Kicking the Moon Around

Last updated

Kicking the Moon Around
Directed by Walter Forde
Written by Thomas J. Geraghty (story), Michael Hogan
Produced byHerbert Wynne
Cinematography Francis Carver
Edited by Derek N. Twist
Production
company
Vogue Film Productions
Release date
  • 30 March 1938 (1938-03-30)
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Kicking the Moon Around is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Bert Ambrose, Evelyn Dall and Harry Richman. [1] The film marked Maureen O'Hara's screen debut; she appeared very briefly, speaking one line.

Contents

Plot summary

Millionaire Bobbie Hawkes is engaged to Flo, a singer and aspiring actress who hopes to move to Hollywood. He becomes concerned when his friend Mark points out that Flo seems mostly interested in Bobbie's money. In an effort to discover whether she is a gold digger, Bobbie pretends to have lost his fortune on the stock market and she ends their engagement.

Disguised as an ordinary laborer, he befriends a shopgirl named Pepper who performs for customers. He is impressed by Pepper's voice and decides to help her start a singing career. A jealous Flo sabotages Pepper's audition with popular bandleader Bert Ambrose and tricks her into signing a contract with the store owner, Mr. Stoker. However, Bobbie outsmarts Flo by arranging a second audition for Pepper. Undeterred, Flo ruins Pepper's debut performance by painting Bobbie as a villain and plying her with alcohol; in the ensuing chaos, everyone in the club is arrested and brought before a magistrate. The magistrate sentences Flo to seven days in jail for assaulting Mark, ruining her chance of a Hollywood contract. Meanwhile, Pepper and Bobbie are free to go and start their life together.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Pinewood Studios and distributed by General Film Distributors. [2]

Release

In 1942, the film was rereleased in theatres with the new title of Millionaire Merry-Go-Round. It was titled The Play Boy in the US. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1938 in music</span> Overview of the events of 1938 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen O'Hara</span> Irish-American actress and singer (1920–2015)

Maureen O'Hara was an Irish-born naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for playing passionate but sensible heroines, often in Westerns and adventure films. She worked with director John Ford and long-time friend John Wayne on numerous projects.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1939 film) 1939 film by William Dieterle

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1939 American romantic drama film starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara. Directed by William Dieterle and produced by Pandro S. Berman, the film is based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel. The film is also noted for being the first film ever shown at the Cannes Film Festival before the rest of the festival was cancelled due to the start of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evelyn Keyes</span> American actress

Evelyn Louise Keyes was an American film actress. She is best known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambrose (bandleader)</span> English bandleader and violinist (1896–1971)

Benjamin Baruch Ambrose, known professionally as Ambrose, was an English bandleader and violinist. Ambrose became the leader of a highly acclaimed British dance band, Ambrose & His Orchestra, in the 1930s.

<i>Big Jake</i> 1971 film

Big Jake is a 1971 American Technicolor Western film starring John Wayne, Richard Boone and Maureen O'Hara. The picture was the final film for George Sherman in a directing career of more than 30 years, and Maureen O'Hara's last film with John Wayne and her last before her twenty-year retirement. The supporting cast features Patrick Wayne, Christopher Mitchum, Glenn Corbett, Jim Davis, John Agar, Harry Carey Jr. and Hank Worden.

<i>Three Little Words</i> (film) 1950 American musical film directed by Richard Thorpe

Three Little Words is a 1950 American musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby. It stars Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar and Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby, along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their wives, with Debbie Reynolds in a small but notable role as singer Helen Kane and Gloria DeHaven as her own mother, Mrs. Carter DeHaven. The film, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, was written by Academy-Award-winning screenwriter George Wells, directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Jack Cummings. Harry Ruby served as a consultant on the project, and he appears in a cameo role as a baseball catcher. The third in a series of MGM biopics about Broadway composers, it was preceded by Till the Clouds Roll By and Words and Music and followed by Deep in My Heart.

Evelyn Dall was an American singer and actress.

<i>Mamma Mia!</i> (film) 2008 film by Phyllida Lloyd

Mamma Mia! is a 2008 jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson, based on her book from the 1999 musical of the same name. The film is based on the songs of pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson. The film features an ensemble cast, including Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Meryl Streep, and Julie Walters. The plot follows a young bride-to-be who invites three men to her upcoming wedding, with the possibility that any of them could be her father. The film was an international co-production between Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and was co-produced by Playtone and Littlestar Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British dance band</span> Genre of popular jazz and dance music

British dance band is a genre of popular jazz and dance music that developed in British dance halls and hotel ballrooms during the 1920s and 1930s, often called a Golden Age of British music, prior to the Second World War.

<i>Mannequin</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Frank Borzage

Mannequin is a 1937 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, and Alan Curtis. Crawford plays Jessie, a young working class woman who seeks to improve her life by marrying her boyfriend, only to find out that he is no better than what she left behind. She meets a self-made millionaire with whom she falls in love despite his financial problems.

<i>A Womans Secret</i> 1949 film by Nicholas Ray

A Woman's Secret is a 1949 American film noir/mystery starring Maureen O'Hara, Gloria Grahame and Melvyn Douglas. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it was written and produced by Herman J. Mankiewicz based on the novel Mortgage on Life by Vicki Baum.

<i>Dance, Girl, Dance</i> 1940 film by Dorothy Arzner

Dance, Girl, Dance is a 1940 American comedy-drama film directed by Dorothy Arzner and starring Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward, Lucille Ball, and Ralph Bellamy. The film follows two dancers who strive to preserve their own integrity while fighting for their place in the spotlight and for the affections of a wealthy young suitor.

<i>Stage Mother</i> (1933 film) 1933 film by Charles Brabin

Stage Mother is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Charles Brabin and starring Alice Brady and Maureen O'Sullivan. The film is about a frustrated vaudeville performer who pushes her daughter into becoming a star dancer; selfishness, deceit and blackmail drive mother and daughter apart until a reconciliation at the end of the film. The screenplay was written by John Meehan and Bradford Ropes, based on the 1933 novel of the same name by Ropes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Bacon (actor)</span> English comedian, actor and musician (1904–1969)

Max David Bacon was a British actor, comedian and musician. Although he was British-born, his comedic style centred on his pseudo-European, Yiddish accent and in his straight-faced mispronunciation of words.

<i>The Eddie Cantor Story</i> 1953 film by Alfred E. Green

The Eddie Cantor Story is a 1953 American musical drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Keefe Brasselle, Marilyn Erskine and Aline MacMahon. It is a biopic based on the life of Eddie Cantor featuring Brasselle as Cantor. It was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. Cantor himself appeared briefly in the film in a cameo role.

This is a summary of 1938 in music in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen O'Hara filmography</span> List of films

Maureen O'Hara (1920–2015) was an Irish singer and actress from Dublin, who worked primarily in American film and television. She was born into a close-knit and artistically talented family; her mother was a contralto vocalist, and her three sisters and two brothers were budding actors and musical performers. O'Hara received music and dance lessons at the Ena Burke School of Elocution and Drama, becoming a member of the Rathmines Theatre Company when she was 10 years old. While still a teenager, she won several Radio Éireann Players contests to perform with them. She also won the Dublin Feis Award, for her performance as Portia in The Merchant of Venice. O’Hara was a member of the Abbey Theatre School, and a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music.

<i>Valley Girl</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Rachel Lee Goldenberg

Valley Girl is a 2020 American jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, written by Amy Talkington from a story by Wayne Crawford and Andrew Lane, and produced by Matt Smith and Steven J. Wolfe. It is a remake of the 1983 film of the same name and stars Jessica Rothe, Josh Whitehouse, Logan Paul, and Judy Greer. The film follows Julie Richman, a Valley girl, who falls in love with Randy, a rebellious punk, during the early 1980s.

References

  1. "Kicking the Moon Around". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  2. Geoff Brown (1977). Walter Forde. British Film Institute. p. 37. ISBN   9780851700625.
  3. Marching to the Canon. University of Rochester Press. 2014. p. 176. ISBN   9781580464383.