After having enjoyed "Gangway" with Jessie Matthews and Barry MacKay, I thought it appropriate to watch their third and final screen pairing - "Sailing Along" from 1938!
It's also Barry's last movie in England before going Hollywood for MGM's "A Christmas Carol" later in 1938.
"Sailing Along" is another fun movie with Jessie and Barry still displaying good chemistry, but it's a bit different from "Evergreen" and "Gangway" in a few ways.
A big difference is that their characters already know each other when the movie starts, so they don't "meet cute" as is often the case.
They argue a lot and profess not to like each other, but if you've ever seen a movie before, you know that couples who argue that much must really love each other. In the movies at least!
Another difference is that Jessie is given a polished song and dance man to perform with, as opposed to having Barry sing a little and dance a little.
The singer/dancer in question is American Jack Whiting, who was mainly a stage performer, making only a handful of movie appearances. His only other movie of the period is Paramount's "Give Me a Sailor," also from 1938, a Martha Raye/Bob Hope vehicle in which Jack is cast as Hope's brother!
Funny that Jack Whiting has those two movies from 1938, but one's American and one's British, yet they both have "sail" in the title!
Whatever the case, he's quite good here in "Sailing Along," which gives him a better chance to showcase his musical skills than "Give Me a Sailor" does.
Jack's character is also a romantic rival for the affections of Miss Matthews, an idea not present in the first two movies.
Also different is the setting, as a lot of the action takes place on a barge, Barry's character being the son of a barge owner, with Jessie the foster daughter of the same owner.
Said barge owner, the Skipper, is played by Frank Pettingell, whom we remember from his 1959 recording of "A Christmas Carol."
Second (but much smaller than Jessie Matthews) billed is Roland Young, whom I've always enjoyed in the many movies in which I've seen him.
He has a British stiff-upper-lip mumbly delivery that enhances the one-liners he gets to toss off.
Roland Young's main Dickens connection is his terrific performance as Uriah Heep in MGM's 1935 adaptation of David Copperfield," in which he cast against type but delivers the goods.
Also on hand in "Sailing Along" is Alastair Sim, playing another wacky side character as he had in "Gangway."
Watching these movies definitely gives me context for Barry MacKay, but it's also enlightening to see Alastair Sim early in his career playing very eccentric characters. You wouldn't think he be giving an acclaimed performance as Scrooge as dozen or so years later!
Here's a clip from the VCI's DVD of "Sailing Along":
All in all a fun flick!
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| That's "Love Is Not a Joke" in Italian! |
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