Cheer Boys Cheer
Cheer Boys Cheer is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Nova Pilbeam, Edmund Gwenn, Jimmy O'Dea, Graham Moffatt, Moore Marriott and Peter Coke.[1]
| Cheer Boys Cheer | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Walter Forde |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon |
| Written by | Roger MacDougall Allan MacKinnon |
| Story by | Donald Bull Ian Dalrymple |
| Starring | Nova Pilbeam Edmund Gwenn Jimmy O'Dea Graham Moffatt Moore Marriott Peter Coke |
| Music by | Van Phillips Alfred Ralston |
| Cinematography | Ronald Neame |
| Edited by | Ray Pitt |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | ABFD |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
The film depicts the rivalry between two firms of brewers. Ironsides, a modern company led by the ruthless Edward Ironside and his son John, seeks territorial expansion to crush its rivals and seize control of their business. They are faced by the smaller, more gently run Greenleaf brewery which is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary.
Cast
- Nova Pilbeam as Margaret Greenleaf
- Edmund Gwenn as Edward Ironside
- Jimmy O'Dea as Matt Boyle
- Moore Marriott as Geordie
- Graham Moffatt as Albert Baldwin
- C.V. France as Tom Greenleaf
- Peter Coke as John Ironside
- Alexander Knox as Saunders
- Ivor Barnard as Naseby
- Walter Forde as Pianist at Wedding
- James Knight as Ironside's Chauffeur
- Hay Plumb as Greenleaf Employee
- Charles Rolfe as Ironside Thug
- Harry Terry as Brewery Worker
- Jean Webster-Brough as Maggie
Production
The film was made by Ealing Studios, roughly a year after Michael Balcon had taken over from Basil Dean as head of production. It was released shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, the last Ealing film to be released in peacetime.
Reception
The film's representation of the differing management styles of the Ironside and Greenleaf companies has traditionally been seen as an analogy for Nazi Germany and the United Kingdom in the lead-up to the outbreak of war.[2]
The film has also come to be seen as a precursor of the later "Ealing Comedies",[2] sharing a similar theme of big versus small, traditional versus modern with the later films which began with Hue and Cry in 1947.[3][4]
References
- "Cheer Boys Cheer (1939)".
- Perry p.42-43
- "BFI Screenonline: Cheer Boys Cheer (1939)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
- "BFI Screenonline: Hue and Cry (1947)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
Bibliography
- Perry, George. Forever Ealing: A Celebration of the Great British Film Studio. Pavilion, 1981.