''Valley of Song'' is a 1953 British

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

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 Gilbert Gunn and starring

Mervyn Johns Mervyn Johns (born David Mervyn John; 18 February 18996 September 1992) was a Welsh stage, film and television character actor who became a star of British films during the Second World War. Johns was known for his "mostly mild-mannered, lugubri ...

, Clifford Evans, Maureen Swanson and the London Welsh Association Choral Society. It marked the film debut of actress Rachel Roberts. It was released in the U.S. as ''Men Are Children Twice''.

Premise

Fierce rivalries flare to the surface in a small

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

town over a coveted role in the local choir.

Cast

as Minister Griffiths * Clifford Evans as Geraint Llewellyn * Maureen Swanson as Olwen Davies *

John Fraser John Fraser may refer to: Politics *John Simon Frederick Fraser (1765–1803), commanded the Fraser Fencibles in Ireland and was (M.P.) for Inverness-shire *John James Fraser (1829–1896), 5th Premier of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, 18 ...

as Cliff Lloyd * Rachel Thomas as Mrs. Lloyd *

Betty Cooper Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is one of the main characters appearing in American comic books published by Archie Comics. She is the lead guitarist, percussionist and one of the three singers of The Archies. The character was created by Bob Montana an ...

as Mrs. Davies * Rachel Roberts as Bessie Lewis *

Hugh Pryse Hugh Pryse (1910–1955) was a British character actor. He was born on 11 November 1910 with the name John Hwfa Pryse, and was billed as Hwfa Pryse in the films ''Penn of Pennsylvania'' and ''"Pimpernel" Smith. His stage work included Peter Bro ...

as Lloyd, Undertaker * Edward Evans as Davies *

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 Car ...

as Lloyd the Haulage *

Alun Owen Alun Davies Owen (24 November 1925 – 6 December 1994) was a Welsh playwright, screenwriter and actor, predominantly in television. However, he is best remembered by a wider audience for writing the screenplay of The Beatles' debut feature fi ...

as Pritchard * Ronald Lewis as Uncredited role *

Desmond Llewelyn Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn (; 12 September 1914GRO Register of Births: DEC 1914 11a 490 NEWPORT M. – Desmond W. Llewelyn, mmn = Wilkinson – 19 December 1999GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 2000 A70E 247 EASTBOURNE – Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn, D ...

as Lloyd the Schoolmaster

Production

Filmed on location in

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

in 1952, as well as at

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

, ''Valley of Song'' marks the first film appearance of Rachel Roberts and the first film credit of

, both of whom worked together in Swansea repertory theatre in 1950 under the directorship of Clifford Evans, who also stars in the film.

Release

After the initial trade screening to cinema bookers on 26 February 1953, ''Valley of Song'' had four simultaneous World premieres in Wales, opening at cinemas in Cardiff, Newport, Merthyr Tydfil, and Swansea, all on 13 April 1953.

Critical reception

''Eye for Film'' noted "an enjoyable if somewhat low-key story which, at 72 minutes in length, would make for a suitably harmonious Sunday afternoon. From the whistle of the steam trains, to the film’s score, provided courtesy of the London Welsh Association Choral Society, Valley Of Song is a pleasing if utterly unchallenging delight."

References

External links

* 1953 films 1953 comedy-drama films British comedy-drama films Films shot at Associated British Studios Films set in Wales Films directed by Gilbert Gunn British black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{comedy-drama-film-stub