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]
| Harmony Row | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | F. W. Thring Raymond Longford (associate)[1] |
| Written by | George Wallace |
| Based on | stage show by George Wallace |
| Produced by | F. W. Thring |
| Starring | George Wallace Phyllis Baker |
| Cinematography | Arthur Higgins |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 mins |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £11,000[2][3] |
| Box office | £18,000[4] |
Plot edit
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 edit
- George Wallace as Contable Dreadnought
- Phyllis Baker as Molly
- Marshall Crosby as the sergeant
- John Dobbie as Slogger Lee
- Bill Kerr as Leonard
- Bill Innes as Detective Brooks
- Edwin Brett as the father
- Norman Shepherd as the butler
- Norman French as the husband
- Bebe Scott as the wife
- Gertrude Boswell as the housekeeper
- Leonard Stephens as the Ferrett
- Dan Thomas
- Nell Fleming
- Nell Crane
- Elza Stenning
- Thelma Scott
- Dorothy Weeks
- Johnny Marks
- Campbell Copelin
Original play edit
| Harmony Row | |
|---|---|
| Written by | George Wallace |
| Date premiered | 23 August 1924 |
| Place premiered | Newtown Majestic, Sydney[6] |
| Original language | 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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
- ^ "Raymond Longford", Cinema Papers, January 1974 p51
- ^ a b c Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 160.
- ^ "Counting the Cash in Australian Films"', Everyones 12 December 1934 p 19-20
- ^ 'Counting the Cash in Australian Films', Everyones 12 December 1934 p 19 quoted in Fitzpatrick p179
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (23 December 2019). "Australian Film Musicals You Probably Didn't Realise Existed". Filmink.
- ^ "Newtown Majestic – Vaudeville and Revue". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 23 August 1924. p. 16. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ "Majestic Theatre". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 3 November 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "George Wallace Revue Company" at Australian Variety Theatre Archive. (Sighted 6 December 2012)
- ^ "Saturday Night". The Northern Times. Carnarvon, WA: National Library of Australia. 4 April 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "Australian Films". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 24 February 1934. p. 16. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "New Films". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 10 April 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter, ''The Two Frank Thrings, Monash University, 2012
External links edit
- Harmony Row at IMDb
- Harmony Row at Australian Screen Online
- Harmony Row at Oz Movies
- Harmony Row at Australian Variety Theatre Archive
- Copyright information at National Archives of Australia
