RENOWN pictures has isssued two sets of DVDs MUSIC HALL AND VARIETY ACTS.
www.renownfilms.co.uk

MOST of the films included are later re-creations, variety and
pop material, but there are a few interesting performances spread
across this mass of material.

Thomas.

Volume 1
14 Music Hall Films & Shorts in a 3 DVD Box Set. Over 10 Hours of 14 films and shorts including previously ‘lost,’ films.

THEATRE ROYAL (1943) Stars: Flanagan & Allen, Peggy Dexter and Finlay Currie.
A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU FANCY (1968) a tribute to Music Hall with Gus Elen, Lily Morris & more.
MUSIC HALL (1934) Stars George Carney, Ben Field and Helena Pickard. Many original music halls stars appear including Debroy Somers Band, G H Elliott and Olive Sloane.
SARAH REMEMBERS (1952) a film by Wilf Watters which features the recollections of an elderly resident of Hoxton, with personal memories of The Hoxton Music Hall.
VARIETY JUBILEE (1943) stars Reginald Purdell, Ellis Irving and Lesley Brook. Set in the 1900s, this film features the great music hall act Wilson, Keppel and Betty.
HIGHLIGHTS OF VARIETY (1938) Highlights from the acts of Bell & Howell Music Hall features singing trio The Radio Three, Xylophonist Teddy Brown and a sketch from Harry Tate Jr.
THE FINAL FINALE (1968) Filmed by Wilf Watters, the demolition of one of London’s greatest Music Halls, The Bedford Theatre, with unprecedented access to the site.
SAY IT WITH FLOWERS (1934) Stars Mary Clare, Ben Field and George Carney. Features Charles Coborn, Florrie Forde and musical comedy star Marie Kendall – grandmother of Kay Kendall.
LONDON ENTERTAINS (1951) Eamonn Andrews takes us on a tour of a variety of entertainment from Diana Coupland, Gloria Swanson, Ray Ellington, The Goons and Les Girls des Folies-Bergère.
CLIMB UP THE WALL (1960) Jack Jackson, Glen Mason, Russ Conway, Craig Douglas, Libby Morris. Archive footage of Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, Elvis Presley & many more! Director: Michael Winner.
CAVALCADE OF VARIETY (1940) Directed by Thomas Bentley. Includes Billy Cotton & His Band, Eve Becke, The Four Air Aces, Bobbie ‘Uke’ Henshaw and Sam Barton.
STARS ON PARADE (1936) Stars Syd Harrison, Max Harrison and Pat O’Brien. Featuring some of Britain’s finest variety acts including Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane, Robb Wilton, Albert Whelan, Navarre, Mabel Constanduros and Jimmy James.
MUSIC HALL GREATS: TELL ME ANOTHER Dick Hills interviews Norman Wisdom, Charlie Drake, Roy Castle and more about their music hall careers. Billy Dainty, Dickie Henderson, Tommy Trinder and Reg Varney tell us about the jobs they did before showbusiness.


VOLUME 2
3-DVD Set with OPTIONAL SUBTITLES
Over ten hours of 13 films and shorts in this superb 3-DVD Box Set with films previously considered ‘lost’ on DVD for the first time.

Disc One:
A NIGHT IN A MUSIC HALL (1939) A musical short directed by Arthur Dreifuss, starring: Pinky Tomlin, Betty Atkinson, Nell Kelly, Estelle Preston, Ben Black & His Hollywood Orchestra.
THE WINDMILL GIRLS (AND BOYS!) Exclusive documentary on the artistes of the Windmill Theatre.
MURDER AT THE WINDMILL (1949) British crime film directed by Val Guest, stars: Garry Marsh, Jack Livesey, Peter Butterworth, Jon Pertwee & Jimmy Edwards.
THE KENTUCKY MINSTRELS (1934) British music hall film directed by John Baxter, starring Harry Scott & Eddie Whaley.
MUSIC HALL GREATS – TELL ME ANOTHER (1976) Dick Hills interviews variety greats Arthur Askey, Roy Hudd, Roy Castle, Dickie Henderson, Tommy Trinder, Charlie Drake, Norman Wisdom, Billy Dainty, Max Wall and Reg Varney with anecdotes and insights into working the ‘halls’.

Disc 2:
TOP OF THE BILL (1971) Once ‘lost’ documentary about the great days of variety, introduced by Ben Warriss, President of the society of entertainers ‘The Water Rats’. He is joined by Charlie Chester and Wee Georgie Wood, who set the scenefor artistes from comedians to singers to acrobats, including Davy Kaye, Sally Barnes and others brought to life by gifted imitators Peter Cavanagh and Ken Goodwin.
SPRINGTIME (1946) Director: Montgomery Tully. Stars: Peter Graves, Carol Raye & Lawrence O’Madden. When Captain Winster gave a brooch to a lady in 1911 his father turned him out of the house. The subsequent history of the brooch is explained by the present day Mrs Ware, with its significance for her mother and Tony’s relatives. Carol Raye is charming in the dual lead role and excels in both the modern (1946) musical numbers as well as those of the late Edwardian period in which most of the film is set.
THE GREAT GABBO (1929) Director: James Cruze. Early musical with big production numbers. Stars: Erich von Stroheim, Betty Compson, Donald Douglas, Marjorie Kane, George Grandee, John F. Hamilton and Harry Ross.
HIGHLIGHTS OF VARIETY (1938) comedy musical short from the Bell & Howell Music Hall featuring Ernest Shannon and Sam Browne.

Disc 3:
STARS FROM THE SCREEN Clips from four British musical films of 1934. The Camels are Coming with Jack Hulbert; Aunt Sally with Cicely Courtneidge; Evergreen with Jessie Matthews OBE and Road House with Music Hall star Violet Loraine.
HARMONY LANE (1954) Directed by Lewis Gilbert, a musical comedy starring Max Bygraves, The Beverley Sisters, Dora Bryan and Jack Billings.
WHEN YOU COME HOME (1947) British comedy film directed by John Baxter starring Frank Randle. As Grandad Randle he recounts his life as a music hall odd job man, with flashbacks to his younger days.
YOU WILL REMEMBER (1941) Robert Morley stars in this musical biography of Leslie Stuart, in the British music halls. Cast: Emlyn Williams, Dorothy Hyson, Nicholas Phipps, Tom E. Finglass, Gertrude Musgrove, with an early appearance by Roddy McDowall.