The Night Club Queen: A Quaint, Uneven Trip Backstage

Look, let's be straight: The Night Club Queen isn't for everyone today. If you're someone who loves digging up old British films, especially those dusty little dramas from the 1930s, you might find something here. But if you're looking for slick modern entertainment, you'll probably bounce off this one pretty quick. It's for the patient, the curious, the ones who appreciate a film for what it *tried* to be.

Merle Tottenham plays our lead, a hopeful singer named Lily working the London club circuit. She’s trying to catch a break but keeps finding herself in sticky situations, often involving the club's shadier patrons. You know the drill: bright lights, dark corners.

The whole movie has this kind of *charming amateurish* feel to it. The sets for the nightclub, they’re clearly not huge. You can almost feel the stage manager nervously watching the budget.

One thing that really stuck with me was Syd Crossley as the club manager, Mr. Biggs. He's supposed to be this suave, slightly menacing character, but his suits always look a bit too shiny, almost like they’re made of plastic. Every time he smiles, it feels like he’s trying to hide something, or maybe just needs to clear his throat. 🤔

Lily’s voice, when she sings, it’s not exactly powerhouse, but it’s got this *vulnerable* quality. It makes you root for her, even when the plot puts her in some truly unbelievable scrapes. There’s a scene where she’s singing a ballad, and the camera just holds on her face, and you just *feel* the weight of her worries.

Then there are The Sherman Fisher Girls. Bless their hearts. Their dance routines are a tad stiff, like they rehearsed in a broom closet with limited space. Still, they bring a certain energy, a kind of period charm, even if it’s a bit clunky.

The pacing is… interesting. It moves in fits and starts. One minute, things are rushing, the next, it’s like wading through treacle. There’s a bit where Lily just stares out a window for what felt like an eternity, really trying to convey sadness there. It goes on about 15 seconds too long, and the silence starts to feel awkward rather than emotional.

Drusilla Wills, playing the rival singer, has this *look* she gives Lily after one of her performances. She holds it just a beat too long, almost like she forgot to blink. It’s supposed to be catty, I think, but it almost becomes funny. You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you this moment matters.

Some of the dialogue, oh boy. You can almost hear the scriptwriter thinking, 'That's a zinger!' but it just lands with a thud. There's a particular argument scene near the end between Lily and a shady patron played by George Carney; it just *keeps going*. The camera just sits there, like it's waiting for someone to call "cut."

What’s weird, though, is how some of the crowd scenes have this oddly empty feeling. Like half the extras wandered off for a tea break. You’d expect a bustling nightclub, but sometimes it just feels... sparse. Makes you wonder about union rules back then.

Honestly, the movie gets noticeably better once it stops taking itself *too* seriously. There are these little moments of accidental humor, like when Lewis Shaw's character trips over a chair mid-conversation. Totally unplanned, I bet, but it gives the film a jolt of realness.

It’s not a masterpiece, not by a long shot. But if you’re into the oddities of early British cinema, the kind of film that gives you a window into a forgotten time, then The Night Club Queen offers a quaint, uneven trip backstage. Don't go in expecting grand statements, just a curious little peek.

Didja notice?

• That one extra, the fellow with the crooked tie? He pops up in three different scenes, always in the background. A real MVP!
• The band's drummer looks *so bored* during some of the numbers. You can't unsee it.
• Felix Aylmer has a tiny role, almost a blink-and-you-miss-it, but he carries himself like he’s in a Shakespeare play.
• The sign outside the club changes its font halfway through the movie. Continuity? What's that?
• The way they light the 'romantic' scenes? Very dramatic shadows, almost like a German Expressionist film got lost in a British musical.