Gay Old Days: A weird little musical postcard

Is it worth your time?

If you have ten minutes to kill and a high tolerance for people singing at each other in the street, maybe. This isn't exactly Be Yourself in terms of star power, but it has a certain frantic energy. People who hate old musicals or anything that feels like a stage play taped to a wall should probably skip this.

It starts out with a whole lot of bustling energy. You’ve got Rose Kessner looking like she just walked off a postcard, and suddenly there are suitors everywhere. It’s almost too much activity for one frame. You can tell they were trying to pack every square inch of the screen with something happening.

Then the Irish tenor starts singing. And he just keeps going. I found myself staring at the background extras, wondering who they actually were. There's this one guy in the back who keeps adjusting his hat every three seconds. It becomes the most interesting part of the scene once you notice it. 🎩

The Salvation Army chorus shows up eventually. It feels like the movie is trying to juggle five different ideas at once. It’s not quite as chaotic as Chase Me Charlie, but it certainly isn't subtle. The transition from the romantic stuff to the chorus felt like a hard left turn.

• The lighting is really flat, like a gloomy afternoon.
• The way they move around each other looks like a human version of a clockwork toy.
• The sound quality has that distinct scratchy, 'we recorded this in a shed' charm.

There is a moment where everyone is singing at the camera at once. It’s a bit overwhelming. It feels less like a movie and more like a fever dream of a Victorian street corner. I’m not sure I understood the point of the whole thing, but it’s certainly… something.

Honestly, it reminds me of the pacing in His Blooming Bloomers, where everything just sort of happens because the script said so. It doesn't aim for deep meaning. It just wants to make some noise. And it definitely succeeds at the noise part. 🎶

Don't look for a plot here. Just watch the hats. The hats are the real stars.