''The Beloved Vagabond'' is a 1936

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a Jewish film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in 1924, wi ...

and starring

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", "Louise", " Mimi", and "Thank Hea ...

, Betty Stockfeld,

Margaret Lockwood Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was an English actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1938), ''Night Train to Munich' ...

and

Austin Trevor Claude Austin Trevor Schilsky (7 October 1897 – 22 January 1978) was an Irish actor who had a long career in film and television. He played the parson in John Galsworthy's ''Escape'' at the world premiere in London's West End in 1926 an ...

. The film was made at

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...

by the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

producer Ludovico Toeplitz.

Plot

In 1900, a poor but promising French architect (Gaston de Nerac) living in London woos the daughter (Joanne Rushworth) of a gentleman facing economic ruin through exposure of his financial wrongdoing. A rival for the hand of Joanne (Count de Verneuil) promises to resolve the father’s economic problems in return for the hand of Joanne. Gaston feels obliged to agree and returns to France taking with him Asticot, a young boy also living in the boarding house. (Gaston is very encouraging of Asticot’s drawing and he in return regards Gaston as a patron and friend. In the world of film, a boy running away with a man needs no further explanation… the boy becomes effectively de Nerac’s adopted son.) During their meanderings in rural France, Gaston and Asticot meet a young woman, Blanquette, who is trying to support herself through music. They get together and become a musical partnership, finally moving to Paris where in a bar Gaston bumps into the Count de Verneuil – Gaston’s old rival – who is now married to Joanne. Shortly after the meeting, the Count dies and Joanne is once more a free woman. Joanne meets with Gaston and they re-establish the warm relationship of old, a painful process for Blanquette who, by this time, has fallen in love with Gaston (though he is oblivious to this). Gaston and Joanne return to London to make plans for their wedding. Gaston invites Blanquette and Asticot to the wedding and they bring with them the spirit of life on the road. This is fascinating for the other conservative guests but annoying for Joanne who relegates the two to the kitchen to be fed away from the other guests. This proves too much for Gaston who rows with Joanne. When Joanne reveals to Gaston the obvious – that Blanquette is in love with him—he races off to find his two friends. But they have already departed for the train to Dover and the ferry to France. Gaston requires the help of a horseless carriage to get to Dover to join Blanquette and Asticot. On the boat, he surprises Blanquette and tells her that he wants to be with his wife. She is puzzled and looks around for another woman before realising that she is the wife Gaston is referring to. A happy ending is guaranteed.

Cast

as Gaston de Nerac 'Paragot' * Betty Stockfeld as Joanna Rushworth *

as Blanquette *

Desmond Tester Sydney Desmond Tester (17 February 1919 – 31 December 2002) was an England, English film and television actor, Television presenter, host and executive. He was born in London, England, and started his career as child actor, among his most nota ...

as Asticot *

as Count de Verneuil *

Peter Haddon Peter Haddon (31 March 1898 – 7 September 1962) was an English actor. Personal life Haddon was born Peter Haddon Tildsley in Rawtenstall, Lancashire. He was the son of Alfred and Mary Tildsley and he had a brother, Vincent Harvey (1894), a ...

as Major Walters * Charles Carson as Charles Rushworth *

Cathleen Nesbitt Cathleen Nesbitt (born Kathleen Mary Nesbitt; 24 November 18882 August 1982) was an English actress. Biography Born in Birkenhead, Cheshire,Before 1 April 1974 Birkenhead was in Cheshire England to Thomas and Mary Catherine (née Parry) Nesb ...

as Mme. Boin *

Barbara Gott Barbara Gott (1872–1944) was a Scottish stage and film actress. In 1913 she made her West End debut in Stanley Houghton's ''Trust the People''. Partial filmography * ''Betta, the Gipsy'' (1918) * ''The Romance of Lady Hamilton'' (1919) - Mr ...

as Concierge *

Amy Veness Amy Veness (26 February 1876 – 22 September 1960) was an English film actress. She played the role of Grandma Huggett in ''The Huggetts Trilogy'' and was sometimes credited as Amy Van Ness. Veness was born Amy Clarice Beart in Aldeburgh, Suff ...

as Cafe Owner * D.J. Williams as Undertaker *

C. Denier Warren Charles Denier Warren (29 July 1889 – 27 August 1971) was an Anglo-American actor who appeared extensively on stage and screen from the early 1930s to late 1960s, mostly in Great Britain. Life He was born in Chicago the son of Charles Warren ...

as Railway Clerk

Production

The film was shot in English and French versions with different supporting casts.LONDON DEFERS ITS POETIC FILMS JOAN LITTLEFIELD.Copyright, 1936, by The New York Times Company and NANA, Inc.. New York Times 8 Mar 1936: X4. It was an early role for Margaret Lockwood.

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Perry, George. ''Forever Ealing''. Pavilion Books, 1994. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

References

External links

*
''Beloved Vagabond''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Beloved Vagabond 1936 films British historical musical films 1930s musical drama films 1930s historical musical films Films set in the 19th century Films set in France Films set in London Films directed by Curtis Bernhardt Ealing Studios films Films scored by Darius Milhaud British multilingual films British black-and-white films Sound film remakes of silent films Films based on British novels Columbia Pictures films British musical drama films 1936 multilingual films 1936 drama films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films