Sidewalks of London (AKA “St. Martins Lane”)
Directed by Tim Whelan
Written by Clemence Dane
1938/UK
Mayflower Pictures Corporation
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
Charles Staggers: There ain’t no answer. You’re after justice and logic. There ain’t no justice, and there ain’t no logic. The world ain’t made that way. Everything’s luck, see. And good temper. And if you can take a joke. The whole of life’s a joke.
I loved this movie so much!
Charles Staggers (Charles Laughton) is a street performer who does dramatic recitations in London’s theater district for tips. (One of the delights of this movie is how badly he acts while doing these recitations). One night gutter snipe Liberty (just the one name “like Garbo” (Vivien Leigh)) steals sixpence from him. Later he runs into her at a food stall where he catches her stealing high-society Harley Prentiss’s (Rex Harrison) gold cigarette case. Instead of reporting her to the cops, he takes her in hand. Then he discovers what an absolutely lovely singer and dancer she is. He puts together an new act featuring her dancing to the singing of himself and a couple of other buskers.
Starrett had turned the cigarette case over to the police in hopes of getting a reward. This reunites Liberty with Prentiss, who is a composer for the musical theater. Leigh’s star rises as Laughton slowly falls apart.
I thought this movie was an absolute delight. Leigh may never have been so downright adorable. She really dances beautifully. And it need hardly be said that Laughton is excellent both as a comedian and as a pathetic figure. There’s a part where he is reciting Kipling’s “If” where he shifts from bombast to emotion and back again that is a wonder. It’s a bittersweet story that grabbed me and didn’t let go. Highly recommended.
