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The Broken Melody (1938)

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clip 'Downs and outs'

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Sam Harris (Harry Abdy) and his girlfriend Bella (Rita Pauncefort) are parked by the harbour, talking wedding rings and marriage, when they hear beautiful violin music. They follow the sound to the clearing where John (Lloyd Hughes) is playing for all the homeless men who live in the caves along the foreshore. Bella has an idea – why not put John on the stage at Sam’s café?

Curator’s notes

by Paul Byrnes

Sam Harris is clearly a Jewish caricature, although not an unsympathetic one in the film’s plot. Whether Bella is also Jewish is hard to say. Their dialogue is a rare piece of American-style screwball comedy, full of wisecracks and witty repartee. The American influence on The Broken Melody is more apparent than in other Cinesound films, probably a result of Ken Hall’s visit to the US in late 1935. The film was adapted from a popular novel by Australian writer FJ Thwaites, but Hall and screenwriter Frank Harvey made many changes to the plot. There is also an intriguing connection between the leading character in this, and the film Hall made directly before it. In Lovers and Luggers (1937), the same actor – Lloyd Hughes – plays a famous musician in London who throws off his career to go pearl diving in Australia. Now, in the next film, Hughes plays a man going the other way – towards the big musical success of a career in London.

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