It seems that Binnie can't even go to the local baths without being
mistaken for Lia de Marita, the famous model, it's all a bit of a bore
really but when an American film scout makes a date with her to meet
at the Excelsior, she (and her friend Mollie) decide to treat it as a lark.
As Mollie, Mabel Poulton is the personification of a fiery flapper, she
is marvellous, she should have looked forward to a career as a Glenda
Farrell type with some British charm thrown in but it was not to be!!
Back to the story - wouldn't you know it, the real Lia is also meeting agents there and in Binnie's impersonation it's a case of "be careful what you wish for" as the real Lia comes with quite a lot of baggage. Like an ex-con husband Geoffrey (John Longdon) fresh out of prison and eager to resume his and Lia's crooked partnership!! She also has nice boy Gordon (John Stuart, looking very like Paul Page, his Hollywood contemporary) on a string - of pearls that she desperately needs for her audition. In reality she and Geoffrey intend to abscond with mummy's pearls away to the continent!!
Enter Binnie - she wows them at the audition with a plaintive and emotive rendition of "My Secret Passion" - singing was something Lia couldn't do. It only takes just over an hour for everything to be sorted. The movie showed that Britain was still finding it's talkie feet in 1930. John Longdon, a fine dramatic actor in silents, started off okay but his performance went a bit off the rails - at one stage I expected him to utter "Curses, foiled again"!! Elissa Landi was so sensitive in the acclaimed "Underground" - playing dual roles was difficult but she was on much surer ground as Binnie than as the temperamental Lia. In these very early talkie experiments there is usually someone who leads the way and here it was Mabel Poulton - she had been a dependable silent star but her first talkie (not this one) was a flop and unfortunately her career never recovered.
Very Recommended.
Back to the story - wouldn't you know it, the real Lia is also meeting agents there and in Binnie's impersonation it's a case of "be careful what you wish for" as the real Lia comes with quite a lot of baggage. Like an ex-con husband Geoffrey (John Longdon) fresh out of prison and eager to resume his and Lia's crooked partnership!! She also has nice boy Gordon (John Stuart, looking very like Paul Page, his Hollywood contemporary) on a string - of pearls that she desperately needs for her audition. In reality she and Geoffrey intend to abscond with mummy's pearls away to the continent!!
Enter Binnie - she wows them at the audition with a plaintive and emotive rendition of "My Secret Passion" - singing was something Lia couldn't do. It only takes just over an hour for everything to be sorted. The movie showed that Britain was still finding it's talkie feet in 1930. John Longdon, a fine dramatic actor in silents, started off okay but his performance went a bit off the rails - at one stage I expected him to utter "Curses, foiled again"!! Elissa Landi was so sensitive in the acclaimed "Underground" - playing dual roles was difficult but she was on much surer ground as Binnie than as the temperamental Lia. In these very early talkie experiments there is usually someone who leads the way and here it was Mabel Poulton - she had been a dependable silent star but her first talkie (not this one) was a flop and unfortunately her career never recovered.
Very Recommended.