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Actual 9.5mm film frames



Released on 9.5mm sound during World War 11



"SOFT LIGHTS AND SWEET MUSIC" GB 1936

GB 1936 British Lion ... Director: Herbert Smith ... Producer: S.W. Smith ... Photography: Charles Van Enger, Harry Rose
....................................... Art Director: Norman Arnold ... Sound Engineer: Harold V. King
....................................... Assistant Director: Arthur Alcott ... Film Editor: Hugh Stewart
....................................... Supervising Editor: Arthur Tavares
....................................... Produced and Recorded at The British Lion Studios, Beaconsfield. UK
....................................... Distributed by British Lion Film Corporation Ltd, 76-78 Wardour Street, London W.1., UK
....................................... (Managing Director: S.W. Smith)

A slim story about television experiments provides the linking material for a series of musical and variety items.

This film appears on 9.5mm optical sound as a 6 reel feature with the same name, T.9347 (issued on 9.5mm March 1941), other musical clips appear in one reel musical shorts: "Pathé Vox Review Number 4" T.9601 (issued Oct 1940), "Pathé Vox Review Number 5" T.9602 (issued Nov 1940) and "Pathé Vox Review Number 7" T.9604 (issued March 1941).



Cinema lobby card (The Western Brothers)


9.5mm sound reconstructed print:- (runs 53.5 minutes)

The film opens at Cowbridge College (for mature students!) with theme tune
 being played by Ambrose and his band, followed by:-
 "We're Tops On Saturday Night" sung by Jack Cooper  (Vox Review 4).
Then to the Assembly Rooms where the presentation of diplomas takes place by Harry Tate,
 principal, and introduces the Western Brothers who have perfected a television apparatus,
 which provides the link for various variety presentations to follow.

At The Supertone Gramophone & TV Company we first see:
 "The Five Charladies" with a novelty number, then via a Western Brothers TV experiment,
 we see Ambrose with Evelyn Dall singing "Lost My Rhythm, Lost My Music, Lost My Man".
Next they try their equipment in a car and we see the London East End with a brief look at
 Sandy Powell's Harmonica Band followed by:
 Max Bacon accompanied by Ambrose and his Orchestra singing "Cohen the Crooner".

Over to the Majestic Theatre to see Elisabeth Welch singing "Yesterday's Thrill" and
 onto the BBC for:-
 "Riding Up the River Road" from the Rhythm Brothers (Vox Review 5)
 and "Tiger Rag" also featuring the Rhythm Brothers; then
 Wilson, Keppel & Betty doing a sand dance number (shortened by Pathéscope), and the
 wild woolly west where we have a monologue from Billy Bennett "The Shooting of Dan McGrew"
 followed by:- "A Motoring Sketch" by Harry Tate & Western Brothers (Vox Review 7).

A quick visit to Paris to see apache dancing by "Karina & Co." before
 Ambrose's big cabaret show including dancing from The Hollywood Beauties;
 acrobatics from The Four Robinas; and The Four Flash Devils dancing to "Nola";

                  
 "I'm All In" sung by Evelyn Dall; Turner Layton at the piano singing "My SOS To You";
 Donald Stewart with a rhumba "South American Joe";
 Hawaiian dancing from The Hollywood Beauties (Dorchester Girls) and 
 finally a concert arrangement of "Limehouse Blues" featuring Ambrose and his Orchestra.

On 9.5mm, Pathéscope have shortened many numbers, whilst "Madonna" by Ambrose
 and other Western Brothers items are totally missing.
 (Original running time for the full feature film was 86 minutes)           

The 35mm print recovered by a collector and now in the BFI vaults is missing
 Billy Bennett monologue, Harry Tate motoring sketch and Donald Stewart number
 - we've got these bits on 9.5mm sound! 
 It also ends just as Ambrose does his bow - very abruptly! 
 The missing items have now been blown up from 9.5mm & may be edited back into the BFI print.


gln 12/02/99 (With grateful thanks to 9.5mm historian extraordinaire Maurice Trace for much of this information)

Watch Evelyn Dall songs from my 9.5mm print on You Tube: http://youtu.be/WnfZ0QcfFdQ  (17Mar2013)

Watch Ambrose & his Band play "We're Tops On Saturday Night": http://youtu.be/-9ItUbTpLPI  
Watch Ambrose & his Band play "Limehouse Blues" on You Tube: http://youtu.be/c9ASqsiTseE 
Watch Elisabeth Welch sing "Yesterday's Thrill" on You Tube: http://youtu.be/qjtvgsXjD9Y  
(Someone has ;squeezed' the last three clips - I'll have to put up a decent copy soon!)
(All clips from my 9.5mm 'reconstructed' sound print - purchase this on DVD - see my Sales Page)

 

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Created:1Oct2011 ...... Updated 18 November 2019 ...... 95flmdancesoft ...... © G.L. Newnham MM - MM11V
23Dec2016 - frame images & lobby card added / 18Nov2019 - Pathéscope Monthly extract added