''Soft Lights and Sweet Music'' is a 1936 British musical film directed by Herbert Smith and starring

Bert Ambrose Benjamin Baruch Ambrose (11 September 1896 – 11 June 1971), known professionally as Ambrose or Bert Ambrose, was an English bandleader and violinist. Ambrose became the leader of a highly acclaimed British dance band, ''Bert Ambrose & His Or ...

, Evelyn Dall and

Harry Tate Ronald Macdonald Hutchison (4 July 1872 – 14 February 1940), professionally known as Harry Tate, was an English comedian, who performed in the music halls, in variety shows, and in films. Career Born in Lambeth, the son of a Scottish tea m ...

. It was made by British Lion at

Beaconsfield Studios Beaconsfield Film Studios is a British television and film studio in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The studios were operational as a production site for films in 1922, and continued producing films - and, later, TV shows - until the 1960s. B ...

. The film is a musical revue showcasing a selection of bands and variety acts of the day. It takes its title from Elisabeth Welch's popular

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

show, which ran from 1933–1935. The film's art direction was by Norman G. Arnold.

Cast

as himself - Orchestra Leader * Evelyn Dall as herself * Western Brothers as Themselves *

as himself * Billy Bennett as himself *

Turner Layton Turner Layton (July 2, 1894 – February 6, 1978), born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an African American songwriter, singer and pianist. He frequently worked with Henry Creamer. Life Born in Washington, D.C., United States, in 1894, he was the s ...

as himself *

Elisabeth Welch Elisabeth Margaret Welch (February 27, 1904July 15, 2003) was an American singer, actress, and entertainer, whose career spanned seven decades. Her best-known songs were " Stormy Weather", " Love for Sale" and "Far Away in Shanty Town". She was ...

as herself *

Max Bacon Max Bacon is an English rock singer. He was the lead singer for 1980s rock group GTR, as well as for Burn the Sky, Moby Dick, Nightwing, Phenomena, and Bronz. He was the vocalist on GTR's top 40 single, "When the Heart Rules the Mind" and GTR's ...

as himself *

Wilson, Keppel and Betty Wilson, Keppel and Betty formed a popular British music hall and vaudeville act in the middle decades of the 20th century. They capitalised on the fashion for Ancient Egyptian imagery following the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. The "ecc ...

as Themselves * Donald Stewart as himself * Karina as herself * The Three Rhythm Brothers as Themselves * The Four Flash Devils as Themselves * The Four Robinas as Themselves * The Five Charladies as Themselves * Sandy Powell as himself * Dorothy Astra as herself * Murial Billah as herself * Jimmy Fletcher as himself * Jennie Gregson as herself * Bob Robinson as himself * Olga Zeta as herself * John Turnbull as Gramophone Factory Director

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1936 films British musical films 1936 musical films Films shot at Beaconsfield Studios Films set in England Films directed by Herbert Smith 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{UK-musical-film-stub