Melody Club (film)

Melody Club
Directed by
Written byCarl Nystrom
Produced by
  • Robert S. Baker
  • Monty Berman
Starring
CinematographyPeter Newbrook
Edited byGerald Landau
Music byRalph Sharon
Production
company
Distributed byEros Films (UK)
Release date
  • July 1949 (1949-07) (UK)
Running time
67 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Melody Club is a 1949 British second feature ('B')[1] comedy musical film directed by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman and starring Terry-Thomas, Gwynneth Vaughan and Michael Balfour.[2][3] It was written by Carl Nystrom and made at Kensington Studios.

Plot

Detective Freddy Forrester, chasing jewel thieves, traces them to a nightclub.

Cast

  • Terry-Thomas as Freddy Forrester
  • Gwynneth Vaughan as Jean
  • Michael Balfour as Max Calypso
  • Len Lowe as Tony
  • Bill Lowe as Birdie
  • Lilian Grey as Cora
  • Arthur Gomez as Inspector Dodds
  • Anthony Shaw as General Blitzem
  • Sylvia Clarke as Susie
  • Jack Mayne as Hector
  • Ida Patlanski as Hector's wife

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Low-budget British comedy: worn-out gags."[4]

Picturegoer wrote: "A sheer piece of nonsense with bad dialogue and jokes. Terry Thomas burlesques as a nitwit detective on the trail of jewel thieves. Ultimately, he catches them, but it would have been better if they had disappeared completely, for we should not have had to endure the unfortunate Terry in so many poor and embarrassing disguises. The supporting cast unfortunately gives no support owing largely to the lack of opportunity."[5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "poor", writing: "Collection of well-worn jokes stitched together to make a plot."[6]

References

  1. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ^ "Melody Club". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Melody Club (1949)". BFI. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Melody Club". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 16 (181): 162. 1 January 1949. ProQuest 1305817433.
  5. ^ "Melody Club". Picturegoer. 18: 16. 9 November 1949. ProQuest 1771213631.
  6. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 230. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.