Harmony Row (film) explained

Harmony Row
Director:F. W. Thring
Raymond Longford (associate)[1]
Producer:F. W. Thring
Based On:stage show by George Wallace
Starring:George Wallace
Phyllis Baker
Cinematography:Arthur Higgins
Studio:Efftee Film Productions
Distributor:Universal Pictures
Runtime:78 mins
Country:Australia
Language:English
Budget:£11,000[2] [3]
Gross:£18,000[4]

Harmony Row is a 1933 Australian musical comedy directed by F. W. Thring and Raymond Longford and starring popular stage comedian George Wallace. It marked the film debut of Bill Kerr.[5]

Plot

George enlists in the police force and is assigned to Harmony Row, a haunt of criminals such as Slogger Lee. He makes several friends, including the pretty street musician Molly, and boy soprano Leonard. He is persuaded to fight Slogger Lee in a boxing tournament. He manages to defeat Slogger and win, and is united with Molly.

Cast

Original play

Harmony Row
Premiere:23 August 1924
Place:Newtown Majestic, Sydney[6]
Orig Lang:English
Genre:comedy revue

The film was based on a revue Wallace had performed in the 1920s.[7] It was one of a series of "revusicals" written by Wallace during this period.[8]

Production

The film marked the feature film debut of Bill Kerr who had been cast by Thring in a proposed movie called Pick and the Duffers. That movie was not made but he was then cast in Harmony Row.[9]

The full version of the film features a haunted house sequence where George unravels a mystery in a mansion. In some versions of the film this sequence was cut and replaced with one where George arrests a high society gentlemen (Campbell Copelin), thinking he's a thief.[2]

Reception

The film was released on a double bill with Diggers in Blighty and was a success at the box office.[2] The two films grossed £8000 in Melbourne and £3070 in two weeks in Sydney.[10]

The critic from The Sydney Morning Herald called it "the first really successful picture that Efftee Films have produced."[11]

The film was released in England.

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. "Raymond Longford", Cinema Papers, January 1974 p51
  2. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 160.
  3. "Counting the Cash in Australian Films"', Everyones 12 December 1934 p 19-20
  4. 'Counting the Cash in Australian Films', Everyones 12 December 1934 p 19 quoted in Fitzpatrick p179
  5. Stephen. Vagg. Filmink. Australian Film Musicals You Probably Didn't Realise Existed. 23 December 2019.
  6. News: Newtown Majestic – Vaudeville and Revue. . . 23 August 1924 . 6 December 2012 . 16 . National Library of Australia.
  7. News: Majestic Theatre. . . Adelaide . 3 November 1924 . 8 August 2012 . 9 . National Library of Australia.
  8. http://ozvta.com/troupes-g-l/ "George Wallace Revue Company"
  9. News: Saturday Night. . . Carnarvon, WA . 4 April 1934 . 8 August 2012 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
  10. News: Australian Films. . . 24 February 1934 . 8 August 2012 . 16 . National Library of Australia.
  11. News: New Films. . . 10 April 1933 . 8 August 2012 . 5 . National Library of Australia.