'Billy Merson, the great Nottingham-born music hall performer, presents one of his signature numbers. The film clearly captures Merson's comic brilliance - he not only sings, but dances, skips and indulges in a lot of creative business with a lyre. Merson had been making films since 1915 and Desdemonia is often cited as Britain's first sound film.' (Robin Baker, BFI)
Jun 1926
Apr 1927
British music hall star Leslie Sarony sings "When You're Up to Your Neck in Hot Water (Think of the Kettle and Sing)" in a short film produced in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process.
Mar 1928
British music hall entertainer Dick Henderson sings "I Love Her All the More" and trills out a resounding ode to his beloved in this early sound recording, stopping to aim some rather less romantic jibes at his wife before delivering a rousing encore.
Sep 1926
Short film with the popular song.
Jan 1928
Gwen Farrar, vocal, and Billy Mayerl, piano and vocal, perform "I've Got a Sweetie on the Radio" by Billy Mayerl and Kenneth Western, in a short film produced in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process.
Dec 1926
An early Photofilm of the Victoria Girls' vaudeville routine.
Apr 1928
In this incomplete print, Squire promises a “Cook’s Tour” of Russia, India, Italy, Finland, and Ireland. Russia is represented by Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, India by Amy Woodford-Finden’s ballad “Pale Hands I Loved Beside the Shalimar”. Bizarrely, a snatch of Mozart’s overture to Le Nozze di Figaro, set in Seville, appears to represent Italy. Lost footage robs us of Finland, and most of Ireland too.
Feb 1928
