Out of the Blue (1931 film)

1931 film

Out of the Blue

Jessie Matthews sings the title song

Directed by| Gene Gerrard
Screenplay by| Bert Lee
Frank Miller
R.P. Weston
Based on| Little Tommy Tucker
1930 play
by Desmond Carter and Caswell Garth[1]
Produced by| John Maxwell
Starring| Gene Gerrard
Jessie Matthews
Kay Hammond
Cinematography| Arthur Crabtree
Ernest Palmer
Edited by| Edward B. Jarvis
Music by| Vivian Ellis

Production
company

British International Pictures

Distributed by| Pathé Pictures International

Release date

* 5 November 1931 (1931-11-05)

Running time

| 88 minutes
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English

Out of the Blue is a 1931 British musical film directed by Gene Gerrard and starring Gerrard, Jessie Matthews and Kay Hammond.[2] It was produced by British International Pictures at the company's Elstree Studios near London. The film's sets were designed by the art director David Rawnsley.

It was Matthews' first major film role.[3] A baronet's daughter falls in love with a radio star who is engaged to marry her sister. The film was not a success, but led to Matthews being cast in There Goes the Bride and given a contract by Gainsborough Pictures.[3] Matthews later wrote in her autobiography, "Out of the Blue was adapted from a stage musical and never should have left the boards."[4] John Orton served as a supervising director.[2]

## Plot

[edit]

Impoverished aristocrat's daughter Tommy Tucker (Jessie Matthews) is in love with radio announcer Bill Coverdale (Gene Gerrard), but he is engaged to her more glamorous sister Angela (Kay Hammond), who he does not love. Seeking escape from this hopeless situation, and her life of genteel poverty, Tommy flees abroad to Biarritz to become a nightclub singer.

## Cast

[edit]

* Gene Gerrard as Bill Coverdale
* Jessie Matthews as Tommy Tucker
* Kay Hammond as Angela Tucker
* Kenneth Kove as Freddie
* Binnie Barnes as Rosa
* David Miller as Sir Jeremy Tucker
* Fred Groves as Bannister Blair
* Averil Haley as Judy Blair
* Hal Gordon as Videlop
* Gordon Begg as Mumford

## Critical reception

[edit]

TV Guide and Britmovie both called the film "lightweight."[5][6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gifford, Denis (1 April 2016). British Film Catalogue: Two Volume Set – The Fiction Film/The Non-Fiction Film. Routledge. ISBN 9781317740636 - via Google Books.
2. ^ a b "Out of the Blue (1931) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
3. ^ a b MacNab p.74
4. ^ "Evergreen (1934)". Turner Classic Movies.
5. ^ "Out Of The Blue". TVGuide.com.
6. ^ "Out of the Blue | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Retrieved 24 July 2014.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* MacNab, Geoffrey. Searching for stars: stardom and screen acting in British cinema. Casell, 2000.

## External links

[edit]

* Out of the Blue at IMDb

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