Happidrome

Last time this was on was Friday teatime UK BBC2 15th October 1982 – way before I had a video recorder, but thankfully there were tapers out there who captured this one. The Corporation had its uses back then, before their quest for audience numbers and their insatiable desire to play more mind-numbing adverts than ITV took over. It's as I remember it: a corny but anarchic, quaint yet witty transference of the popular 1940's BBC radio series to film.

Chubby Harry Korris plays thespian stalwart Mr. Lovejoy putting on a show with the help of a pretty disparate and desperate lot, that in the words from Hellzapoppin turns out to be a bust. They decide to put a musical comedy on instead. Most of the film is taken up with showing the show, a livelier and happier bunch you'd be hard pressed to find - some of the songs were forgettable, some of the dialogue sparkling, albeit delivered either in lugubrious or gormless thick Lankey dialects. Favourite bits: Hutch at the piano, chunkier than in his heyday but still sophisticated and inimitable; Korris, Vincent and Fredericks singing We Three (Just a set of twerps we may be).

Overall, entertaining hokum and of immense historical significance, which is why in this country that likes film history no older than Star Wars and likes all films to be in some way a debasing experience it is almost completely forgotten.

In the 1940s film spin offs of radio shows became very popular,even variety shows such as this.I can think of a number of better remembered examples such as Hi Gang,ITMA and The Band Waggon.According to the Mancunian Studios website the radio show Happidrome ran from 1941 to 1947.It was a Saturday night variety show featuring the same three characters running a run down music hall much as they are doing in this film.In fact what passes for a plot only serves to introduce the variety turns.There are 2 numbers from Hutch and a routine with the Caroli Brothers which lasts nearly 10 minutes.The latters inclusion may have something to do with the fact that one of the co producers is Tom Arnold who was a well known circus owner.Strangely enough the other co producer was Jack Buchanan.It has to be said that this film is more of historic interest than anything.The film was last transmitted by the BBC in 1982 as part of their 60th birthday celebrations.I suppose the next airing will be in 2022 for their centenary.