MISS LONDON (1943) - ♦♦♦

 

It is unfortunate that Arthur Askey's cinematic comedies have overall not aged as well as one would expect they should have, would have, could have. This particular comedy, which can be categorised under variety due to some particularly vaudevillian sketches and somewhat randomly placed musical numbers, has aged particularly evidently due to some of the narrative elements, one being the central elelent of the escorting agency - here meant quite innocently as female companionship in a largely family friendly film. But to a modern audience, the word escorting simply means other things.

 

Nevertheless, the film has some vintage appeal and even its humour, while largely tame today, has some creativeness. The structure can be more accepted as radiophonic more than cinematic, and it's no wonder with Askey having made a name for himself in this particular form of entertainment. Here, however, he is paired up once again with Evelyn Dall, who is somewhat underrated as a figure in British cinema, having herself come from America and at once point having been not only the most popular but the highest paid actress in Britain."