Along Came Sally (1934) User Reviews

Watch this for the music!

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 1 October 2005]

Cicely Courtneidge was married to Jack Hulbert from 1916 - 1978, the year of his death. If there was ever a match made in Heaven that was it - they were true soul-mates. Their effervescent outlooks on life were identical, along with their senses of humour, singing, dancing and acting talents. They both had a "talent to amuse", unfortunately public amusement has turned to the cynically and morally corrupt since their hey-days, meaning the type of humour they displayed in the '30's is now as antiquated to most people as the Battle of Hastings.

The copy I taped off UK TV in 1991 was titled "Aunt Sally", the British title. The term doesn't have to mean "empty", just someone or something that is a target for criticisms (or missiles!). Which does make it an apt title, because this and most types of pre-1955 low to middle-brow family entertainment films are easy targets to the modern mockers. However, the film itself is a pretty poor showing for the target CC, most of the laughs coming from the show owner Sam Hardy's downbeat wisecracks, trying to keep ahead of the "American" gangsters pressuring him for protection money. But at least it boasts two of Cicely's most popular numbers, "If I had Napoleon's Hat" but more especially "Riding on a Rainbow" with a big production routine to complement it and a different recording from the commercial 78 release. To my eyes and ears she put in a fantastic performance, with bravura camera-work too. Billy Milton blasts out "You ought to see Sally on Sunday", in a performance that sounds live and with every word beautifully enunciated. And Leslie Holmes' turn with Debroy Somers and his Band was wonderful to behold.

So a pleasant outing for Cicely, but if you're also a fan of British Dance Bands like me the film is worth watching - and listening to of course! - for its musical content alone.

Don't switch off...

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 6/10 · 26 May 2009]

I suspect that one's enjoyment of this comedy probably stands or falls on one's feelings about Miss Sally Bird: the Cinderella-plot requires that this zany matron, with her arch expression and incipient double chin, should triumph over her younger, prettier rival, and secure stardom and the heart of her employer thanks to her indomitable persistence -- and, of course, her Wonderful Personality.

Unfortunately Cecily Courtneidge takes the character so far over the top that it's hard to see how anyone could fall for her -- it's not so much a wonderful personality as an extremely irritating one. Given the allure of the exotic (and the hilariously camp persona she then adopts) I can more or less swallow King Kelly's falling for the 'Zaza' act, and even for the woman behind it: but as soon as Sally launches into the revue numbers in her 'own' persona, I was expecting to see her sacked on the spot -- she may be brimming with self-belief, but Miss Bird's act is so broad that the character simply comes across as lacking in talent.

When she is carrying out her escape -- however it may strain the bounds of plausibility -- she is actually quite resourceful and likable. I don't personally care much for slapstick, but that is not Miss Courtneidge's fault, and she certainly flings herself into her Apache act with admirable abandon (although a good deal of judicious cutting suggests that this sequence was not as stunt-heavy as it appears) and has no qualms about displaying a well-muscled pair of legs. But I'm afraid I just don't find the Sally Bird style of comedy funny.

The other problem I have with this film is its reliance on a weak 'American' gangster plot to drive the action. Although other pictures of the era supposedly include transatlantic sequences to boost sales to the US market, it's hard to imagine that this sort of laboured 'Noo Yoik' material can have improved the film's reception among American home audiences, and as a plot device it's a cheap indulgence. (One notes that the American night-club entrepreneur is conveniently endowed with an impeccably English son to ease the accent burden somewhat!)

There is little character development, and I never really became engaged with any of them, making such episodes as Billy getting shot or Queenie betraying Sally to the gangsters merely exercises in plot mechanics rather than carrying any emotional weight. And since neither Kelly nor Sally are presented as particularly likable characters, it's hard to understand why she should pursue him so hard, let alone why we should care about the outcome of the romance. The dance sequences appear somewhat cramped and not particularly imaginative, and the songs (by the same Harry Woods who would serve Jessie Matthews so well), while pleasant, seem nothing very special.

Having said all that, however, I must hasten to add that the film is not the complete disaster that the above comments might appear to suggest. The juvenile leads are a pleasant couple (although under-used), there are moments of genuine humour, and ultimately, although it has its deficiencies, the entertainment value of "Aunt Sally" manages to survive its annoyance factor. I admit that I had hoped for rather more on my first viewing of the famous Cecily Courtneidge, and I wouldn't recommend that anyone go out of his way to see this picture, but in the end I did quite enjoy it: a "don't switch off" rather than a "seek out at all costs" verdict.

Bird-Brained Sally

[writers_reign · 5/10 · 12 July 2010]

Okay, it was 1933, what do you want, slick, sophistication or sloppy slapstick. Well, you may want the first but you'll have to settle for the second. In its favor the film boasts four half-decent songs from the pen of Harry Woods and if you like Cicely Courtenidge you'll be in Hawg Heaven. This time around she was working without a net which is another way of saying she was without her usual partner (and also husband) Jack Hulbert, who could always be relied on to provide a shot of urbanity to offset her slapstick. The plot is about as believable as any musical plot in thirties Britain, in other words don't expose it to a strong light lest it disintegrate in front of your eyes. Given the time - the Great Depression - it was probably as good a slice of escapism as anything else.

Faintly amusing

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 3/10 · 20 November 2004]

As a female comedian, Cicely Courtneidge's performing style was somewhere between those of Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett. Like both of them, Courtneidge tried to get laughs out of elaborate costumes, in her case involving ludicrous over-sized hats. As with Joan Davis (who was much funnier and far sexier), Courtneidge's comedy routines often involved dancing and slapstick. Her stage and film comedies always involved extremely contrived plot lines. Her career peaked at roughly the same time as Bea Lillie's, and these two performers were frequently compared. But in fact Bea Lillie's most famous routine -- the 'double dozen double damask dinner napkins' -- was originated by Cicely Courtneidge (which explains why Lillie never performed this routine in Britain). Courtneidge's usual sidekick in her antics was her husband Jack Hulbert, who complemented her in roughly the same way that Desi Arnaz backed Lucille Ball. Hulbert was dark, handsome, urbane, and made some attempt -- never successful -- to keep his wife's antics earthed in reality.

Very late in her life, Cicely Courtneidge gave a deeply touching dramatic performance in 'The L-Shaped Room', as a wistful old lesbian from the variety halls. Regrettably, this one good performance was preceded by several decades of daft slapstick. It's not surprising that the Monty Python gang used Cicely Courtneidge's name to get a cheap laugh in one of their comedy routines.

'Along Came Sally' lacks Jack Hulbert but is otherwise absolutely typical of Courtneidge's work. She plays Sally Bird, an Englishwoman who combines the worst traits of the characters played by Gracie Allen (she's brainless) and Lucille Ball (she's got the showbiz bug but is utterly untalented). Sally applies for a job in a London nightclub, only to discover that some American gangsters (with guns!) are trying to take over the joint. Of course, she decides to stop them. Somehow, this involves her pretending to be a French performer from the Folies Bergere, cried Mademoiselle Zaza. That name is funnier than anything else in this movie.

The most interesting thing about 'Along Came Sally' is this film's depiction of American gangsters, with all the English stereotypical perceptions of such characters. The gangsters are played tolerably well by American actors, including Sam Hardy as the gang's leader. One of the henchgoons is well-played by Ben Welden, a semi-Edward Brophy character actor from America who got his start in British films before showing up at Warner Brothers. Less well-cast here is Hartley Power, an American character actor long resident in Britain, who usually played ineffectual roles. It doesn't much help that the American gangsters' dialogue is filled with Anglicisms. As 'Zaza', Courtneidge's attempts at a French accent are laughably bad without actually being funny. This entire movie bears an odd resemblance to the Groucho Marx/Carmen Miranda movie 'Copacabana', made a few years later.

I'll rate 'Along Came Sally' 3 points out of 10, mostly because I'm a fan of 1930s comedy in general. This film is firmly in that mode, but not nearly up to the high comedic standards of that decade. For some reason, 'Along Came Sally' is listed on IMDb as 'Aunt Sally'. In Britain, an 'Aunt Sally' is any empty personality that exists for the sole purpose of being knocked down or ridiculed. Well, that description fits this movie.

Cicely Courtneidge in Double Exposure

[boblipton · 7/10 · 29 November 2017]

Sam Hardy came from New York to London so he could run night clubs without gangsters muscling in on his business. The gangsters followed to muscle in. Then along came Sally in the person of Cicely Courtneidge to audition, for Hardy, only to be promptly tossed out.

Promptly getting a job as Hardy's parlor maid, she reinvents herself as a French cabaret star and fascinates Mr. Hardy, who decides to star her.... until the gangsters decide to sabotage everything by kidnapping the chanteuse.

The songs in this musical number have not aged well, but they are pretty good for the era, and Miss Courtneidge's mugging and serio-comic Apache dance will please people with a bent for such matters. I was particularly taken by the big production number, "You Ought to See Sally on Sunday." The huge variety of camera angles, including the overheading crane shots, suggest Busby Berkley, but it never loses itself in fantasy, despite the dizzying perspectives. It all clearly takes place within the generous confines of the night club space, even when optical printing offers multiple images. It's a nice variation never pursued in Hollywood.

lively musical

[malcolmgsw · 6/10 · 29 August 2017]

A combination of some lively musical numbers with a berkleyesque flair and great art deco sets give this film a high level of entertainment which is usually missing from any film starring Cicely Cpurtneidge.The American director,Tim Whelan,manages to keep her mugging to a minimum.Although using just a night club set he manages to utilise a lot of very imaginative camera angles in staging the numbers.All of the numbers are very tuneful.

She truly is a funny girl!

[mark.waltz · 9/10 · 28 June 2022]

British comic Cicely Courtneidge made a couple of American pictures but unfortunately did not create a splash domestically as she did in her home country. She certainly is one of the funniest ladies I've ever seen on screen, up there with Bea Lillie, Charlotte Greenwood, Patsy Kelly, Winnie Lightner and of course Fanny Brice. Desperate to get a job in the show, she keeps intruding on the auditions, and every time she pops up, it gets funnier and funnier.

At one point, she's singing about the birds as a big white drop of paint falls from the sky, and later on, a dog reacts hysterically to her singing. When she's kicked out for the third time, literally shuffled off to Buffalo, she decides a new tactic is necessary and disguises herself as a French singing sensation which upsets the musical revue's top star, Phyllis Clare.

A subplot behind the scenes is a presence of the New York gangsters in London demanding protection payment, and Clare uses them to get rid of her rival. But luck happens to be on Courtneidge's side, and fame is just around the corner. This lavish British musical is equivalent to anything they did in Hollywood at Warner Brothers or MGM, and up with Jessie Matthews, Gracie Fields and Anna Beagle, Courtneidge shows that the British had enough talent in their own movie industry to make musicals just as good as the Hollywood studios. Since there are roles for American gangsters in the film, several well known character actors have supporting roles, and are very good. A funny musical show with a glamorous British twist, one of the hidden gems of the 1930's.