London Town (1946)
Directed by Wesley Ruggles
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
London Town was painstakingly planned as a huge box-office smash--even unto hiring several Hollywood leading lights to work on the film, including producer/director/writer Wesley Ruggles, Technicolor cinematographer Ernest Hiller, costume designer Orry-Kelly and songsmiths Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. Veteran music-hall entertainer Sid Field plays a washed-up comedian who hopes to stage a comeback in a glittering new revue. Alas, Field is hired as merely an understudy and bit player. His faithful daughter Petula Clark (yes, Petula Clark) pulls a few fast ones in order to get her dad back on stage in a starring role. Making her film debut in a supporting part is Kay Kendall, who'd have to wait a decade or so for full stardom. Far from a hit, London Town was one of the most notorious flops in the history of the British cinema.
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Keywords
comeback, comedian, daughter, revue, understudy