In this musical comedy, Paul Robeson stars as Joe, a Marseilles docker hired by a wealthy English couple to find their missing son. When Joe finds him, he learns he escaped of his own will,...
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Title: Big Fella (1937)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Paul Robeson | ... | Joe | |
 |
Elisabeth Welch | ... | Amanda 'Manda' |
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Roy Emerton | ... | Spike |
| James Hayter | ... | Chuck | |
|
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Lawrence Brown | ... | Corney |
|
|
Eldon Gorst | ... | Gerald Oliphant (as Eldon Grant) |
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Marcelle Rogez | ... | Marietta |
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Eric Cowley | ... | Ferdy Oliphant |
|
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Joyce Kennedy | ... | Mrs. Oliphant |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
In this musical comedy, Paul Robeson stars as Joe, a Marseilles docker hired by a wealthy English couple to find their missing son. When Joe finds him, he learns he escaped of his own will, and takes him to stay with a local singer. They offer him a refuge from his repressed white parents. Written by Anonymous
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1939 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Een zwarte idylle See more »Filming Locations:
British Lion Studios, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, UKCompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Photophone System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Written by Michael Carr (uncredited) and Will Grosz (as Hugh Williams)
Sung by Paul Robeson
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Did You Know?
Soundtracks
River Steals My Folks from MeWritten by Michael Carr (uncredited) and Will Grosz (as Hugh Williams)
Sung by Paul Robeson
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This easy-going musical has two main things going for it. First and foremost, there's Paul Robeson singing five of the movie's songs with his rich baritone voice, always a great pleasure even when the songs aren't too memorable. And second is watching Paul Robeson act in his natural personable style. The plot, with the police asking him to help find a missing boy, was just an excuse to fill in time between songs. But I also enjoyed Elisabeth Welch singing two nice torch songs, and the comedy provided by some of the rest of the cast. A big surprise was seeing the great Margaret Rutherford in a small unbilled role, right at the start of her movie career.