Cunard - Liverpool, Merseyside.
Excellent footage of musical comedy stars Cicely Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert plus dancers and musicians; rehearsing for show on board the Cunard liner ship ’HMS Lancastria’.
Various shots of rehearsal; w/ the entertainers wearing street clothes (hats and coats). Dancers; mostly women w/ a few young men; performing hornpipe with Charleston steps and high kicks incorporated. The chorus girls pretend to mob a male actor who doesn’t really look much like idol material. Cut to M/S of a slightly chubby man posing beside the railings of the ship, looking out to sea - looks like one of the male stars. Cut back to a few shots of the girls all crowding around him; and running in a group towards camera. It looks like they are preparing for a show to be actually performed on board the ship.
Good shots of musicians in the band: great CU profile of piano player playing; w/ cigarette hanging out of his mouth. CU drummer playing. More hornpipe dancing. (I think Cicely Courtneidge