Charley Moon (1956)
A new career opens for Charley Moon when, during his army service, he is detailed to appear in a unit concert. In doing so, he becomes friendly with Harold Armytage, a peacetime actor of the old school. Hearing that Charley has no job to go to when demobilized, Armytage suggests they team up as stage comics. Things are not easy; jobs are few and far between, and when they can be found they are in the tattiest of theatres, but Charley gains the experience he needs. They then decide to try their luck in London.
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Tied for the best movie I have ever seen
This is How Movies Should Be Made
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
I found this musical decent enough with some good tunes (especially during Charley's stage performances) but failing to make much of an impression.At first I thought it was because the story had clichéd elements in it that have been seen a million times before, especially when Charley finds that - gasp! - fame and fortune isn't all it's cracked up to be.But that wasn't the main reason as there have been plenty of great movie musicals full of clichés and obvious story lines.I think what holds this film back is that it lacks what the best Hollywood musicals of this era had, especially the MGM ones. Namely, a confident sense of style and pizazz and a desire to be noticed.The style of 'Charley Moon' is all too modest. Take for example the early segment where Charley Moon's father dies. In a top line Hollywood musical of the day, the melodrama from this would be milked for all its worth. Here, it barely registers any impact.Despite this, it's an OK film. It has some good tunes and is given a level of quality by it's impressive supporting cast (especially Dennis Price). In the lead Max Bygraves is a bit awkward early on but is personable enough and does a solid job overall.