IMDb plot summary: Arthur Kipps, an orphan apprenticed to a tyrannical owner of a mercantile, has a sudden abrupt change of life when his wealthy grandfather dies and leaves him a pile of money.
Directed by George Sidney. Starring Tommy Steele, Julia Foster, Cyril Ritchard, and Penelope Horner.
Like so many musicals, this is a long movie to be able to fit in all the tunes, but not a single one of these songs is a throwaway. Even the songs that in ANY other musical would have been time killers at best -- I'm thinking particularly of "Flash Bang" and "Money to Burn" -- become absolutely enthralling to watch here. I attribute some of that to Tommy Steele's magnetic energy. It'd be easier for him to become just "too much" in a movie, but here he brings a sense of joy to every song he's in, and made every single song thoroughly enjoyable. The rest of the cast is pretty good as well, but it's very definitely Steele who carries the movie, and he does it well. It's the first musical I've seen in awhile where I left genuinely wanting to find a cast album and get to know those songs better. It's too bad this one isn't better known, it's delightful.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Half a Sixpence > The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
Half a Sixpence > Hoop Dreams
Half a Sixpence > He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not
Half a Sixpence < This Is Spinal Tap
Half a Sixpence < Shattered Glass
Half a Sixpence > Trust
Half a Sixpence < The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Half a Sixpence < The World's End
Half a Sixpence > Once
Half a Sixpence < I.Q.
Half a Sixpence < Inglourious Basterds
Half a Sixpence < A Simple Plan
Final spot: #366 out of 3357, or 89%.
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