''Things Are Looking Up'' is a 1935 British musical

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Albert de Courville Albert Pierre de Courville (26 March 1887 – 15 March 1960) (born in Croydon, England) was a writer and director of theatrical revues, many of which featured the actress and singer Shirley Kellogg, whom he married in June 1913. Career In abo ...

, produced by

Michael Balcon Sir Michael Elias Balcon (19 May 1896 – 17 October 1977) was an English film producer known for his leadership of Ealing Studios in West London from 1938 to 1955. Under his direction, the studio became one of the most important British fil ...

for

Gaumont British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France. Film production Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...

and starring

Cicely Courtneidge Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge, (1 April 1893 – 26 April 1980) was an Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer. The daughter of the producer and playwright Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West En ...

, Max Miller and

William Gargan William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905February 17, 1979) was an American film, television and radio actor. He was the 5th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1967, and in 1941, was nominated for the Academy Award for Be ...

. It was made at

Islington Studios Islington Studios, often known as Gainsborough Studios, were a British film studio located on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, London between 1919 and 1949. The studio ...

British Gaumont The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France. Film production Gaumont-British was founded in 1 ...

, an affiliate of

Gainsborough Pictures Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, north London. Gainsborough Studios was active between 1924 and 1951. The com ...

. The film's sets were designed by

Alex Vetchinsky Alex Vetchinsky ( Alec Hyman Vetchinsky; 9 November 1904 - 4 March 1980) was a BAFTA nominated British film art director and production designer. He worked on more than a hundred productions during a career that lasted between 1928 and 1974. Vetc ...

. The film was distributed by Gaumont British Distributors. Courtneidge plays a

dual role A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

as the sisters Bertha and Cicely Fytte. Bertha is a dour schoolteacher, while the bubbly Cicely runs a nearby circus. When Bertha

elope Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting ma ...

s, Cicely takes her place at the school to prevent her from getting the sack. It was the film debut for Vivien Leigh. ''Things Are Looking Up'' was released to cinemas in the United Kingdom in 1935.

Plot

Cicely Fytte is a circus equestrienne and the twin sister of Bertha Fytte who disapproves of her. Bertha is a strict schoolteacher at a girls' boarding school and not well liked by the girls. One day Bertha elopes with a wrestler so Cicely temporarily takes her place as teacher for one day - to prevent her from losing her job. Cicely is livelier and not as disapproving as Bertha so the girls are initially surprised by Cicely's bubbly personality - unaware that she isn't Bertha. A series of comical events follow: up-beating singing in a music class (leading to the composition of the song "Things Are Looking Up"), winning a tennis match at Wimbledon (despite not having as much experience as Bertha and breaking a racket) and trying to teach geometry (despite not knowing the subject). In spite of her unorthodox methods, she becomes successful and by the time Bertha (having been shortlisted to succeed the retiring headmistress) returns, she becomes headmistress. As soon as Bertha comes back to the school, Cicely leaves with the music teacher, Van Gaard in his car and they sing their song from the music lesson Cicely covered - ''Things Are Looking Up''.

Cast

as Cicely Fytte / Bertha Fytte * Max Miller as Joey *

as Van Gaard * Mary Lawson as Mary Fytte * Mark Lester as Chairman *

Henrietta Watson Henrietta Watson (11 March 187329 September 1964) was a Scottish actress. She was born in Dundee, Scotland, on 11 March 1873, into a theatrical family. Her maternal grandfather was actor J.B. Johnston, whom Edmund Yates considered to be “the m ...

as Miss McTavish * Cicely Oates as Miss Crabbe *

Judy Kelly Julie Aileen Kelly (1 November 1913 – 22 October 1991), known professionally as Judy Kelly, was an Australian-born British actress. She arrived in Britain in 1932 after winning a competition organised by the Australian British Empire Films, wh ...

as Opal *

Dick Henderson Richard Henderson (20 March 1891 – 15 October 1958) was an English music hall comedian, singer and character actor. Life and career Dick Henderson was born in Sculcoates, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, the son of a machinist. He was an app ...

as Mr. Money *

Dickie Henderson Richard Matthew Michael Henderson, OBE (30 October 1922 – 22 September 1985) was an English entertainer. Early years He was born in London. His father, Dick Henderson (1891–1958), was a music hall comedian and singer famous for his ...

as Mr. Money's Son (billed as Dick Henderson Jr.) *

Charles Mortimer Charles Mortimer (1885–1964) was a British actor. Son of Charles Neil Mortimer - actor. Husband of Greta Wood - actress. Filmography * ''Watch Beverly'' (1932) (film debut) * '' You Made Me Love You'' (1933) * ''Sometimes Good'' (1934) * ' ...

as Harry *

Hay Plumb Edward Hay-Plumb (1883 in Norwich, Norfolk – 1960 in Uxbridge, Middlesex) was an English actor and film director. He served as a lieutenant in the West Yorkshire Regiment during World War I. Selected filmography Director * ''Hamlet'' (1913) * ...

as Tennis Umpire * Danny Green as Big Black Fox * Suzanne Lenglen as Madame Bombardier * Vivien Leigh as Schoolgirl (uncredited) * Alma Taylor as Schoolmistress (uncredited) * Wyn Weaver as Governor (uncredited) * Ian Wilson as Drummer in Band (uncredited)

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' called the film a "quite good comedy," and rated it two out of four stars. David Quinlan describes the film as a comedy dominated by Cicely Courtneidge. ''Halliwell's Film & Video Guide'' described the film as a " ivelystar vehicle for an oddly matched team."

References

Bibliography

*Cook, Pam. (1997). ''Gainsborough Pictures''. Performing Arts *Howard Reid, John. (2005). ''Hollywood's Miracles of Entertainment''. Lulu.com *Quinlan, David. (1984). ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928-1959''. Batsford *Walker, John. (ed). (1998). ''Halliwell's Film & Video Guide 1998''.

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

Entertainment. 13th edition *Wood, Linda. (1986). ''British Films, 1927–1939''. British Film Institute

External links

*
''Things Are Looking Up''
Britmovie , Home of British Films
''Things Are Looking Up''

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

''Things Are Looking Up''

Park Circus Park Circus is a neighbourhood of Central-South Kolkata, in Kolkata district Kolkata district (formerly known as Calcutta district) is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Kolkata. History Long before the B ...

''Things Are Looking Up''

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

{{Michael Balcon 1935 films 1935 musical comedy films British musical comedy films Films set in England Islington Studios films Films directed by Albert de Courville Films produced by Herbert Mason Films produced by Michael Balcon British black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films