Sally in Our Alley

Sally In Our Alley has come down in history of the British cinema as the film that introduced Gracie Fields to the movie going public. In her own way Gracie Fields the perky lass from Lancashire was a symbol of that British stiff upper lip tradition in the hard times of The Great Depression.

Fields was a marvelously versatile entertainer equally adept at comedy material and more dramatic fare shows that versatility here as the woman pining for her lost love. The lost love is Ian Hunter who was wounded in the Great War and crippled and lets it get back to her that he's been killed. So for over a decade she pined for Hunter keeping up a perky front, but in the end decides to accept the marriage proposal of pub owner Ben Field. Then Hunter who is no longer paralyzed but walks with a limp and the aid of a cane reenters the picture.

It's a slight and somewhat silly story. But as a vehicle for Fields for a motion picture debut it's a perfect fit. Gracie sings her theme song Sally and then some other numbers that became identified with her, Fred Fannakapan, Lancashire Blues, and Fall In And Follow The Band. All were much requested numbers in her Music Hall act.

Sally In Our Alley introduced Gracie Fields to film and let it be an introduction to you for a marvelous performer.

I'd always assumed this was run of the mill vehicle for a popular broadcasting star of the day, though I'd heard Maurice Elvey speak about it and it's star with enthusiasm.

Seeing it decades after his death is a strange experience because it is startlingly good. Production values are so so. The make-up shows and Norman Arnold's decors are clearly constructions but it is the most plausible and involving depiction of working class life the sound film would produce in Britain for years and, of it's day, only the more elegant DANCE PRETTY LADY compares as an achievement.

They really do invent an involving character for Fields, left alone after WW1 but still able to take an interest in (later radio star) Florence Desmond, as a movie struck girl beaten and twisted by her hard life. The scene of Desmond, dared into smashing Gracie's few pitiful possessions, is startling in such a film and lets you know what you're watching is not production line entertainment.

This is followed by the two more set piece scenes - Gracie doing her "Fred Fanacapan" song for the Toffs, which contains a wealth of comment of British society, jammed into it's story and comedy functions, and the final theme song which she performs in character, as the personal story winds down in front of her.

Gracie Fields became such a star on the strength of SALLY IN HER ALLEY that Maurice Elvey could only afford her for one more film, the less imposing LOVE LIFE AND LAUGHTER. Neither would continue into further important film careers and Elvey's already substantial achievement was neglected by commentators, leaving him to die in poverty. This film is a reproach to them as it is a surprise for determined vintage film viewers.

Due to the title song people these days are far more familiar with the title 'Sally in Our Alley' than with the film itself, which like most films of that era it has an open air prologue before thereafter transferring most of the action to a rather Dickensian street set.

Our Gracie - sporting a strange hairstyle with a kiss curl that makes her look like a gypsy - looks relatively young; Ian Hunter, however, even then looked a bit mature to have served in The Great War. (As befits a film made during the Great Depression it addresses the problem of women whose sweethearts come back disabled.)

The most surprising feature of the film is that the script was written by Miles Malleson and Alma Reville, while one arcane piece of information that it provides was that ninety years ago the uneducated were already calling glossy magazines 'books'.

This is the start of Gracies film career,which is most memorable for the introduction of what would become her signature tune "Sally".Her co star is Ian Hunter who was to go to Hollywood and appear in featured roles.The film is written by that well known character actor Miles Malleson and Hitch's wife Alma Reville,with additional material by her then husband and manager Archie Pitt.The film was made at Ealing prior to its emergence under Michael Balcon.The script is based on a play but it has to be said that it is as poverty struck as the films settings.There ate only 3 sets for the whole of this 75 minute film.There are a couple of interesting exteriors of Trafalgar Square and Buckhingham Palace.This film must have been a hit because Gracie when on to make a number of films at Ealing during the 1930s.No doubt her popularity in the Music Halls and Theatre carried her through this uncertain start.

Nicely crafted little drama set on the back streets of London's East End (?). Might look like a safe harmless comedy, but it boasts an authentic atmosphere, tight story and some great performances, especially from Fields and Desmond.

A couple of points to add to Mozjoukine's excellent summary (above). Firstly, the use of music hall song and routine. According to film scholar Stephen Shafer, this was a common feature of 1930s British films and is now hardly noticed or valued. But it is not hard to see why Fields became a global star with her singing and persona, very much grounded in music hall tradition. Second, Florrie's adoration of Hollywood stars in movie magazines is surely a comment on the pure escapism of this brand of cinema - to which 'Sally in Our Alley' presented a refreshing alternative.