elstree Calling main poster

Elstree Calling

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5.1/10 • 20

1930-02-061h 23m

MusicComedy

A series of 19 musical and comedy "vaudeville" sketches presented in the form of a live television broadcast hosted by Tommy Handley (as himself).

Directors
Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Hulbert, Paul Murray, André Charlot, Adrian Brunel
Writters
Val Valentine, Walter C. Mycroft, Adrian Brunel
Editors
Val Valentine, Walter C. Mycroft, Emile de Ruelle

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Tommy Handley

    Tommy Handley

    The Host

  2. Teddy Brown

    Teddy Brown

    Himself

  3. Donald Calthrop

    Donald Calthrop

    Himself / Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew

  4. Jack Hulbert

    Jack Hulbert

    Himself

  5. Helen Burnell

    Helen Burnell

    Herself

  6. The Three Eddies

    The Three Eddies

    Themselves

  7. Lily Morris

    Lily Morris

    Herself

  8. Will Fyffe

    Will Fyffe

    Himself

  9. Cicely Courtneidge

    Cicely Courtneidge

    Herself

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Aug 29, 2022

5/10

A distinctly off-form Tommy Handley introduces this rather curious piece of cinematic entertainment that features a variety of stars from the British stage at the end of the 1920s. The mixture of musical, comedy and magical turns illustrates well just quite how a real pot-pourri of acts took to the stage in theatres up and down the UK - but there is no audience. Without the engagement, even applause, from those watching the whole thing comes across as a rather sterile collection of concert performances, as if filmed in an empty television studio. It has a couple of rather tenuous continuing threads that try to hold it together - one features a fellow with an elementary television trying, unsuccessfully usually, to catch some of the performance on his set. The other, has a more contrived Shakesperian theme to it that coupled with a lot of Handley's equally over-cooked links make this all rather a disjointed, and frankly rather staccato film to watch. As a curiosity, it is certainly worth a watch - but mainly just as a bit of nostalgia.

Media

  • Elstree Calling poster
  • Elstree Calling poster
  • Elstree Calling poster
  • Elstree Calling poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
tap dancingblack and whitevaudevilleshakespeare in modern dressblackfaceskitvariety showxylophone playerrussian songpart in colormusic hall songromantic song