A Scene From "London Calling" Duke Of York's Theatre London (1924)

"There is a theory that what is said by an elocutionist is immaterial. It is the sound and inflection of the voice that matters. In this amusing scene, the "Whittlebot Family" attempt to demonstrate the theory. The Introducer...Tubby Edlin."
M/S of a stage - patterned curtains are the backdrop. A droll looking fellow walks along and opens the curtains to reveal two musicians. They look at each other with wary expressions. Tubby Edlin does a very fey pose as if to say "Well, here they are." "The Elocutionist... Maisie Gay." Maisie comes onto the stage wearing a rather odd costume. She bows. C/U of Maisie - a very odd looking woman - reciting a poem. She pulls funny faces as she speaks (she could be singing actually). "Beloved, it is dawn, I rise to smell the roses sweet. Emphatic are my hips and thighs, Phlegmatic are my feet." reads the intertitle. Another C/U of her gurning. M/S shows that the musicians are playing and Tubby is holding his chest as if overcome with emotion. C/U of Tubby who wears funny round glasses and a bow tie.
He begins to sing: "Her voice... the dulcet tones! Her face... oh, what a face! Come! let us hear her once again." He leaves the stage and returns with a little box for her to stand on. She stands in front of it and continues to sing. "Ten thousand roses have I got Within a garden wall, God give me strength to sniff the lot, Oh, let me sniff them all." She takes a bow as she finishes her song then trips over the box, falling into the musicians.
Extracts from the show "London Calling" at the Duke of York's Theatre in London.
This item may have originally be stored in another can - discovered in 1999. No markings on leader as to where was originally stored. Have created new cans for these "orphan items" - EP312 and EP313.
FILM ID:1102.17
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The Sitwells never forgave Noel Coward for this. Edith put him straight on her "blacklist" where he remained. It is hard to get a sense of in a silent film of course but the parody of SItwell verse was brilliant and like all good satire it had a killer edge because this strain of English Modernism was arguably in reality affected and snobbish (and therefore while not exactly neglected by posterity) is seen as very minor to, say, Proust