Moviecut—Davy

source: Davy

Davy

The production details incorrectly show this film as having been made at Ealing.It was made at the MGM Boreham Wood studios.Unfortunately they were not that much interested in Balcon's films.Looking at this tired effort you can see why.In an ironic way the film rather mirrors the music hall it portrays.Both Balcon and the music halls were coming to their end and would be finished within a couple of years.Secombe was of course most famous for his Goon Show appearances.He also had a tremendous singing voice.However neither his singing talent and comedic abilities are enough to save this film.It does have a glimpse of what has now vanished forever.There is a brief glimpse of Clarkson Rose who was reputed to be one of the best pantomime dames ever.Secombe's film career never really took off and he made very few after this film.

...and of Covent Garden as it looked in 1957. But that aside this was a wholly misconceived last gasp to come from Michael Balcon at Ealing Studios, following their earlier equal but different failure at making a film star of Benny Hill in 'Who Done It?' 'Who Done It?' - which had been directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Michael Relph - had been a throwback to both Dearden & Ealing's slapstick comedies of the pre-war and wartime period. 'Davy' by contrast marked the first of several attempts over the next few years to launch popular British TV comedians on the big screen in Technicolor; but also remained one of the least successful. First-time director Relph (whose father George plays 'Uncle Pat') seemed overwhelmed by the wide screen, which drains the life from this expensive folly's attempts to try for pathos, in the face of a surprisingly poor script from veteran comedy writer William Rose which would probably have worked better if less elaborately produced.

Harry Secombe was a funny man, but he just wasn't equipped to deliver the required pathos in this limp attempt at a family drama. Strangely reminiscent of John Osborne's play The Entertainer--the film version of which was still several years in the future--Davy is strictly second division stuff about a music hall family whose most talented member (Secombe) has a chance to sing at Covent Garden. Strong supporting performances by Bill Owen and George Relph (who was nominated for a Tony in recognition of his performance in The Entertainer!) can't overcome the hackneyed and frankly unbelievable story, and the whole thing doesn't deserve to look as good as it does thanks to Douglas Slocombe's cinematography.