Gaiety George

1946 British film
Gaiety George
Directed by
Written by
Produced byGeorge King
Starring
CinematographyOtto Heller
Edited byHugh Stewart
Music by
Production
company
Embassy Pictures
Distributed byWarner Brothers
Release date
  • 2 July 1946 (1946-07-02)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Gaiety George (also known as Showtime[1]) is a 1946 British historical musical film directed by George King and Leontine Sagan and starring Richard Greene, Ann Todd and Peter Graves.[2][3] It was written by Peter Creswell, Richard Fisher, Katherine Strueby and Basil Woon and is set in the late Victorian music hall, when an Irish impresario arrives in London.

The film was inspired by the memory of George Edwardes.[4]

Plot

Cast

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Director King demonstrates again his ability to build in a wealth of detail and give it the authenticity of a well-told romance. In narrative imagery the aspiration here evident will, no doubt, grow in clarity and conciseness. ... In a competent cast Leni Lynn steals honours with her acrobatically fluent high notes in singing. Greene has a convincing charm and a well-resstrained Irish bearing. Ann Todd, as wife and mother, brings that sympathy which keynotes the sweet sentiment of this piece."[5]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Older filmgoers may regret the absence of some of the best-known Edwardes tunes, and many of the leading stars of yesterday go unmentioned. Happily, the younger generation of picturegoers, those who represent the great majority, will not suffer similar qualms. They will accept the film for what it is, a friendly period musical comedy drama, and enjoy it. Even so, the picture is a warning to all producers and directors not to start something they can't finish. The question of copyright and performing rights is the snag, and it prevents the film from being good biography as well as colourful light entertainment"[4]

Picturegoer wrote: "The best thing to do when viewing this picture is to forget that it was originally presented as being based on the life of the famous Edwardian impressario, George Edwardes; you will hear none of the numbers which made his musical comedies from San Toy to The Merry Widow, a success. On the other hand, director George King has managed to capture some of the spirit of the period, both melodically, and in atmosphere. He has not succeeded in interesting us very much in his characters with, perhaps, the exception of a captious newspaper critic, played by Peter Graves. ... Ann Todd is not at all well photographed, as his leading lady who becomes his wife. Richard Greene is good as George Howard, but too tightly saddled with an Irish accent. Leni Lynn sings well, but is also handicapped by indifferent photography, as a leading lady."[6]

References

  1. ^ "Gaiety George". British Film Institute. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Gaiety George". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  3. ^ Harper, Sure (1994). Picturing the Past: The Rise and Fall of the British Costume Film. British Film Institute. p. 179. ISBN 978-0851704494.
  4. ^ a b "Gaiety George". Kine Weekly. 350 (2036): 21. 25 April 1946. ProQuest 2732596427.
  5. ^ "Gaiety George". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 13 (145): 44. 1 January 1946. ProQuest 1305808067.
  6. ^ "Gaiety George". Picturegoer. 15: 12. 3 July 1946. ProQuest 1776991031.
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